AREA TRACK ATHLETES SET FOR CLASS 2A STATE MEET

Scott City High state track qualifiers are, front row from left, Becca Gowin, Tara Phillips, Lani Bedwell and Laura Spencer. Back row, coach David Black, Travis Burger, Steve Thomas and Amy O'Brien. Not shown, Tara Sanford.

Chaffee High state track qualifiers are, front row from left, Billy Wilson, Athena Hampton, Renee Vandeven and Andy Oberman. Back row, girls coach Larry Cleair, Casey Hampton, Tia Hampton and boys coach Terry Glenzy.

Kelly High's boys track team finished 14th in the Class 2A state meet last season but coach Bill Davis expects the Hawks to do a whole lot better than that when the 1997 2A championships are held Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City.

Davis, in fact, is looking at a possible top-five finish for the Hawks.

"If everybody performs well, we'll have a good shot at doing something," said Davis. "We're hoping to get in the top five, but it's so hard to say. You don't know what the rest of the state has."

The Hawks do appear to have plenty of firepower, including several athletes who fared extremely well during last year's state meet.

Kelly qualified six boys in eight events for this weekend's competition. Michael Riley qualified in the 1,600-meters and 3,200-meters while other individual qualifiers are Travis Schiwitz (800), Nathan Dirnberger (pole vault) and Joe Livingston (400).

Also competing in state will be three Kelly relay teams: the 4x400 (Chad Felter, Livingston, Nathen King, Schiwitz); the 4x800 (Riley, Felter, King, Schiwitz); and the 4x200 (Dirnberger, Livingston, Schiwitz, King).

Riley, a junior, was 3rd in the 3,200 and 10th in the 1,600 at state last year. He also ran the opening leg on the 4x800 relay team that placed second. Riley is a two-time cross country all-stater, finishing third last season as the Hawks won the state title.

"Michael has a lot of state experience and he should do really well," Davis said.

Schiwitz, a senior, was sixth in the 800 last season and ran the anchor leg on the runner-up 4x800 relay. He has gone under 2:00 in the 800 twice this year, which is better than the state-winning times in that event the past two seasons.

"We look for Travis to have a real good chance to win state," said Davis. "A time of 2:00 flat has won it the last two years. That's not to say another kid won't step up, but Travis should be right in there."

King, a sophomore, ran the second leg on the 4x800 last year, meaning the Hawks return three of the four runners that made up that second-place state squad.

"Felter has stepped in and done a real good job so we look to do really well in that event," said Davis. "We should have a chance to win it."

Dirnberger, a junior, was eighth in the pole vault last year and could improve on that finish.

In addition, Davis looks for his 4x400 relay to have a chance to place.

"They've been running good times," he said. "If everything comes through well, we could finish pretty high. But you never know what will happen. You have to remember these are just kids."

Kelly's girls, who qualified eight athletes in seven events, should also have a shot to place in several events.

State qualifiers for the Lady Hawks are Amy Arteme (1,600, 3,200), Pam Essner (100), Natalie Robert (200), Tabitha Shankle (800), Jenny Riley (1,600), the 4x200 relay (Holly Slavings, Essner, Lyndsey Burger, Robert) and the 4x800 relay (Arteme, April Cousins, Riley, Shankle).

"We've got some girls who could have a good chance to be in the finals," Davis said.

Scott City and Chaffee also qualified a few athletes for the 2A meet.

For Scott City's girls, Amy O'Brien (high jump, long jump) and the 4x100 relay (Laura Spencer, Lani Bedwell, Tara Phillips, Tara Sanford) made it, while on the boys side, Travis Burger (110 hurdles) and Steve Thomas (shot put) qualified.

O'Brien finished eighth in the high jump at state last season.

Chaffee's girls qualified their 4x800 relay (Renee Vandeven, Tia Hampton, Casey Hampton, Athena Hampton) while the boys qualified Billy Wilson (100) and Andy Obermann (discus).