Cambridge, Southwest rule at Med Valley track meet

Steve Kodad/McCook Daily Gazette Kenzie May (left) of Southwest takes the baton from teammate Abby Daffer in the girls 1,600-meter relay at the Medicine Valley Invitational track and field meet April 12 at the McCook High School stadium. May and Daffer teamed with Kate Kelley and Kelsey Longnecker to finish second in the relay race. The Roughrider girls won the team title by six points over Arapahoe.

Southwest and Cambridge claimed team titles in the 2013 Medicine Valley Invitational high school track and field meet.

The 10-team competition was held Friday, April 12, at the McCook High School stadium.

Southwest triumphed in a tight girls division team race. The Roughriders scored 107 points, six more than runner-up Arapahoe. Dundy County-Stratton was third with 94 points.

Cambridge used depth and its strong sprint corps to run away with the boys team title. The Trojans amassed 151.5 points, with Stapleton-McPherson County second with 73 points. Wauneta-Palisade was third with 59 points.

Kaden Huxoll of Cambridge turned in a strong effort with four first-place finishes. Huxoll swept the boys sprints, winning the 100-meter dash (11.0 seconds), the 200 (22.6) and the 400 (53.4). Huxoll also anchored the Cambridge first-place 400 relay team, as he combined with TJ Gregory, Zane Petersen and Jordan Volk to cover the one-lap race in 46.3 seconds.

The Cambridge foursome of Petersen, Volk, Zack Moore and Jake Witte also won the 1,600 relay with a time of 3 minutes, 44.6 seconds.

Petersen claimed the gold medal in the shot put with a throw of 46 feet, 6 inches. Kiel Howell also claimed a first place for Cambridge in the pole vault at 11-4. Moore also won the 300 hurdles with his time of 43.9 seconds.

Cambridge scored points in each of the 17 events contested in the boys division.

Wauneta-Palisade claimed three gold medals, two by Jacob Maris. Maris won the 1,600-meter run with his time of 5:00.3, and he was first in the 3,200 at 10:32.6. Wes Anderjaska also won the 800 with a time of 2:10.2.

The Broncos also won the 3,200 relay, with Maris, Anderjaska, Hayden Pollman and Logan Bischoff combining for a winning time of 9:01.9.

Seth Gohl of Hayes Center also won the 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 15.8 seconds, as he nipped Lucas Gleisberg of Medicine Valley at the wire.

THE SOUTHWEST GIRLS went to the final event to earn the team victory. Arapahoe trailed by eight points entering the 1,600 relay. The Warriors won the final race, with Paige Jenkins, Rochelle Wendland, Alexa Whipple and Kaylea Watson clocking the four laps in 4 minutes, 26.2 seconds. Southwest finished second, about four seconds behind, and scored more than enough points to hold off Arapahoe in the team chase.

Southwest won the girls team title despite winning just one gold medal. Kate Kelley ran first in the 400-meter dash with her time of 1 minutes, 2.0 seconds, just ahead of teammate Kenzie May. Kelley also placed second in the 200.

Megan Kelley picked up a pair of second-place medals in the long jump and triple jump. May also finished second in the high jump for the Roughriders.

Arapahoe had a pair of double event winners in Alexa Whipple and Kaylea Watson. Whipple was first in the 100-meter dash (12.7 seconds) and the 200 (26.5). Watson also won both hurdles events, with firsts in the 100 highs (16.0) and the 300 lows (50.0). Wendland also won the high jump at 5 feet, 2 inches. Carley Polston also finished first in the long jump (15-8 1/2).

Polston, Wendland, Paige Jenkins and and Whipple also won the girls 400 relay with a time of 52.1 seconds, finishing over three seconds ahead of runner-up Dundy County-Stratton.

DCS picked up several gold medals. Meg Peterson was first in the discus with a toss of 103 feet, 1 inch. Morgan Ohlman won the pole vault when she cleared 7-6. Stephanie McCarthy also won the 800-meter run at 2:37.7, nipping Maywood's Justine Stone at the finish line.

Stone won the 3,200 with her time of 12 minutes, 46.5 seconds.

Taylor Sandoe of Medicine Valley won the shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 4 1/2 inches. Jordin Wasson of Cambridge rounded out the area winners with her first-place triple jump of 34 feet, 6 1/2 inches.

McCOOK entered its junior varsity squads at Friday's meet on the home track.

The Bison JV boys scored 23 points, with the top finish coming from Caleb Sheets, who cleared 5-8 in the high jump for second place. The McCook boys also placed third in both the 400 relay and 1,600 relay.

The Bison JV girls scored 16 points. Vera LaBay led McCook with a third-place pole vault of 6 feet, 6 inches.