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Hazelwood Central Girls Track
Take 2nd, Hazelwood West Boys 4th
By Jim Wieners
Coming off a disappointing 10th-place finish last year after winning a number of meets including district and sectional Hazelwood Central Girls Track & Field scored their school-best 76 points May 27-28 in a state championship meet held this year at Jefferson City High and were seven points better than Class Three State Champion McCluer South-Berkeley (69).
Unfortunately 76 points were not good enough as the Hawks finished a heartbreaking second to Class Five State Champion Lee’s Summit West (96) at the Dennis and Roberta Licklider Track Complex inside Pete Adkins Stadium. The Hawk ladies were 23 points better than the host Lady Jays (third) while Lafayette finished fourth (45). It was the fourth time the Lady Hawks took second in state (1989, 1990, 2005, 2016) to go along with state championships in 1987, 1988 and 2013 and have taken home 10 state trophies since 1987.
Meanwhile Hazelwood West Boys, who scored just one point last year, managed to take home only their second state trophy in school history. The Wildcats scored just 41 points but it was good enough to finish in fourth place behind Lafayette (81), St. Louis University High (59) and Blue Springs (58). While West has not won state since Wrestling won in 1985 Boys Track & Field finished second to Lee’s Summit in 2000.
HAZELWOOD CENTRAL GIRLS set a Class Five State Record 1:39.5 in winning the 4×200 Meter Relay, which was better than 1:41.21 mark set last year by Kirkwood, the first year of Class Five Track. Sophomore Deja Ingram won two state titles as she won the 100 Meter Dash in 11.8 seconds and the 200 Meter Dash in 24.65 seconds. Senior Smyiah Fulton was second in the 100 Meter Hurdles (14.29 seconds)while the Hawks finshed second in the 4×100 Meter Relay (47.98 seconds) and third in the 4×400 Meter Relay (3:56.11).
Freshman Para Athlete Amari Anderson competed by herself in the Shot Put and her fourth and final attempt of 12 feet and a half and inch from a wheelchair was her best Anderson was second to Troy-Buchanan senior Katie Ladlie at 100 Meters (24.69 seconds), 200 Meters (45.79 seconds) and 400 Meters (1:36.12).
HAZELWOOD WEST BOYS set two Class Five records and had a third place finish bettering last year’s winning mark. Hazelwood West earned their state trophy by winning the 4×400 Meter Relay in 3:17.12, better than last year’s record mark of 3:18.22 set by Lee’s Summit North. Senior Isaiah Cole won the 400-Meter Dash in a record 47.21 seconds supassing last year’s mark of 48.47 seconds set by Eureka’s Derkick Clemons while Cole’s third place time of 21.57 seconds in the 200-Meter Dash was better than last year’s winning record time of 21.87 seconds set by Raymore-Peuculiar senior Micah Beaver, who was second this year (21.56 seconds) to St. Louis University High junior Jayson Ashford (21.39 seconds). Hazelwood West finished second in the 4×200-Meter Relay (1:27.89) to Liberty North (1:27.32).
CLASS THREE — McCLUER SOUTH-BERKELEY won the Girls 4×400 Meter Relay and State team title while the boys won the 4×200 Meter Relay and shared ninth place (24) with Springfield Catholic. LUTHERAN NORTH GIRLS (sixth place-27) won the 4×100 Meter Relay (49.04 seconds). NORTH TECHNCIAL GIRLS (10th place-23) were led by senior Constance Jackson, second in the 100-Meter Hurdles (14.79 seconds) to Souhtern Boone County junior Hannah Crow (14.71 seconds).
CLASS FOUR — Finishing third place includes Incarnate Word Academy Junior Jade Gates (Girls Shot Put-41’11” and Discus-126’10”), McCluer Senior Josh Haskin (Boys300-Meter Hurdles-33.82 seconds) and the Riverview Gardens 4×400-Meter Relay (3:25.98).