Louisburg sophomore Isabelle Holtzen clears a mark in the pole vault during the Class 4A regional track meet Friday at Chanute High School. Holtzen won the event after she cleared 9 feet, 6 inches. In all, the Lady Cats qualified in six events for this week’s state meet.

CHANUTE – Isabelle Holtzen and Chloe Renner couldn’t believe their eyes.

In two separate events at the Class 4A regional track meet, going at the same time just feet apart, the unthinkable was happening for both Louisburg athletes.

They were about to become regional champions.

Holtzen watched as one of the state’s top pole vaulters failed to make a height, while Renner took off in the triple jump and recorded the best mark of her life – by far.

Both of those developments gave them a regional title and got the day started right for the Louisburg girls track and field team in Chanute.

Along with Holtzen and Renner, the Lady Cats qualified for state in six events. Louisburg will send all three relays to this weekend’s state meet at Wichita State University, while sophomore Sophie McMullen also qualified in the discus.

The top four in each event earn a spot at the state competition.

Junior Chloe Renner lands in the sand pit following an attempt in the triple jump Friday in Chanute.

As a team, the Lady Cats finished fifth overall with 40 points and Paola won the regional team crown with 144 points. Chanute was second with 92.

Holtzen, a sophomore, became the first to punch her ticket to state as she cleared 9 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault – which tied a personal best. Holtzen and Paola’s Samantha Van Hoecke were left at 10 feet.

Although Holtzen went out at 10, Van Hoecke didn’t enter the competition until 10 feet and was unable to clear the mark.

“I was not expecting her to get out and it really surprised me,” Holtzen said. “I really feel bad for her. We are friends and we have been to a lot of meets together so I have gotten to know her. When she got out it really hurt me too.

“At the same time I was really excited that I won, but I really wanted to get 10 feet. That is ok though because I know I still did well so I was pretty happy with that.”

Just across the way at the triple jump, Renner got the mark she has always been looking for. Renner, a junior, recorded a jump of 33-9.5 to win the event by three inches.

Renner’s mark was a personal best by more than a foot and she will make her first ever state appearance. She nearly qualified in the long jump as well, but finished fifth at 15-10.5, losing a state spot by two inches.

“I did a lot better than I expected to do, that is for sure,” Renner said. “My expectations weren’t that high this year and I was so thrilled to finally get a compliment from (jump coach Kyle) Littrell.

“I am excited to go. It will be good to focus just in the triple jump all week in practice, so I hope to go even further and Littrell said I could have a good shot at medaling at state.”

McMullen continued the good run for the Lady Cats she recorded her best throw of the season in the discus. The Louisburg sophomore had a toss of 105-8 to take fourth.

“It is nerve-racking but at the same time I am really excited to go to state,” McMullen said. “Last year I didn’t spin at all, and this year I am really working on my spin so I can hopefully get a better mark at state.

“I just want to go and see what happens. Just like this time, this is my first regional meet and I just wanted to come out and compete.”

Louisburg sophomore Reilly Alexander runs stride for stride with a Paola runner during a leg of the 4×400 relay Friday in Chanute.

The Lady Cats continued their success on track as all three relay teams qualified and each came in fourth overall.

Two of those races provided a lot of drama as the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays held off competitors at the end to earn that state berth.

The 4×400 team of Kaitlyn Gaza, Mikayla Quinn, Reilly Alexander and Megan Lemke recorded a time of 4 minutes and 18 seconds to shave five seconds off their previous best time.

“I think the last meet we came out and coach (Greg Darrington) told us to come out and run a 4:18 and we all looked at him like he was crazy,” Gaza said. “I knew that when I handed off to Mikayla that I kept us in a good spot.”

Quinn and Alexander kept Louisburg in the top four before Lemke took the baton on the anchor leg. Lemke actually came out fast and took the lead for a few seconds before the other three teams – Girard, Paola and Anderson County – were able to make up ground.

“Even my mom came up to me and asked why I ran so fast and then lost it,” Lemke joked. “I just wanted to beat Paola because they beat us in everything. I started out really fast because I had a lot of adrenaline going, but I kind of died at the end but it was worth it because we got a PR (personal record).”

The 4×100 team of Gaza, Lemke, Jordon Leach and Hanna Becker also ran a good time of 52.59 to take fourth.

It was Gaza’s sprint in the anchor leg that sealed it for the Lady Cats as she passed two teams in the final 100 meters to edge Spring Hill at the finish line.

“When I got the baton, we were either in fifth or sixth, so I knew that I really had to step it up and I just started going,” Gaza said. “I knew that I was running for more than myself. I was running for three other people as well. I passed the Spring Hill girl on my right and I knew that we had it and was such a good feeling.”

Leach, a freshman, has provided the Lady Cats with a little extra boost as she joined the team a few weeks ago.

“Jordon jumped in as a freshman and has taken to it really well,” Lemke said. “She was a little timid at first but she is really talented and really improved our times.”

It was less of a dramatic finish for the 4×800 team of Holtzen, Lauren Becker, Shaylor Whitham and Liz Hildreth as they knew they had already qualified before the race began. Since only four teams entered, the Lady Cat team was assured a berth barring a disqualification.

Megan Lemke (left) takes a handoff from teammate Jordon Leach during the 4×100 relay Friday at the Class 4A regional meet in Chanute.

That fact didn’t make it any less exciting for the four runners.

“It is awesome,” Hildreth said. “I have gone to state the last couple of years and watched and that track is just a dream with those grandstands there. I can’t believe I get to run there.

Lauren Becker concurred with her teammate.

“This is the first time going to state in anything besides choir so it makes me feel like we accomplished something,” Lauren said. “We have been practicing since Feb. 29 and it is a great feeling to know that it has paid off.”

Preliminaries for some events will begin Friday morning at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium and the meet will finish up on Saturday.

Other Wildcat results are:

100 dash: Jordon Leach, 7^th, 14.17

200 dash: Kaitlyn Gaza, 10^th, 28.21

400 dash: Mikayla Quinn, 5^th, 1:04.36

800 run: Liz Hildreth, 8^th, 2:39

100 hurdles: Klara Riester, 7^th, 18.63

300 hurdles: Riester, 7^th, 51.79

Louisburg junior T.J. Dover lets the discus fly during the Class 4A regional track meet Friday at Chanute High School. Dover won a regional title in the discus with a throw of 150 feet, 2 inches and the Wildcats qualified for state in five events overall. 

CHANUTE – Before this season, T.J. Dover had never given track much thought.

