The new track and field facility at Lathrop High School hosted the Class 2, District 8 meet on Saturday afternoon, with area student-athletes hoping to take the first of two steps to advance to the state meet the weekend of May 19th and 20th.
Team titles in District 8 were won by the host Lathrop Lady Mules with 121 points, and the Golden Eagles of Bishop LeBlond, with 176 1/2 points. The Penney girls were seventh with 66 1/2 points, while the Penney boys finished third (behind runner-up Lathrop), with 85 points.
Checking girls results, Hanna Williams of Plattsburg won the 100, 200, and 400 meter dashes. Penney junior Laney Park advanced in the 400, with a 4th place finish. Nora Ford of the Penney Lady Hornets moved on in the 1600, with a runner-up finish, following up that effort with a victory in the 3200, running 13:13.48. Ford’s Lady Hornet teammate, Jacey Cook, moved on, finishing 4th in the 3200.
Hailyn Park of Penney is moving to the Section 4 meet in the 300 hurdles, finishing second to North Platte’s McKenna Fulton.
Lathrop’s girls won the 4 by 100, 4 by 200, and 4 by 400 relays. Penney’s team of Ford, Park, Bruce, and Graham were 3rd in the 4 by 400, while Cook, Ford, Graham, and Park were 2nd in the 4 by 800 relay, behind the champions from Higginsville (Lathrop was 3rd).
In boys results, Derek Dixon of the Penney Hornets won the open 400, with a time of 52.45 seconds. Dixon was 2nd and Penney’s Andrew Ernat third in the 800 (behind LeBlond’s Jack Hausman). Maysville’s Cody McNett was 4th to advance in the 1600. Jared Eads of Maysville was 4th in the 3200 to advance. Hausman of LeBlond had a dominant day, winning the 1600 and 3200 as well.
Drake Lewis of Lathrop won the 110 hurdles, with Brock Swindler of Penney, in a time of 42.19 seconds, winning the 300 hurdles for the Hornet squad.
The team champions from LeBlond won the 4 by 100 and 4 by 200 relays. Maysville’s Wolverines finished 4th in the 4 by 100 to advance, and just missed in the 4 by 200, finishing 5th. The Penney Hornets (Derek Dixon, Andrew Ernat, Jaran Richman, Brock Swindler) won the 4 by 400 relay, in 3:36.25. The Hornets also won the 4 by 800, as Crayton Crawford, Jaran Richman, Andrew Ernat, and Derek Dixon ran 8:47.96.
Maysville’s Brendan Bertoncino was 3rd in the pole vault (Lathrop’s Drew O’Connor was second), with Penney’s Swindler winning the long jump competition, in 21 feet, 10 1/4 inches, besting Brock Lewis of Lathrop by 2 1/4 inches.
Swindler added a triple jump title for Hamilton, with 45 feet, 10 inches. Andrew Stroud of LeBlond won the discus toss, and Nick Kremer of Plattsburg claimed the shot put title. Lexington senior Warren Shepherd took the javelin title.
Those advancing from District 8 at Lathrop (and District 7 at Unionville) on Saturday will move to Class 2, Section 4, to be held this Saturday, May 13th at William Chrisman High School in Independence.
