West Platte ran away with their first-ever girls KCI Conference championship at the KCT Conference Track and Field Championships held Saturday, April 28 at Mid-Buchanan High School in Faucett, Mo.
The Bluejays tallied a 150 ½ team points to win by more than 19 over second-place Lawson (131).
West Platte finished second on the boys side with 104 ½ points, more than 50 behind Lathrop who easily took the boys crown.
North Platte finished eighth on the girls side (31) and fifth on the boys side (84).
West Platte has seen it’s girls track program rise from eight runners four years ago to a conference title winning team.
Clinton County Leader/Special to the Citizen
West Platte’s Sarah Stalcup, right, runs in the 200-meter dash at the KCI Conference Track and Field Championships on Saturday, April 28 at Mid-Buchanan High School in Faucett, Mo.
“Four years ago when I started coaching track there were eight girls on the team,” West Platte coach Bailee Geiger said. “Four were this year’s seniors. It has been awesome to watch the program grow and develop. Winning conference is a huge accomplishment and hasn’t been done during West Platte girl’s track’s existence. It just shows the hard work and determination of our athletes. I am just happy to be a part of it.”
A large chunk of points came in the distance running discipline where the Bluejays are coming off of a Class 1 Missouri Cross Country state Championship this fall.
In the 800, Lindsay Goodwin provided one of five event wins for West Platte. She led a 1-3-4 finish for West Platte, good for big points in the team title race.
Goodwin ran a 2 minute, 33.45 second race, more than a second ahead of Lathrop’s Allie McEntee and teammates Rachel Heili (third 2:35.89) and Sikoya Richard (fourth, 2:37.59).
The 3,200 saw Sophia Rush and Lexi Elmore go 1-2 in the final standings. The West Platte duo dominated the race with Rush posting a 12:35.57 time and Elmore coming in 30 seconds behind with a 13:02.50 showing. She too was 30 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.
The same two finished second and third, respectively in the 1,600 run. Rush came in just over a second behind Hamilton’s Hannah Graham who won the race. MiKenna Peters swept the hurdles events, winning the 100 (16.86) and 300 (48.12). Emily Norman took third in the 100 (17.33) and fifth in the 300 (50.41).
The other event win came in the 4x800 meter relay. The foursome finished in 10:18.61, nearly 40 seconds ahead of Mid-Buchanan.
Faith Stevens and Lexie Smither finished 2-3 in the high jump to round out the top finishers for the Bluejays.
On the boys side, Max Davies collected two wins for West Platte, winning the 1,600 (4:49.70) and the 3,200 (10:14.97). Andrew Cicha finished third in the two-mile race (11:10.00). Cole Vandel (second, 300 hurdles — 45.14), Matik Heskin (third, 110 hurdles — 18.75) and the third-place 4x800 and 4x400 relay teams provided the other podium finishes for West Platte.
North Platte picked up two wins on the day. Corbin Green swept the sprints, winning the 100 (11.65) and 200 (22.94). Tyler Meadows and Joe DeMarcus went 2-3 in the pole vault clearing 10-6 and 10-0, respectively.
Brittanie Deppers was the highest finisher on the girls side with a second-place finish in the shot put (31-2). The boys 4x100 and 4x400 relays also brought home second-place finishes.
Bishop LeBlond Golden Eagle Relays
A preview of the KCI Conference meet was held on Tuesday, April 24, in St. Joseph when teams from the KCI, Highway 275 Conference and Midland Empire Conference converged on a large meet at Eagle Stadium at Bishop LeBlond Memorial High School.
Lathrop won the boys title with 151 points, while West Platte took second. North Platte was tied for seventh with Plattsburg. Mid-Buchanan claimed first on the girls side with 116 ½ points, while West Platte was the runner-up at 107 ½ points. North Platte was ninth.
The Bluejays had a pair of champions on both sides.
The girls 4x800-meter relay team of Rachel Heili, Lea Moose, Lexi Elmore and Sikoya Richard ran 10:33.24 and easily outpaced second-place Mid-Buchanan that finished in 11:04.
West Platte’s MiKenna Peters won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.44. She was second in the 100 hurdles, while teammate Emily Norman was third.
Sophia Rush was the runner-up in the 1,600-meter run for the Blue jays, while Lexi Elmore was third in the 3,200. West Platte’s Lexie Smither took third in the high jump.
North Platte had two events place in the top three and both featured Madi O’Neill-Herron. She was third in the 200 and joined Madison Deboard, Trinity Wrightfield and Frankie Davis on the 4x100 relay team that was third.
Max Davies had both of the wins for West Platte.
He won the 1,600 with a time of 4:46.14, winning by 12 seconds. His most impressive win came in the 3,200 when he finished in 10:21.14 and won by 41 seconds.
West Platte took second in the 4x400, which featured Davis, Dylan Lock, Drake Stelljes and Gavin Raney. North Platte had a second-place finish in the 4x800, with the team of Ty French, Joe DeMarcus, Tyler Davis and Caleb Crumley.
DeMarcus added a second in the pole vault, while teammate Tyler Meadows finished third — as both jumped 10 feet.
West Platte had third-place finishes in the 4x200 (Lock/Raney/Cole Vandel/Stelljes) and 4x100 (Preson Bishop/Vandel/Lock/Raney). Vandel added a third in the triple jump.