Then this year he decided to give it a try as a way to stay active for football. Needless to say that choice has worked out beautifully for the Louisburg junior.

During the Class 4A regional meet in Chanute on Friday, Dover punched his ticket to the state meet as he set a personal record in the discus. Dover recorded a mark of 150 feet, 2 inches and was crowned regional champion.

This was the only time Dover had won the discus competition all season.

“I have been trying to hit 150 for a few weeks now ever since I hit 143 at Gardner and it felt good to finally hit it and win something,” Dover said. “I am happy going into to state and I am excited to see what I can do there.”

Along with Dover’s mark in the discus, Louisburg qualified for state in five events overall as the top four places at regionals will make the trip to the state meet Friday and Saturday at Wichita State University.

Senior Jarod Woodward lifts the shot put into the air during Friday’s regional track meet in Chanute.

“TJ has worked really hard this year and to get a throw off like that at the biggest meet of the year, was awesome,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “Hopefully he can improve on that this weekend and get a medal.”

Senior Jarod Woodward (shot put), freshman Chris Williams (400-meter dash) and the 4×100- and 4×800-meter relays teams will also compete at the state meet for a chance to get a medal.

As a team, the Wildcats finished fifth overall with 42 points and Paola won the regional team title with 116.33 points. Spring Hill was second with 90.

Woodward will make his second straight trip to state after he came in third in the shot put with a toss of 49-3 and hopes to leave state meet with a medal this time around. Woodward has a season-best throw of 53 feet, which would put him in the top five in Class 4A.

“I didn’t perform to the best of my ability,” Woodward said. “In the past meets, I have been progressively increasing, but this week I was trying to change up my technique. Even though I didn’t throw as far as I can, I am going to come back and attack it as best I can.

“I just wanted to make sure I got in the top four and that was the most important thing. Last year at state there was a lot of people there so I had some butterflies, but this year hopefully I can get past that and do some big things out there.”

Louisburg’s Quinn Rigney takes a handoff from teammate Ben Minster during the 4×100 relay Friday.

On the track, Williams continues to shave off time in the 400-meter dash and it continued Friday as he finished runner-up with a personal-best 50.67 seconds.

In all the 4A regional meets combined, Williams has the third-fastest time and he hopes to leave Wichita with a state medal.

“Chris is a gutsy, competitive kid who has kind of exceeded my expectations, but he is peaking right now,” Griffin said. “That time will get him in the finals if he can run that again, and I think he can.”

Williams will compete in two events out at state as he helped the 4×100-meter relay of Brandon Cooper, Ben Minster and Quinn Rigney to a third-place finish in 45.09 seconds, which was a personal best.

“I am pretty happy to go to state in the 400,” Williams said. “I really wanted to go with the 4×400, but to go in the 4×100 and 400 is pretty good.”

Ben Hupp hands the baton off to Michael Minster for the final leg of the 4×800 relay.

The Louisburg 4×800 team of Wyatt Reece, Ben Hupp, Michael Minster and Tanner Belcher didn’t have to sweat out if they were going to be a state qualifier. Only four schools entered a 4×800 team so the Wildcats knew they were in before the race, but that didn’t stop them from running well.

Louisburg finished in 8 minutes and 48 seconds to take third overall, but to earn a state medal both relay teams will have to take even more time off.

“The 4×800 crew has worked hard all year, and they are capable of cutting quite a bit of time off so hopefully they can run well,” Griffin said. “We had pretty good handoffs in the 4×100 and that is the key to that race. We will need to do the same this weekend and hopefully aim for the mid 44’s to have a chance to make the finals.”

Other Wildcat results are:

100 dash: Brandon Cooper, 6^th, 11.64

400 dash: Blue Caplinger, 13^th, 55.72

1,600 run: Wyatt Reece, 6^th, 4:58

3,200 run: Devyn Small, 11^th, 11:39; Tim Smith, 12^th, 12:01

110 hurdles: Jonathan Ventre, 11^th, 17.67

300 hurdles: Ventre, 13^th, 46.27

4×400 relay: 5^th, 3:37

Triple jump: Cooper, 7^th, 39-0.50

Shot put: T.J. Dover, 5^th, 45-3

Louisburg senior Jarod Woodward rears back for an attempt in the shot put during a meet earlier this season. The Wildcat track teams traveled to De Soto last Thursday and left with several league medals.

DE SOTO – In a meet that was filled with state champions and medalists, the Louisburg High School track and field teams had their work cut out Thursday during the Frontier League meet at De Soto High School.

The Wildcats hung in there as they medaled in several events, despite not having a league champion.

The Louisburg girls finished fourth in the team standings with 57.5 points. Paola and Baldwin took a chunk of the team points as Paola won the league crown with 205 points and Baldwin was second at 194.

Still, the Wildcats found several positives to build on and it started with junior Liz Hildreth in the 800-meter run. Hildreth finished second overall with a time of 2 minutes and 34 seconds and was the Wildcats’ top finisher on the day.

“I was really proud of the girls,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “They showed me some toughness competing on the track. Liz finally got out of her comfort zone and did a great job finishing second. She has a really good chance to compete this week and head to state if she can keep improving.”

The league meet was just the precursor to what is an even bigger meet Friday when Louisburg travels to Chanute for regionals. The top four in each event will qualify for state.

Louisburg’s relay teams all finished in top four at league. The 4×100-meter relay of Jordon Leach, Megan Lemke, Hanna Becker and Kaitlyn Gaza was fourth in 53.06 seconds

Lemke, Gaza, Mikayla Quinn and Reilly Alexander ran a 4:23 in the 4×400 relay to come in third. Isabelle Holtzen, Lauren Becker, Shaylor Whitham and Hildreth took fourth in the 4×800 in 10:45.

“The relay teams did a nice job,” Darrington said. “The 4×100 improved as well as the other two, which is nice to see. They all stand a chance to head to state, but they must run their best races of the year.”

Also on the track, Quinn ran a season-best time of 1:04 in the 400-meter dash to come in fifth. Gaza took sixth in the 200-meter dash in 28.5 seconds and Leach was seventh in the 100 dash in 13.96.

Junior Chloe Renner scored points in three different field events for Louisburg. Renner came in fourth in the long jump with a mark of 15 feet and 7.75 inches.

Renner was also fourth in the triple jump with a leap of 32 feet and fifth in the high jump after she cleared 4-7.

Kaitlyn Urban led Louisburg in the triple jump with a mark of 32-2 to take third and Lemke came in seventh in the long jump at 14-5.5.

