Martin County West

Maverick head coach Lee Carlson had nothing but positives to say following his team’s effort on Tuesday. With MCW’s season-opening event getting canceled on Monday, all sights were set for the competition in St. James to finally put their practice to the test.

“It was a little challenging with the weather, and for a lot of these kids, it was their very first track meet. So there was a lot of learning going on,” Carlson said. “It was a lot of learning going on, and it kind of forced them to focus. We talked about it, they knew what was going to happen and we did a really good job of meeting that.”

Photo by Jake Olson: Granada Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther's Londyn Bowers paces herself in the 200 meter dash during Tuesday's meet in St. James.

Tuesday was highlighted by a pair of first-place finishes in field events. Mylee Larson strung together the best toss of her career in the shot put with a mark of 30 feet, six and one-half inches. Larson picked up perfectly from her strong sophomore season and is poised to be one of the leaders for the Maverick throw room.

“On her very first [throw], she popped a really good one and ended up winning with that,” Carlson said. “She’s looked really good in practice and has been working hard, so I was happy to see that.”

After just getting her feet settled in the triple jump, Hannah Cole, a gymnast, won her first-ever event with a distance of 30 feet, one inch. Carlson says he saw the potential in this event, given her athletic background.

“Our triple jump, Hannah Cole, who just picked that up. She did a little bit on Thursday, a little bit on Friday and she came out and won it by a foot today,” Carlson said. “That’s pretty amazing.”

Lixon Forsberg was strong in his high jump and long jump events, finishing second on the ladder with a season-best length of 17 feet, eight inches. Kane Wohlhuter tied the MCW record in pole vault with his height of 8 feet, six inches. Even with no facilities in the program, Wohlhuter improved on his previous best score by a foot.

Photo by Jake Olson: Martin County West's Paige Hartwig hands the baton off to teammate Tayavia Moakhamphio during the 4 by 100 meter dash event.

“Again, it was a little challenging with the conditions, but I think our kids did a really good job of learning that,” Carlson said. “From now on, if it gets over freezing, they’ll probably have more fun being in a track meet.”

GHEC/T/ML

The Jaguars found a lot of success in their sprinting team on both sides. Londyn Bowers placed second in her 100- and 200-meter races, both of which were season-best times. Not only did Jaxson Bellecourt and Rylan Rodgers finish fourth and fifth in the 100-meter sprint, but they also aided the GHEC/T/ML 4 by 100-meter dash team to the top time in the meet. Vaughn Thompson and Jacob Mattson joined to fuel the time of 48.60 seconds.

Thompson also got second-place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles. Both times were season bests.

Photo by Jake Olson: Granada Huntley East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther's Brock Steinbrink strives towards the finish line during Tuesday afternoon's meet in St. James.

“It’s always tough having to compete in the tough weather conditions,” Jaguar head coach Alex Roorda said. “Cold might be the worst as a runner, but I think both the boys and girls did a great job despite this.”

Mattson continued to impress in his jump events, specifically the triple jump and long jump. He placed first and fifth in these competitions with two personal bests. Lynsie Salic added to the field events with her solid outing in throws. She placed fourth in shot put (29 feet, one inch)and sixth (81 feet) in discus.

“Going forward, we solidified that our team is building towards a strong season,” Roorda said. “Kids are pushing themselves and their teammates. I’m really excited to see both the boys and girls continue to grow and improve.”