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McCluer North Girls State Track & Field Winners
McCluer North Girls Track Barges to State Repeat; Central Girls win Sectional
By Jim Wieners
Throughout the 2015 Girls Track & Field Season McCluer North and Hazelwood Central teams battled each other in seven meets. In most of them Hazelwood Central fared one place better than McCluer North including the May 23 Class Five, Sectional Two at Mary Institute and Country Day School meet won by Hazelwood Central with McCluer North finishing second.
However, when it comes to winning State McCluer North comes up as champions and for the Stars it means back-to-back state titles. On May 29-30 at Lincoln University’s Dwight T. Reed Stadium, Jefferson City. McCluer North won the Class Five Girls State title by scoring 62 points, 14.5 better than runner up Kirkwood (47.5). 15 better than third place Blue Springs (47), 17 better than fourth place Lafayette (45) and 34.5 points better than Hazelwood Central (27.5), which ended up in 10th place.
Many would ask if back to back is true since McCluer North won in Class Four last year (2014) and the answer is yes. That is because the Missouri State High School Activties Association made Track & Field a five-class sport beginning this year.
Like last year the athlete that keyed McCluer North to another state title was senior Jasmine Barge winning her second straight title in two hurdles events, 100 Meters at intermedite height in 14.38 seconds and 300 Meters at low height in 42.86 seconds. The only she could not do was break her all class 300 Meter Hurdle record of 41.79 seconds from last year. Barge, with a 24.79-second effort in the 200 Meter Dash was only good for second place and Barge anchored the 4×400 Meter Relay team to a third-place finish (3:53.36).
Senior Demetria Anderson, who had been playing second fiddle to Barge in the Hurdles and that continued to be true at 100 Meters. Anderson’s 14.78-second effort at 100 Meters was four-tenths behind Barge. Anderson started the 4×100 Meter Relay which ended up in second place (48.73)
McCLUER NORTH BOYS did not fare as well as the Girls, in fact the North Boys ended up tied for 16th place (13) with Lee’s Summit. The only highlight came from junior Harry Ballard as he won the long jump in 22’1.5″.
As for the HAZELWOOD CENTRAL GIRLS went to state to compete in seven individual and three relay events. However there was only one winner as sophomore Destiney Nash won the 400-Meter Dash in 56.55 seconds while the 4×100-Meter Relay team finished third in 48.75 seconds.
McCLUER BOYS THIRD IN CLASS FOUR — With Track & Field going to five classes McCluer stayed in Class Four while most of their Suburban XII North rivals moved up to Class Five. And it looked good going to Jefferson City competing in six individual and three relay events. However McCluer ended up taking home third-place.
McCluer scored 51 points but that was 14 behind Class Four Champion Grandview (65) and two behind West Plains (53) but three better than fourth-place Raytown South. The three relay teams carried most of the McCluer load as all three won state titles. Indvdually, however, the best McCluer could get is a third-place finish from senior Kevin Spraggins in the 200-Meter Dash (21.81 seconds).
The 4×200 Meter Relay team was first and ran the two laps in the winning time of 1:26.61. The 4×100 Meter came a short time later and the one winning lap was ran in 42.41 seconds. Finally the 4×400 Meter Relay was one of the last running events of the championships and McCluer ran the four winning laps in 3:20.14.
CLASS THREE — NORTH TECHNICAL GIRLS made history in Jefferson City May 30 as junior Constance Jackson was the school’s first girls state champion as she ran the 100 Meter Hurdles in 15.25 seconds. Jackson was also on the school’s first ever relay champion, as the Girls 4×100 Meter Relay team won in 50.73 seconds.