Sophomore Sophie McMullen recorded a couple good throws in the discus, including one that went 103-2.5, which was good enough to take third. Teammate Lexie Reece also scored points in the event with a throw of 95-0.

“It was nice to see Sophie break 100 feet, but she needs to work hard this week at practice if she wants to move on to state,” Darrington said.

Holtzen competed in a tough pole vault field, but came in fourth overall after she cleared 9-2 to round out the Lady Cat point-getters.

The Louisburg boys also went up against some tough competition as the Wildcats were sixth in the team standings with 44.5 points. Paola won the boys league title with 156 points and Baldwin was second at 136.

Freshman Jonathan Ventre continues to make strides in both hurdle events and cut down on time. On Thursday, Ventre was third in the 300-meter hurdles in 42.58 seconds and came in fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles in 16.98 seconds.

“Jonathan has had a really good season,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “He has improved with pretty much every meet. He is a hard worker and it is paying off.”

The Wildcats also set personal records in all three relay events.

Brandon Cooper, Chris Williams, Ben Minster and Quinn Rigney ran a time of 45.1 seconds to take fourth. Wyatt Reece, Tanner Belcher, Ben Hupp and Michael Minster helped the 4×800 to a time of 8:49 for fifth and set a personal best by nine seconds.

Ventre, Ben Minster, Michael Minster and Williams ran a 3:33 in the 4×400 to come in sixth, but shaved three seconds off their previous top time.

“They all performed pretty well, but all of them are going to have to run well if they want to qualify for state,” Griffin said.

Also on the track, Cooper ran a time of 11.68 seconds to finish fourth in the 100-meter dash. Williams came in fifth in the 400 dash in 51.77 seconds and Rigney was seventh in the 200 dash with a time of 23.99.

In the field events, senior Jarod Woodward showed he was among the best in the league in the shot put. Woodward came in third with a throw of 49-7.5.

Cooper set a personal best mark in the triple jump with a leap of 39-8.25 to come in fourth. Junior T.J. Dover was fourth in the discus with a toss of 138-3.

Freshman Ian Combs cleared 10-1 in the pole vault to come in fifth and Kristopher Light was sixth in the high jump with at 5-8.

Louisburg returns to action for the regional meet at 2 p.m. at Chanute High School.

“We did about as well as I expected there,” Griffin said. “There were a lot of state champions and state medalists at the meet and we held our own. But we are going to have to take a step up this week if we want to qualify for state. It is an exciting time and we will see who steps up.”

Other Wildcat results are:

Varsity Girls

100 dash: Hanna Becker, 14^th, 14.70

200 dash: Jordon Leach, 11^th, 29.41

400 dash: Kaitlyn Gaza, 8^th, 1:05.75; Reilly Alexander, 10^th, 1:07.54

800 dash: Lauren Becker, 10^th, 2:50.42;

1,600 run: Shaylor Whitham, 10^th, 6:15

3,200 run: Whitham, 11^th, 14:42

100 hurdles: Klara Riester, 8^th, 18:14

300 hurdles: Riester, 8^th, 53.25

Long jump: Kaitlyn Urban, 13^th, 13-1.5

Shot put: Morgan Strumillo, 10^th, 30-3.5; Ellie Katzer, 13^th, 29-1

Discus: Katzer, 9^th, 90-0

Javelin: Zoie Gilliland, 9^th, 88-6; Paige Buffington, 10^th, 87-1

JV Girls

100 dash: Grayson Anderson, 4^th, 14.99

200 dash: Julianne Finley, 3^rd, 30.06; Anderson, 5^th, 30.69

400 dash: Finley, 1^st, 1:06.28

800 run: Alex Miller, 1^st, 2:43

3,200 run: Miller, 1^st, 14:00

100 hurdles: Kristen Bell, 6^th, 21.05

300 hurdles: Bell, 5^th, 59.90

4×100 relay: 5th, 58.49

4×400 relay: 1st, 5:06

High jump: Eileen Benne, 1^st, 4-8; Makenna Allen, 4^th, 4-2

Long jump: Benne, 3^rd, 13-5.25; Allen, 8^th, 12-3.5

Triple jump: Benne, 2^nd, 29-3; Allen, 3^rd, 28-2

Discus: Melia Rice, 5^th, 57-3.5

Javelin: Rice, 5^th, 62-0

Varsity Boys

100 dash: Ben Minster, 10^th, 11.88; Quinn Rigney, 11^th, 12.01

200 dash: Minster, 9^th, 24.52; Brandon Cooper, 13^th, 24.92

800 run: Tanner Belcher, 10^th, 2:10.34; Michael Minster, 11^th, 2:10.87

1,600 run: Wyatt Reece, 9^th, 4:56; Tim Smith, 12^th, 5:02; Devyn Small, 17^th, 5:15

3,200 run: Smith, 9^th, 10:50; Reece, 11^th, 11:14; Small, 15^th, 11:40

300 hurdles: Ben Hupp, 11^th, 46.96

Triple jump: Kris Light, 9^th, 36-6.5

Shot put: T.J. Dover, 8^th, 45-8; Bradley Trageser, 14^th, 40-2

Discus: Mason Koechner, 12^th, 110-7

Javelin: Dustyn Rizzo, 11^th, 120-5; Jacob Jensen, 15^th, 112-11

JV Boys

100 dash: Jackson Ewalt, 3^rd, 12.29; Will Ridley, 10^th, 12.76; Austin Moore, 11^th, 12.76

200 dash: Moore, 6^th, 25.26; Ridley, 8^th, 25.54; Ewalt, 9^th, 25.54

400 dash: Blue Caplinger, 1^st, 54.83; Scott Murphy, 4^th, 56.51; Owen Staver, 8^th, 58.63

800 run: Eddie Murphy, 3^rd, 2:19

1,600 run: Jacob Benne, 8^th, 5:30; Dylan Knipp, 16^th, 6:05

3,200 run: Eddie Murphy, 6^th, 12:10; Benne, 9^th, 12:30; Knipp, 12^th, 13:36

4×100 relay: 2^nd, 47.56

4×400 relay: 1^st, 3:49

High jump: Marshall Rooney, 6^th, 5-4; Dalton Knipp, 7^th, 5-2

Pole vault: Caplinger, 1^st, 10-1

Long jump: Rooney, 4^th, 17-4.25; Kyle Allen, 6^th, 16-10.5; Jacob Arnett, 9^th, 15-3

Triple jump: Dalton Knipp, 1^st, 37-4; Allen, 2^nd, 36-5.25; Rooney, 3^rd, 36-0

Shot put: Matt Holloway, 3^rd, 36-1.5; Nathan Allen, 5^th, 34-1.5; Kiefer Tucker, 7^th, 33-5

Discus: Dalton Ribordy, 3^rd, 109-6; Tucker, 5^th, 106-1; Holloway, 9^th, 88-0

Javelin: Holloway, 4^th, 112-7; Ribordy, 5^th, 110-5.5; N. Allen, 8^th, 104-1

Louisburg junior Chloe Renner lands in the sand pit during an attempt in the long jump Friday at the Redbud Relays in Wellsville. In the 14-team team meet, both Wildcat track teams finished seventh overall.

