S-C Boys, Girls Take 2017 WCC Track & Field Titles

Smith-Cotton athletes dominated the West Central Conference track meet Friday, May 5, at Warrensburg, coming away with the boys and girls conference championships.

Tops among the S-C performances were dual first place finishes by Monique Grant (100 meters and 200 meters), Saige Peterson (400 meters and 800 meters), Viktor Tsymbal (110-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles) and Keoni Hale (high jump, triple jump)..

“These four athletes have shined because of their exceptional athletic ability,” S-C Track head coach Brad Hagedorn said. “Their coaches did well preparing them and they gave great performances at a championship level. They were the backbone of a wonderful team effort."

Other S-C WCC champions were Mikayla Gear (discus) and the boys 4x400 relay team of Tsymbal, Jensen Maloney, Nathan White and Dmytro Matsko.

Also notable for the Lady Tigers were Nia Hawkins (second in the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump), Grant (second in the 400 meters and triple jump), Erin Laramee (third, 3200 meters), Abbey Ahern (third, shot put), McKenna Woolery (third, discus), Alyssa Hagan (third, 100-meter hurdles), Tanya Warsawski (fourth, 100-meter hurdles), Jorey Luebbert (fourth, 300-meter hurdles), Calyssa Plymell (fourth, high jump), Gear (fifth, javelin).

For the Tigers, stand outs were Tyshawn Ward (second in the 100 meters and 200 meters), Korbin Scott (second, javelin), White (second, 800 meters), Matsko (second, 400 meters), Nate McFail (second, pole vault), Hale (second, shot put; and third, long jump), Cameron Finley (third, 110-meter hurdles), Bryce Rowles (third, discus), Tyler Williams (third, 300-meter hurdles), Juan Cantu (third, shot put), Alex Beard (third, 1600 meters; and fourth, 3200 meters), Zach Powell (fourth, 100 meters), Chandler Koetting (fourth, 200 meters), Chris Scheiner (fifth, high jump) and Brinton Beard (fifth, pole vault). Also, the 4x100 relay team (Elijah Choate, Finley, Koetting, Ward) was second, as was the 4x800 relay team (Matsko, White, George Gomez, William Hooten).

The Lady Tigers racked up 152 team points, with Warrensburg finishing second with 113. For the boys, S-C scored 183 with Warrensburg again second with 138. The Smith-Cotton junior varsity teams also won the boys and girls WCC titles.

“This is the first time our school has ever swept all four titles,” Hagedorn said. “We take our depth very seriously because it helps our team stay competitive from year to year. Our JV kids understand that at some point they will be called upon to do their part.

"Our varsity squads have come to expect success. They understand what kind of work ethic and character it takes to be successful. They have never lost sight of that. They believe in one another and compete for each other's success," he said.

Next up for S-C is the Class 5, District 5 meet May 13 on the team’s home track at Tiger Stadium.

“With districts next week, we expect our athletes to continue their success,” Hagedorn said.