ORIGINALLY WRITTEN STAFF
On a day when 16 meet records fell?12 for the girls and four for the
boys?coach Dennis Boldt was pleased that his Hillsboro track teams
managed to finish among the upper echelon at the tough MCAA league
meet held Friday in Lyons.
?This would have to be one of our most competitive meets of the year,?
Boldt said. ?Our league continually has many of the state?s top
athletes in multiple events in three different classes.?
The Trojan girls came away with four first-place performances and two
league records en route to a fifth-place finish among 10 teams.
The two records came in the 4×800 relay and the 800 meters. In both
cases, sophomore Shannon Kroeker was the star.
In the relay, she took the baton on the anchor leg and made up 15
yards on the leader to nip Haven at the tape in a time of 10:08 flat.
That time was more than 19 seconds under the MCAA mark and almost six
seconds under the school record they set last week.
Her teammates included a pair of freshmen, Alisa Jost and Cheryl
Prieb, and her sister, Angela.
?The irony is that I hated to see the 4×200 relay dropped from
competition, and here the girls are with one of the state?s best 4×800
relay teams,? Boldt said.
Kroeker came back to win the 800 meters in a time of 2:29.5, which
nipped the previous record of 2:29.66.
The 4×400 team of Angela and Shannon Kroeker, Julie Hett and Jacey
Boese also beat the previous best time in the league, finishing in
4:08.3. Halstead won the race, though, in 4:06.5.
Battling an unfavorable wind, Angela Kroeker still managed to win the
discus with a throw of 119-31/2, only four and a half inches off the
league mark but almost 14 feet off her school record.The Trojans?
other gold medal came in the 4×100. Jenna Jost, Angela Kroeker, Julie
Hett and Jacey Boese rounded the track in 52.7 seconds.
As pleased as he was with the girls? performances, Boldt was ecstatic
about the improvement in his boys? team from a year ago.
With only two first-place performances Friday, the Trojans used
depth?a missing element last year?to finish third among 10 teams.
Hillsboro athletes placed in 13 of 18 events.
Sheldon Funk cleared a personal-best 12-6 to win the pole vault and
the 4×100 team of Adam Jilka, Phillip Terrell, Ross Duerksen and Ryan
Jilka broke the tape in 45.4 seconds.
But the biggest lift of the day may have come from Scott Winter. In
addition to placing second in the javelin and fourth in the discus,
the junior came up with the league?s second-best throw in the shot
put, an event he hadn?t even practiced this season until the middle of
last week.
?He really surprised the competition and himself,? Boldt said. ?He has
good explosive movements and a sound technique for the event.?
Regionals?The Trojans hope to qualify a host of athletes for state
competition this Friday when they compete at the regional track meet
in Cheney.
To advance to state, athletes must finish in the top three places of
an event. The two best fourth-place times from the four regional meets
will also qualify.
?As always, the focus for our track athletes is to have their peak on
Friday in order that they qualify for state,? Boldt said. ?The goal of
my coaching staff is that we want as many athletes to qualify as
possible in as many events as possible.?
The Trojans will be competing against athletes from Belle Plaine,
Caney Valley, Cheney, Cherryvale, Conway Springs, Ellinwood, Southeast
of Saline, Halstead, Hesston, Leon-Bluestem, Marion, Medicine Lodge,
Neodesha, Sedan and Wichita Collegiate.
Field events will begin at 3 p.m., preliminar
Beleaguered