WELLSVILLE – It may not have shown in the team standings, but the Louisburg High School track and field teams made strides in different areas during the Redbud Relays on Friday in Wellsville.

Both the boys and girls teams finished seventh in the 14-team meet with 34 and 25 points, respectively, but the Wildcats had several athletes who earned medals.

The Louisburg boys saw a pair of freshmen sprinters run toward the top of the pack with a couple strong showings. Freshman Brandon Cooper was the top finisher on the track as he was second in the 100-meter dash in 11.44 seconds.

Fellow freshman Chris Williams turned in his best time of the season in the 400-meter dash. Williams came in third in 51.14 and was just edged out for second by Baldwin’s Dakota Helm by .02 seconds.

Freshman hurdler Jonathan Ventre also hung in with some good competition. Ventre ran a 42.74 in the 300-meter hurdles to finish fourth and a 17.11 in the 110-meter high hurdles to come in seventh.

“I thought we competed a lot better this week as it was a tough meet,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “Chris ran a great race and I think he still has better races ahead of him this year. Brandon ran a good 100 meters and competed really well. I am looking for him to put together a better 200 this week.

“Jonathan is running well right now. I think he is gaining confidence and that will only help him in the next couple of weeks.”

The 4×400-meter relay of Quinn Rigney, Chris Williams, Blue Caplinger and Michael Minster ran a time of 3 minutes and 38 seconds to finish fourth and lead the three relay teams.

Cooper, Williams, Ben Minster and Rigney ran a 45.37 to come in sixth in the 4×100 relay, while Wyatt Reece, Michael Minster, Ben Hupp and Tanner Belcher ran a time of 9:06 to come in eighth in the 4×800 relay.

Ben Minster (24.47) and Michael Minster (2:10) came in seventh in the 200-meter dash and 800-meter run, respectively.

In the field events, senior Jarod Woodward continues to thrive in the shot put as he threw over 50 feet once again. Woodward’s best toss of 51 feet, 1 inch was good for third overall.

Freshman Chris Williams (left) races down the track in the final stretch of the 400-meter dash Friday at the Redbud Relays in Wellsville.

Junior T.J. Dover also had one of his better days of the season in discus as he took fifth with a toss of 141-7 and teammate Garrett Lowry was eighth at 125-9.

“Woody got off a nice shot put and T.J. is starting to put it together in the discus, which is really good to see,” Griffin said.

Cooper, who ran well on the track, also recorded a season best mark in the triple jump. Cooper had a leap of 39-2 to take fifth overall.

Sophomore Kristopher Light was sixth in the high jump after he cleared 5-6. Freshmen Ian Combs (10-6) and Caplinger (10-0) were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the pole vault.

On the girls’ side, sophomore Isabelle Holtzen had the Lady Cats’ highest finish of the day as she continues to score well in the pole vault. Holtzen cleared 9-6 to come in second overall.

“I thought the girls did a great job competing with the other girls,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “It was our first meet with prelims and finals so this will help us in the next couple of weeks.

“Isabelle is still competing well and should be making improvement as she keeps working on her new pole.”

Junior Chloe Renner came in fourth in the high jump after she cleared 4-8 and freshman teammate Eileen Benne was fifth at 4-8 as well. Renner also came in seventh in the long jump (14-6.75) and triple jump (31-2).

Sophomore Kaitlyn Urban (30-9.75) and senior Morgan Strumillo (31-10) finished eighth in the triple jump and shot put, respectively.

The Lady Cats’ 4×400-meter relay of Mikayla Quinn, Megan Lemke, Kaitlyn Gaza and Reilly Alexander had their best day of the season as they shaved nearly eight seconds off their previous best time to take fourth in 4:24.

Gaza, Lemke, Hanna Becker and Jordon Leach helped the 4×100 team to a time of 54.45 to take fifth, while Shaylor Whitham, Lauren Becker, Liz Hildreth and Holtzen ran a 9:06 to take eighth.

“I thought all our relay teams did well,” Darrington said. “The 4×100 will do better with more practice on their hand offs. The 4×400 and 4×800 relays are getting better each week. All the girls are finally getting out of their comfort zones and should get better.”

Junior Klara Riester had a good day as she took fifth in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.76 seconds and seventh in the 300 hurdles in 51.95 seconds.

Hildreth also earned points for the Lady Cats in the 800-meter run in 2:38 and Quinn was sixth in the 400-meter run in 1:05. Leach made the finals in the 100-meter dash and finished eighth in 13.69.

Louisburg returns to the track Thursday when it travels to De Soto for the Frontier League meet. Field events are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

“I’m excited to see how we will compete at league this week,” Darrington said. “That will tell me who is ready for our regional meet.”

Other Wildcat results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Hanna Becker, 17^th, 14.15

200 dash: Kaitlyn Gaza, 12^th, 29.11; Jordon Leach, 13^th, 29.23

400 dash: Gaza, 10^th, 1:06; Reilly Alexander, 11^th, 1:07

800 run: Lauren Becker, 14^th, 2:54

1,600 run: Shaylor Whitham, 18^th, 6:25; Madelynn Yalowitz, 20^th, 6:33

3,200 run: Whitham, 10^th, 14:17; Yalowitz, 13^th, 14:42

Long jump: Megan Lemke, 13^th, 13-11; Kaitlyn Urban, 21^st, 12-10.25

Discus: Lexie Reece, 11^th, 90-10; Ellie Katzer, 13^th, 90-5

Javelin: Paige Buffington, 12^th, 84-6; Zoie Gilliland, 14^th, 80-10

BOYS

100 dash: Ben Minster, 10^th, 11.80

200 dash: Brandon Cooper, ninth, 23.94

400 dash: Blue Caplinger, 16^th, 56.48; Scott Murphy, 18^th, 56.88

800 run: Tanner Belcher, 11^th, 2:12

1,600 run: Wyatt Reece, 15^th, 5:04; Tim Smith, 18^th, 5:06; Eddie Murphy, 32^nd, 5:24

3,200 run: Devyn Small, 18^th, 11:49; Reece, 23^rd, 12:15

Shot put: T.J. Dover, 10^th, 45-7; Bradley Trageser, 26^th, 36-10

Discus: Mason Koechner, 13^th, 121-0

Javelin: Dustyn Rizzo, 13^th, 128-3; Jacob Jensen, 16^th, 126-9

Louisburg freshman Jonathan Ventre clears a hurdle during a meet earlier this season. Ventre placed in both the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles Monday at the Trailblazer Invitational in Gardner. 

