Central girls sweep relays races in team victory at Jackson meet

Wind and cool temperatures could not slow the Central girls track team down, as the Tigers swept the relay events en route to a team title Saturday at the Jackson Invitational hosted at Jackson Junior High.

Central finished with 160 points, well ahead of Lafayette's 113. Jackson was fourth (63), and Notre Dame finished tied for eighth (40).

Tigers sprinter Nicole Jackson had a hand in three of the relay wins, and also won a tight race in the 200.

"The women's relays ran well, all of them," Central coach Lawrence Brookins said.

In the 400 and 800 relays, Central ran sophomores Nadia Cox and Roxanne Jackson, junior Nicole Jackson and senior Dani Gross. The 400 team won with a time of 51.83, nearly 2 seconds over Jackson. The 800 relay team finished in 1:50.32.

Tiffany Mead, Gina Yarbrough and Lisa Langenfeld joined Nicole Jackson on the 1,600 team which finished in 4:21.02. Linnea Woldtvedt, Rachel Burchyette, Yarbrough and Brittany Moreland finished in 10:26.36 in the 3,200 relay.

Gross also provided an individual win in the long jump with a jump of 15 feet, 5 1/4 inches. Nicole Jackson won the 200 in 24.87, and younger sister Roxanne Jackson was third in 26.42.

Brianna Egbuka won the shot put for the Tigers with a throw of 38 feet, 10 inches.

"That's her personal best," Brookins said. "For this time of the season that's a great distance. Got to be happy with that."

Woldtvedt finished second in the 800, Yarbrough was second in the 300 hurdles and Mernetta Parchman was second in the high jump.

Jackson junior Rachel Kahle, all-state in the 100 last season, won the triple jump with a mark of 35 feet, 6 1/4 inches. Kahle was also second in the 200 in 25.02. This is the first year Kahle has participated in the triple jump in high school.

"I really think before it's all said and done, she'll have a chance to win four medals at the state tournament," Jackson coach Bob Sink said.

Usually one of the top teams in the field in the sprint relays, Jackson only entered a team in the 400 relay on Saturday. The Indians' team of Kahle, Andrea Richardet, Kami Miinch and Amanda Peiffer finished second in 53.53.

"We do not have the depth we've had in the past in girls," Sink said. "That's why we've showcased more in the individual events."

Notre Dame's 3,200 and 800 relay teams each finished third. Allison Toole, Amanda Toole, Jessica Banda and Teresa Miller ran in the 3,200 relay, and Erika Reinagel, Hannah Glueck, Allie Job and Haley Bohnert ran on the 800 relay team.

Central boys win

Lance Altenthal set a personal record in the pole vault with a vault of 14 feet, and Tyler Terry won the triple jump to help Central top the boys field.

Central finished with 107 points, followed by Sikeston (84), Farmington (76.5), Poplar Bluff (70.5) and Jackson (68). Notre Dame finished seventh and Saxony Lutheran was eighth.

The Tigers' 400 relay team of Hykeem Hammonds, Tyler Terry, Anwar Glenn and Kelvin Wright provided the only other Central victory in a time of 45.41. John Kipper (1,600 and 3,200), Matt Willingham (pole vault) and Chase Johnson (800) each finished second for the Tigers.

Notre Dame won both the 3,200 and 1,600 relays, outpacing Class 1 school Saxony Lutheran in each event. John Unterreiner, Jon Ramsey, Jason Delgado and Matt Pfau ran in the 3,200; and Mark Zimmer, Delgado, Blake Kirkpatrick and Pfau ran the 1,600.

"The kids really like to run those events," Notre Dame coach Bill Davis said. "They really get up for those."

Zimmer also won the 200 for the Bulldogs in 22.66 seconds and finished second in the 100. In both sprint events Zimmer did not run in the fast heat.

Davis said Zimmer's 200 time is close to the times Notre Dame graduate Tyler Cuba put up.

"I'm real excited for him there," Davis said.

Jackson had one top finisher: sophomore Jacob Bullinger in the discus. Bullinger had a throw of 127 feet, 6 inches. Alex Austin finished second in the high jump, and the Indians finished second in the 800 relay.

Tim Lorenz had Saxony's highest individual finish -- second in the shot put. The 1,600 relay team finished less than a second off the pace of Notre Dame, and the 3,200 relay team was a little less than two seconds off the pace.

"This was good for us," Saxony coach Larry Cleair said. "Tough competition, but it was good."