Dennis wins hurdles in opening meet

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 4, 2015

Louisburg senior Sean Dennis pulls away from the field in the 110-yard hurdles Tuesday during the Leavenworth Invitational at Mill Valley High School. Dennis won the event in a personal best time of 15 seconds

SHAWNEE – It didn’t take long for Sean Dennis to pick up his first, of what he hopes to be several top finishes this season.

Dennis, who qualified for the state track meet last season in the 110-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash, blew by the field in one of those events Tuesday at the Leavenworth Invitational.

The Louisburg senior recorded a personal best time of 15 seconds in the 110-yard hurdles to win the event that was held at Mill Valley High School. The Wildcats ran on a yard track, instead of the normal meter track they will run on the rest of the season.

“It was a personal record time for Sean and he ran well even when it was not a great hurdler wind,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “I think he has a shot in all hurdle races he runs this year.”

The Wildcats also picked up several medals in the throws, including two from Connor McMullen.

McMullen, a senior, found himself in a battle with Leavenworth’s Willie Morrison in the discus. McMullen recorded a throw of 179 feet to start the season, but Morrison topped him with a throw of 189 to win the event.

McMullen also fared well in the shot put as he finished third with a toss of 44 feet, 10 inches. However, teammate Jarod Woodward picked a good day to set a personal best throw.

Woodward, a junior, recorded a throw of 45-9 to finish second and get his season off to a good start. Both Wildcats went up against the best in the shot in Morrison. The Leavenworth senior hit a throw of 68-2, which was the second largest mark in state history.

“I think Connor threw alright, I know he will work hard and they will probably see each other again at the KU relays,” Griffin said of the discus battle. “I was happy to get major points in the shot put and I think Jarod and Connor will continue to get better in that event. I think they can both throw over 50 feet this year.”

Louisburg freshman Bailey Belcher was third in the high jump after clearing 4 feet 10 inches.

Louisburg freshman Bailey Belcher was third in the high jump after clearing 4 feet 8 inches.

On the girls’ side, freshman Bailey Belcher had an impressive debut in her first varsity meet. Belcher finished third in the high jump after she cleared 4-8.

Belcher also had some success as she tied for fourth in the long jump with a mark of 15-5 and also fared well on the track as she was fifth in the 100-yard dash in 12.94 seconds.

“I really feel that Bailey did a great job competing in her first track meet,” Louisburg coach Greg Darrington said. “She has the potential of placing in three or four events at our league meet, which would be a great accomplishment for a freshman. With coach (Kyle) Littrell working with her, I’m sure he will get her performing at her best that time of the year.”

The Lady Cats also earned some points in throws as Lexie Reece was seventh with a throw of 86 feet in the discus. Makayla Quinn came in sixth in the 400-yard dash in 1:06.45 and Isabelle Holtzen was seventh in 2:45.84 in the 800-yard run.

“I was very proud of our young throwers and how hard they are working to make progress,” Darrington said. “This was a tough first meet and the girls will keep improving. I really like their attitude and I am expecting good things from all the throwers. They know now what they need to improve on and can get this done at practice. The girls know that working on footwork and drill will benefit them more than just throwing implements.”

Louisburg returns to action Thursday when it travels to the Paola Invitational. The meet is set to being at 3:30 p.m.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Full results from the meet were not made available at the time of his story’s release as the school was not given final times and distances. Should I get full results I will add them to the story at a later date)