GARDNER – Rain and thunderstorms forced the Louisburg track and field team to make two different trips to Gardner to compete in the Trailblazer Invitational.

Field events took place for an hour Friday before the meet was postponed to Monday. Several athletes couldn’t return due to previous engagements, but the Wildcats still scored in several events.

Louisburg got a season-best performance from junior T.J. Dover in both the shot put and the discus. Dover finished third in the discus with a toss of 143 feet, 11 inches and later took fourth in the shot put with a toss of 44-11.

“I really thought our best performances on the day were from T.J. and Tim Smith in the distance races,” Louisburg coach Gary Griffin said.

Smith didn’t score points in those races, but he improved his times in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Smith was 11^th in the 3,200-meter run in 10 minutes and 57 seconds and was 14^th in the 1,600 run in 5:03.

Freshman Jonathan Ventre scored points in both hurdle events on the day. Ventre finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in 17.67 seconds and sixth in the 300 hurdles in 44.46 seconds.

Fellow freshman Brandon Cooper had a strong showing in the triple jump as he took seventh with a mark of 39-1.5. Cooper was also sixth in the 100-meter dash in 11.83 seconds.

Chris Williams earned points for the Wildcats in the 400-meter dash. Williams finished fourth in 52.65 seconds. The Wildcats 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams each took fifth.

Overall, the Wildcats were seventh in the team standings with 36 points.

Many varsity members of the girls track team competed in Thursday’s Prairie View Invitational, but sophomore Isabelle Holtzen made the trip to Gardner and tied her season best in the pole vault. Holtzen was fourth overall after clearing 9-6.

Louisburg returns to the track Friday when it travels to Wellsville for the Redbud Relays. Field events are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Other results from the meet are:

Boys

100 dash: Ben Minster, 11^th, 11.96; Quinn Rigney, 13^th, 12.10

200 dash: Brandon Cooper, 11^th, 24.38; Minster, 12^th, 24.43; Rigney, 14^th, 24.75

High jump: Kristopher Light, 11^th, 5-4

Triple jump: Light, 14^th, 33-7.5

Shot put: Garrett Lowry, 16^th, 39-1.5

Discus: Lowry, 11^th, 117-9

Javelin: Dustyn Rizzo, 15^th, 122-1; Lyndon Smith, 16^th, 117-2

Girls

200 dash: Julianne Finley, 15^th, 30.47

400 dash: Finley, 13^th, 1:08

800 run: Isabelle Holtzen, 13^th, 2:47

Long jump: Shae Murphy, 13^th, 27-1

Javelin: Melia Rice, 16^th, 47-9

Louisburg junior Madelynn Yalowitz leads a pack of runners in the 1,600-meter run during a meet earlier this season. Yalowitz and the Lady Cats won the Prairie View Invitational last Thursday with 97 points.

LA CYGNE – Going into the final event of the night, the Louisburg girls track and field team found itself just out of first by a handful of points Thursday at the Prairie View Invitational.

The Lady Cat 4×400-meter relay team of Megan Lemke, Reilly Alexander, Kaitlyn Gaza and Mikayla Quinn had an opportunity to put the team on their back and get Louisburg’s first team title of the season.

They did just that.

Lemke, Alexander, Gaza and Quinn blew away the field by more than five seconds to win gold in 4 minutes and 33 seconds and vault ahead in the team standings to give Louisburg the team title with 97 points and finished 10 points ahead of runner-up Kansas City-Lutheran.

“The 4×400 team really came through with a good performance when we needed it and got us a win, which was great to see,” Louisburg coach Greg Darrington said.

Although the relay was the only event the Lady Cats won on the day, Louisburg scored points in 16 of the 18 events.

The Lady Cats got several points on the track and Quinn was second in the 400-meter dash in 1:05.63 and Gaza was right behind her in third in 1:05.73. Alexander came in fifth in 1:08.

Also in the sprints, Jordon Leach had a strong day as she took fourth in the 200 dash in 29.22, Gaza, was fifth in 29.26 and Hanna Becker came in sixth with a time of 29.46. Leach finished fifth in the 100 dash in 13.88 seconds.

In the distance races, Liz Hildreth was fourth (2:40) in the 800-meter run. Madelynn Yalowitz (14:10), Shaylor Whitham (14:27) and Alex Miller (14:57) finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 3,200-meter run. Yalowitz also scored points in the 1,600 run as she took sixth (6:26).

Klara Riester placed in both hurdle events as she came in fourth in the 300-meter hurdles in 53 seconds and was fifth in the 100 hurdles in 18.07. Teammate Lilly Mick also scored points in the 300 hurdles as she took fifth in 56.04 seconds.

The 4×800 relay team also scored some big points as it came in second in 10:59 and the 4×100 squad was third in 54.79.

“I’m really proud of our runners for competing and scoring in just about all our events,” Darrington said. “We may not have placed many in the top three but almost all of the running events we scored in. I really think Klara has a chance to be a state qualifier if she keeps improving in the hurdles.”

Junior Chloe Renner had a big day for Louisburg in the jumps as she scored points in all three of her events. Renner finished third in the high jump (4 feet, 8 inches) and long jump (16-0). Later she took fifth in the triple jump (31-4.5).

Sophomore Kaitlyn Urban led the way in the triple jump and finished third (31-8.5). Freshman Eileen Benne was fourth in the high jump (4-8) and Lemke came in sixth in the long jump (13-10.5).

In the throws, Lexie Reece scored points in the discus with a throw of 86-0.50 to take fifth and Zoie Gilliland was sixth in the javelin with a toss of 85-10.

“I was really proud of Renner and Urban as both girls really competed well,” Darrington said. “My throwers had a rough day, but they are going to keep working hard to improve.”

