Wildcat track places fourth at Paola Invitational

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 10, 2024

***(Submitted Photo) Louisburg sophomore Kendall Crossley finished third in the 200 and 400-meter dashes last Thursday at the Paola Invitational.***

PAOLA — Although neither finished in the top three of the team standings, both the Louisburg boys and girls track and field teams had plenty of highlights during last Thursday’s Paola Invitational.

The boys had eight top three finishes and racked up 89.5 points, which was good for fourth place overall. The girls also finished fourth as they won one event and had seven top three medalists to earn 79 points.

The Louisburg girls scored some big points in the field events and it started with pole vault. Senior Maddy Carpenter-Ross continued her strong start to the season as she cleared 11 feet to win the event.

Senior Katie Elpers also had her best performance this season in the javelin as she recorded a mark of 121 feet, 4 inches to finish second.

“The girls performed well at Paola,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Katie threw great. Throwing over 120 feet early in the season is awesome and gives her a mark to strive for each meet.”

The Lady Cats also racked up a lot points in the sprints as sophomore Kendall Crossley led the way in a pair of events. Crossley took third in the 200 dash in 27.88 seconds and later finished third in the 400 dash in 1:05.

Sophomore Suzanna Dansel took third in the 100 dash in 13.04 seconds and was fifth in the 200 dash in 28.34.

Senior Emma Vohs (1:06) and junior Presley Yows (1:07) took fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 400 dash.

Crossley, Vohs, Yows and Dansel then went on to record a season-best time in the 4×100-meter relay as they finished second in 52.14 seconds.

“Due to some aches and pains, the 4×1 was a wee bit different, which did not matter as we ran a better time than at Ottawa,” Reece said. “They had good hand-offs and posted a solid time. Expect the order and athletes to change over the next few weeks as we look to get the right girls on the right leg to be even better. We continue to improve in the sprints and look to continue the success we had at Paola.”

Also on the track, senior Maddy Rhamy had a top-3 finish in the 3,200 run as she was third in 13:02. She also finished fifth the 1,600 run in 5:55.

Freshman Adelyn Moore took fifth in the 800 run in 2:40 and senior Erin Apple was right behind her in sixth in 2:41.

In the hurdles, freshman Caroline Apple was fifth in the 100 hurdles in 18.29 and senior Kate Frederick was eighth in 19.41.

In the throws, sophomore McKenna Lohse was eighth in the shot put with a season best toss of 34-8.

On the boys side, the Wildcats didn’t win any golds, but they still scored points in 15 events.

***Louisburg junior Gavin Lohse took third in the long jump Thursday at the Paola Invitational.***

“We haven’t been able to figure out who we are yet as a team, as we have yet to have a full squad as we are combating injuries,” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “It was great to see some of our athletes tested with some competition, and we found out where we need to put in some work. We were able to score points in most events, but I look for us to work to improve our marks and times.”

The Wildcats finished in the top three in all three relays and it started with a season best performance in the 4×100. Caden Caplinger, Gavin Lohse, Hunter Heinrich and Caleb Feldkamp took second in a season-best 44.06 seconds.

Blaise Vohs, Emmett White, Aiden Meyer and Heinrich ended the meet on a good note as they were second in the 4×400 in 3:35, while the 4×800 team of Jerynce Brings Plenty, Myles Vohs, Blaise Vohs and Grant Cannon took third in 8:50.

Louisburg scored several points in the sprints as Lohse took fourth in the 100 dash in 11.40 seconds and Gage Feldkamp was seventh at 11.58. Caleb Feldkamp was fifth in the 200 dash in 23.50.

White went on to take fourth in the 400 dash in a season-best time of 52.99 and Heinrich was sixth in 53.85. Blaise Vohs ran well in the open 800 as he took third in 2:07.

Junior Jay McCaskill scored points in the 300 hurdles as he took eighth in a season-best time of 45.91 seconds.

Field events were also kind to the Wildcats as junior Jacob Brown had his best day in the pole vault as he cleared 12-6 to take second overall.

“Jacob continues to improve every week,” Wright said. “The most exciting part to watch will be that he still has more in him. With the work he is putting in, he has the potential to be a 13-6 or 14-foot or more vaulter by the end of the season.”

Lohse, who is in his first year of high school track, had a big day in the long jump. He finished third with a personal-best jump of 21-1 and took third overall.

“Gavin is a nice addition to our team this year,” Wright aid. “We will be working on technique, as he is just raw in his first year. It is exciting that he is already going over 21 after just his second meet.”

Sophomore Evan McKitrick scored points in a couple of events as he was third in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 39-11, and took fifth in the high jump at 5-8.

In the throws, senior Ben O’Bryan had his best day in the shot put as he recorded mark of 48-1 to take third. O’Bryan also finished fourth in the discus at 127-2.

Sophomore Tasen Ellison was fourth in the javelin with a throw of 141-10, while senior Lane Cunningham was eighth at 130-4. Ellison was also eighth in the high jump at 5-6.

Senior Jaymes Melton scored points in the shot put with a toss of 44 feet to take eighth.

“I saw some of our kids experience some adversity, and as a coach I want that early in the season,” Wright said. “It’s going to help our athletes develop not only physically, but mentally. We want to peak at the end of May, not the beginning of April.”

Louisburg is back in action this Thursday as it travels to Garnett for the Anderson County Invitational.

Other results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Taylor O’Connor, 17th, 14.18; Maliya Collins, 18th, 14.28

1,600 run: Erin Apple, 14th, 6:32

300 hurdles: Caroline Apple, 9th, 54.56; Kate Frederick, 11th, 58.03

High Jump: Annmarie Walton, 11th, 4-4

Long Jump: Walton, 17th, 12-11.75; Jocelyn Burk, 18th, 12-9.75; Hanna Veres, 19th, 12-7.25

Triple Jump: Veres, 11th, 28-7; Burk, 14th, 27-10; Walton, 15th, 26-11.25

Shot Put: Kinley Scott, 11th, 31-0; Maddie Yoder, 14th, 28-10

Discus: McKenna Lohse, 13th, 85-0; Cora Wulfkuhle, 20th, 67-0; Yoder, 21st, 61-8

Javelin: Adelyn Moore, 9th, 101-6; Lohse, 15th, 90-3