WESTON – A season ago, West Platte made some noise at the Class 2 State Track and Field Meet, and the Blue Jays aren’t looking to quiet down this year.
West Platte’s Ahlanna Rutherford hands the baton to Sam Baker in the 4x200 at the Class 2 State Track and Field Meet in 2023.
The West Platte boys backdoored their way into a third-place finish after a strong first day, earning a state banner for the first time since 2014. While some talented athletes have graduated, six of the 12 boys on the roster that were varsity level in 2023 also made it to state.
“We’ll have great speed that will push every competitor we face week to week,” West Platte head boys’ track and field coach Jim Newsted said. “We still need to find a few pieces to fill our lineups, but the core group is full of experienced upperclassmen which usually results in a successful season.”
Jonah McGivern, Will Shafer, Augie Hill and Colton Depetre were on the two short relays – 4x100 and 4x200 – that were all-state worthy. Hill is also a high jumper and sprinter, breaking the program record in the 100-meter dash in 10.93 seconds as a sophomore.
McGivern is on all three relays for West Platte and does the open sprints as well. Senior Miles McHenry was an all-conference and all-district athlete in hurdles and javelin, breaking the school record of the latter with a throw of 47.45 meters last year.
“I like the nucleus of returning classmen, we have a lot of numbers on the track that are ready. I feel confident that we will find a very competitive lineup in the weeks to come,” Newsted said.
The Blue Jays will look at Garrett Moritz, Adrian Prestridge, Joseph Blake and Brenden Sullivan in the field events, along with the KCI Conference runner-up pole vaulter Josh Tiffany. Alex Kinslow is a hurdler that missed out on state in the event and was a state medalist in the 4x800.
Out of the seven West Platte girls who are coming back after qualifying for state a season ago, only three are seniors: Julia Pattison, Maddie McMillan and Avery Holmes. Those three have made a name for themselves over the years in long distance and relays.
“In some areas we have a wealth of experience – distance, hurdles and relays – and in other areas – jumps, pole vault and throws – we are young,” West Platte girls’ track and field coach Bailee Giger said. “We have some holes to fill, but we also have some youth that might be able to meet our needs.”
Hailey Peters was an impressive sophomore hurdler a year ago, missing out on a state appearance as a jumper – yet making it in the 4x100 and as an alternate in the 4x400 – and is determined to make that step as a junior. Junior sprinter Sam Baker had a false start in preliminaries of the 400-meter at state last year and is looking for redemption as well.
“We will have competition within our team, especially in the middle and long distance group, for the top two spots to even go to meets. This is already making our team work harder at practice,” Giger said.
Sophie Grier, Ahlanna Rutherford and Blair McHenry are the other three Lady Blue Jays who had state exposure in 2023 – not including alternates Klaira Groom, Addi Bailey and Laura Hill. Freshmen Maizie French, Hana Hoover and Cambrie Swope are ready for the next level of competition, along with juniors Aurora Green in throwing and Leah Jacobs in long distance.
“The keys to success in track are always to be our best around districts’ week. This means putting in the work upfront, competing in practice, staying healthy and trusting the coaching staff,” Giger said.