Although many of the varsity boys didn’t attend the meet, the Wildcats still scored points in a few events.

Freshman Ian Combs led the way as he took runner-up in the pole vault after he cleared 10-6 and senior Bradley Trageser was fourth in the shot put with a mark of 42-8.75. Senior Marshall Rooney was sixth in the triple jump (35-10).

The 4×400 relay came in fourth in 3:52 and the 4×800 relay was fifth in 9:38.

Louisburg will return to the track Friday when it competes at the Redbud Relays in Wellsville. Field events are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Other results from the meet are:

Girls

100 dash: Hanna Becker, 10^th, 14.34; Grayson Anderson, 15^th, 14.95

800 run: Lauren Becker, 8^th, 2:58

1,600 run: Shaylor Whitham, 7^th, 6:35

High jump: Makenna Allen, 7^th, 4-4

Long jump: Kaitlyn Urban, 10^th, 12-6

Triple jump: Eileen Benne, 11^th, 28-3

Shot put: Ellie Katzer, 11^th, 30-0.75; Morgan Strumillo, 13^th, 29-5.25; Zoie Gilliland, 21^st, 23-4.75

Javelin: Paige Buffington, 9^th, 77-7

Boys

100 dash: Austin Moore, 14^th, 12.63; Jackson Ewalt, 16^th, 12.65; Will Ridley, 17^th, 12.66

200 dash: Moore, 9^th, 25.25; Ewalt, 11^th, 25.54; Ridley, 13^th, 25.67

400 dash: Blue Caplinger, 9^th, 57.40; Scott Murphy, 11^th, 58.03; Owen Staver, 14^th, 59.17

800 run: Eddie Murphy, 13^th, 2:22; Austin Raetzel, 16^th, 2:26

1,600 run: Jacob Benne, 16^th, 5:42

3,200 run: Jacob Benne, 14^th, 12:41

4×100 relay: seventh, 48.47

Pole vault: Caplinger, seventh, 10-0

Long jump: Marshall Rooney, 12^th, 16-2.5

Shot put: Nathan Allen, 14^th, 36-3.75; Kiefer Tucker, 16^th, 32-10

Discus: Dalton Ribordy, 9^th, 107-6; Bradley Trageser, 15^th, 100-9; Matt Holloway, 18^th, 96-3

Javelin: Holloway, 10^th, 112-3; Allen, 12^th, 97-0; Ribordy, 13^th, 96-7

Louisburg freshman Brandon Cooper is all smiles after winning the 100-meter dash Thursday at the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium. Cooper finished with four medals on the day and helped the Wildcat team to a first place finish. 

The Louisburg boys track and field team is filled with several young and inexperienced athletes, but that youth didn’t show during the Louisburg Invitational on Thursday.

Louisburg won its second meet of the season as it racked up 151 points to pull away from the rest of the competition. Blue Valley Southwest was second with 121 points and Prairie View was third with 96 points in the 8-team meet.

“It was a good all-around meet as a team,” Louisburg coach Gary Griffin said. “We got good performances in all areas and most of the kids had personal records in at least one of their events.”

One of those personal records came in the shot put. Senior Jarod Woodward beat his personal record by almost three feet as he won the shot put with a toss of 53 feet, which ranks as one of the top 10 throws in the state.

“His throw of 53 feet is a big time throw,” Griffin said. “That puts him up there with the state leaders.”

Woodward was one of three Wildcats to win a field event Thursday.

Junior T.J. Dover won his first event of the season as he captured the discus title with a throw of 137 feet, 6 inches and he also took sixth in the shot put with a toss of 43-2.  Sophomore Garrett Lowry was third in the discus with a toss of 134-0 and junior Mason Koechner was fourth at 119-0.

Junior T.J. Dover finished sixth in the shot put Thursday at the Louisburg Invitational. Dover also won the discus with a throw of 137-6.

Sophomore Kristopher Light also had a big day as he won the high jump after he cleared 5-8 and Marshall Rooney came in fifth at 5-4. Freshman Ian Combs was fifth in the pole vault at 10-6.

“I really thought our throwers like Jarod, Garrett, T.J. and Mason all had a good day,” Griffin said. “Kris Light keeps scoring points in the high jump as well, which is great.”

Freshman Brandon Cooper won his first of four medals on the day in the triple jump with a mark of 37-3 and teammate Dalton Knipp was sixth at 36-3.

Cooper burned up the track in the sprints as he won the 100-meter dash in 11.19 seconds and later finished runner-up in the 200 dash in 23.81 seconds. He also helped Quinn Rigney, Ben Minster and Chris Williams to a gold in the 4×100 meter relay in 45.38 seconds.

Williams, another freshman, came up big for the Wildcats as he won three gold medals. Williams won the 400-meter dash with a season-best time of 52.23 seconds.

He also helped the 4×400 team of Michael Minster, Ben Minster and Rigney to a first place finish in 3:36. Williams also took fifth in the 200 dash in 24.28 seconds.

Rigney also scored points in the sprints as he took third in the 200 dash (23.91) and fourth in the 100 dash (11.69).

Freshman Ian Combs clears a height in the pole vault Thursday. Combs finished fifth in the event.

In the hurdles, freshman Jonathan Ventre had two strong races as well. Ventre was runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles in 43.72 seconds and third in the 100 hurdles in 17.42.

“Our freshmen continue to perform well,” Griffin said. “Brandon and Chris kind of dominated the sprints, along with Quinn. Jonathan keeps bringing his time down in the 300 hurdles and is figuring some things out in the high hurdles as well.”

The Wildcats’ 4×800-meter relay team of Wyatt Reece, Ben Hupp, Michael Minster and Tanner Belcher ran a solid time of 9:03 to finish second overall and several other distance runners scored points for Louisburg.

Michael Minster was third in the 800-meter run in 2:12, Tim Smith came in fourth in the 3,200-meter run in 11:11 and Reece was fifth in the 1,600-meter run in 5:09.

Louisburg will compete in two different meets later this week, as part of the team will travel to the Prairie View Invitational on Thursday, while other will go to the Gardner Relays on Friday.

Louisburg sprinter Jordon Leach races down the track in the 100-meter dash Thursday during Louisburg Invitational. Leach finished second overall and the Lady Cats finished runner-up in the team standings. 

For the second week in a row, the Louisburg High School girls track and field team found itself toward the top of the team standings and it picked a good time to do it.

The Lady Cats put on a good show in front of their home fans Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational. Louisburg finished second overall with 139.5 points and won three events during the 8-team meet at Wildcat Stadium.

Blue Valley Southwest won the team crown with 168.5 points and Spring Hill was third with 96 points.

“I was very proud of the girls this past week,” Louisburg coach Greg Darrington said. “It felt really nice to see a bunch of different girls step up.”

One of those girls was sophomore Isabelle Holtzen who earned points for the team in four events. The big event for Holtzen was the pole vault as she cleared 9 feet to win gold and captured her second consecutive title.

Holtzen, along with Liz Hildreth, Shaylor Whitham and Lauren Becker, helped the 4×800-meter relay to a runner-up finish in 11 minutes and 3 seconds. Holtzen later finished fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:45.

Louisburg’s Liz Hildreth leads a pack of runners in the 800-meter run Thursday at the Louisburg Invitational.

“Isabelle is another strength of our team and keeps scoring points and improving each week,” Darrington said. “I know she does a lot with the pole vault and 4×800 along with the open 800. I know at some point his season she will need to just focus on a couple of events.”

Another improvement for the Lady Cats has been Klara Riester in both hurdle events. Riester won the 100-meter hurdles for the first time all season in 17.96 seconds and later took third in the 300 hurdles 52.25 seconds.

Lilly Mick also scored points in the 300 hurdles to finish fourth (54.55) and McKinley Mathews was fifth in the 100 hurdles (21.61)

“Klara is really doing a great job,” Darrington said. “She keeps getting better each week and she is a very competitive person who just goes out and does her best. Klara is working harder at practice which is really helping her at the meets.”

The Lady Cats also fared well in the sprints as the 4×100 relay team of Kaitlyn Gaza, Hanna Becker, Megan Lemke and Mikayla Quinn won in 54.36 seconds.

Jordon Leach also got some big points for Louisburg as she took second in the 100-meter dash in 13.54 and third in the 200 dash in 28.7. Gaza also ran a strong 200 dash as she took second in 28.6 seconds and Quinn was fourth in the 400 dash in 1:07.

Louisburg’s 4×400 relay of Gaza, Lemke, Reilly Alexander and Quinn also ran well to take second in 4:36.

“I really feel that our relay teams are beginning to come together,” Darrington said. “I believe the 4×400 is one of the strengths of our track team. The 4×800 keeps improving with the girls getting better in each leg of the race.”

In the distance races, Hildreth finished high again in the 800 run. The Louisburg junior was third overall in 2:37 and Alex Miller was sixth in 2:48.

Madelynn Yalowitz (14:02) and Whitham (14:05) ran fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 3,200-meter run.

Junior Ellie Katzer launches the discus Thursday during the Lady Cats’ home meet. Katzer was second overall.

The Lady Cats also scored several points in the field events and Chloe Renner helped out in that regard as she came in second in the high jump after she cleared 4-10. She also finished third in the high jump with a mark of 14-6.5 and fifth in the triple jump with leap of 29-7.

Junior Ellie Katzer finished runner up in the discus with a toss of 99-0, while sophomore Sophie McMullen came in fourth with a toss of 95-11. McMullen also took sixth the javelin with a throw of 91-8.

Mathews was third in the pole vault (8-0), Kaitlyn Urban was fourth in the triple jump (29-11), Makenna Allen took fifth in the high jump (4-6) and Lexie Reece came in sixth in the discus (92-3) to round out the Lady Cat point scorers.

Louisburg will split off into two meets this week as some will travel to the Prairie View Invitational on Thursday, while others will go to the Gardner Relays on Friday.

Louisburg’s Kris Light lands in the pit to get a mark in the long jump competition Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Light finished second in the high jump and fifth in the triple jump. As a team, the Wildcats took second overall.

GARNETT – Experience has been something the Louisburg High School boys track team lacked coming into the season, but following the Anderson County Invitational on Thursday, the young Wildcats seem to be coming into their own.

Louisburg finished second in the team standings with 105 points behind champion Spring Hill, which had 150.5. The Wildcats also won three events, including two from a pair of freshmen.

“I was pretty happy overall how we competed,” Louisburg coach Gary Griffin said. “Just like every meet we had some good and not so good, but I think all the runners are making some strides and the jumpers had a lot better day overall than last week.”

Freshman Brandon Cooper had his best day of the early season as he racked up four medals, including three on the track.

One of those was in the 100-meter dash as Cooper sprinted to a gold medal in 11.55 seconds, while teammates Quinn Rigney (11.71) and Ben Minster (11.72) came in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Cooper continued his success in the 200-meter dash as he was third in 24 seconds and helped the 4×100 team of Minster, Rigney and Chris Williams run a season-best time of 45.84 seconds to finish second.

“Brandon had a very good day and he improved on all of his events,” Griffin said. “He is very talented and has a very high ceiling and he will keep improving as his practice habits improve.”

Another freshman, Chris Williams, also finished strong on the track as he won the 400-meter dash for the first time this season in 53.02 seconds. Fellow freshman Jonathan Ventre came in fourth in the 300 hurdles in 44.25.

“The times for the sprinters are gradually getting to where they need to be and that comes with warmer weather,” Griffin said. “Chris has consistently performed well this year and his time was very good for a freshman.”

Louisburg also had a pair of medalists in the distance races. Wyatt Reece ran a 5:03 in the 1,600-meter run to finish third and Tim Smith was fourth in the 3,200 run in 11:30.

Senior Bradley Trageser follows through on an attempt in the shot put Thursday in Garnett.

Reece, Tanner Belcher, Michael Minster and Ben Hupp ran a season-best time of 8:57 in the 4×800 relay to come in third, while Rigney, Williams, Michael Minster and Scott Murphy took third in the 4×400 relay in 3:43.

In the field events, senior Jarod Woodward had another strong performance in the shot put as he recorded a toss of 49 feet, 8 inches to win the event by more than three feet.

Kris Light medaled in two field events for the Wildcats, including a runner-up finish in the high jump after he cleared 5-8. Teammate Andrew Goff, who took fourth in the high jump after he cleared 5-6, led Louisburg in the triple jump as he took third with a leap of 37-8.

Cooper also medaled in the event with a mark of 37-3 and Light came in fifth in 36-2.

“Kris has done a nice job in the high jump and is improving in the triple jump as well,” Griffin said. “Hopefully all three of the triple jumpers will reach the 40-foot mark by the end of the year.”

Freshman Ian Combs also had a strong performance in the pole vault after he cleared 11 feet to medal third overall.

Louisburg returns to the track Thursday when it hosts the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium. Field events are set to start at 3:30 p.m.

Other Wildcat results are:

100 dash: Jackson Ewalt, 19^th, 12.65

200 dash: Quinn Rigney, 7^th, 24.41; Scott Murphy, 15^th, 26.14; Ewalt, 19^th, 26.86

400 dash: Murphy, 7^th, 56.69

800 run: Tanner Belcher, 7^th, 2:16; Michael Minster, 9^th, 2:16

1,600 run: Tim Smith, 7^th 5:19; Eddie Murphy, 13^th, 5:26; Devyn Small, 18^th, 5:33; Jacob Benne, 19^th, 5:34

3,200 run: Wyatt Reece, 7^th, 12:04; Small, 9^th, 12:25; E. Murphy, 10^th, 12:26; Benne, 15^th, 13:03

110 hurdles: Jonathan Ventre, 7^th, 17.79

300 hurdles: Ben Hupp, 8^th, 46.07

Long jump: Marshall Rooney, 14^th, 16-0; Andrew Goff, 15^th, 15-10.5; Kyle Allen, 18^th, 15-5.25; Kris Light, 19^th, 14-8.5

Triple jump: Rooney, 8^th, 35-0; Allen, 9^th, 34-9

Shot put: Bradley Trageser, 9^th, 39-1; Mason Koechner, 12^th, 37-0.5; Nathan Allen, 16^th, 35-11.25

Discus: Koechner, 14^th, 103-8; Dalton Ribordy, 15^th, 101-11; Trageser, 16^th, 101-10; Jarod Woodward, 17^th, 100-7; Matthew Holloway, 21^st, 94-5

Javelin: Jacob Jensen, 8^th, 129-5; Lyndon Smith, 13^th, 123-3; Dustyn Rizzo, 15^th, 118-6; Holloway, 16^th, 116-10; N. Allen, 18^th, 104-0

Louisburg’s Klara Riester clears a hurdle during the 100-meter hurdle race Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Riester finished second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 100 hurdles. 

GARNETT – It seemed all the Louisburg High School girls track and field team needed was a warm Spring day to get itself back into a rhythm.

The Wildcats took advantage of the nice weather and showed big improvement in several areas during the Anderson County Invitational on Thursday in Garnett.

Louisburg finished second in the team standings won three events. The Lady Cats recorded 126 points to finish runner-up behind champion Anderson County (163 points) in the seven-team meet.

The Lady Cats picked up several medalists on the day and had a good outing in the field events.

Sophomore Isabelle Holtzen had her best performance of the season in the pole vault as she cleared 9 feet, 6 inches to win the event and senior teammate McKinley Mathews was third at 8-6.

Louisburg had its best day in the discus ring as it swept the top three placings. Sophomore Sophie McMullen had a season best throw of 105-8.5 to take first place. Junior Ellie Katzer was second with a toss of 96-7.25 and sophomore Lexie Reece was third at 95-4.5.

Sophomore Isabelle Holtzen vaults over the bar during the pole vault Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational. Holtzen won the event after she cleared 9-6.

“Isabelle just keeps getting better and I’m really excited to see where she ends this year,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “The discus throwers are all working hard and are finally getting into a rhythm. I really feel like they are going to begin to make some nice gains. They do have a long ways to go to catch some other girls in our league but I feel like they will get there with a couple more weeks of practice.”

In the triple jump, Kaitlyn Urban finished second overall with a leap of 31-3.5 to earn several points for the Lady Cats.

Eileen Benne (4-6), Shae Murphy (4-4) and Makenna Allen (4-4) took fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the high jump. Paige Buffington rounded out the field event point getters as she finished fifth (84-0) in the javelin.

Sophomore Mikayla Quinn had a season-best time in the 400-meter dash to lead the Lady Cats on the track as she ran a time of 1 minute and 5.4 seconds to take first place. Teammates Reilly Alexander (1:09) and Kaitlyn Gaza (1:10) came in fourth and sixth.

Klara Riester had a personal-best finish in both hurdles as she took second in the 300-meter hurdles in 52.20 and third in the 100 hurdles in 18.13. Lilly Mick came in fifth in the 300 hurdles in 55 seconds.

In the distance races, Madelynn Yalowitz was runner-up in the 3,200-meter run in 13:57, while Shaylor Whitham (14:34) and Alex Miller (14:39) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Liz Hildreth medaled third in the 800-meter run in 2:43 for a season-best finish. Hanna Becker was sixth in the 200 dash in 29.84.

“I felt the girls on the track did a great job,” Darrington said. “Liz and Madelynn did a good job and was nice to see them compete and medal. Klara is a good competitor with guts and some raw talent. It was nice to see her have some success as well.”

The Lady Cat relay teams also placed high and started with the 4×800 team. Hildreth, Holtzen, Whitham and Lauren Becker finished runner-up in 11:07, while Alexander, Quinn, Gaza and Lemke helped the 4×400 to a second-place finish as well in 4:36.

Gaza, Lemke, Quinn and Hanna Becker ran a time of 54.44 seconds in the 4×100 relay to take third overall.

Louisburg returns to the track Thursday when it hosts the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium. The meet is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Other Louisburg results are:

100 dash: Grayson Anderson, 11^th, 14.86

200 dash: Mikayla Quinn, 9^th, 30.08; Anderson, 10^th, 30.66

400 dash: Megan Lemke, 7^th, 1:11

800 run: Isabelle Holtzen, 9^th, 2:57; Lauren Becker, 10^th, 2:58

1,600 run: Madelynn Yalowitz, 8^th, 6:29; Shaylor Whitham, 9^th, 6:31; Alex Miller, 10^th, 6:32

Long jump: Lemke, 9^th, 13-6; Eileen Benne, 15^th, 12-11.5; Kaitlyn Urban, 16^th, 12-8; Shae Murphy, 19^th, 11-0

Triple jump: Makenna Allen, 9^th, 27-10.5; Benne, 10^th, 27-7.5

Shot put: Morgan Strumillo, 9^th, 28-4.5; Ellie Katzer, 10^th, 28-4; Zoie Gilliland 20^th, 25-7.5; Ainsley Vance, 24^th, 18-11.5

Discus: Holly Turner, 10^th, 77-6; Ryann Kramer, 14^th, 69-9.25

Javelin: Kramer, 8^th, 83-5; Gilliland, 9^th, 82-0; Turner, 12^th, 69-3; Lexie Reece, 17^th, 63-10