Essner proves she's healthy

Scott City sophomore Stephanie Essner isn't all the way back to the form that took her to the state meet in three events last year.

But her performance Saturday in the Central Relays showed she is getting close to top speed.

Essner won the girls track MVP honor, capturing the 100-meter dash and the 300-meter hurdles. She also finished second in the 100 hurdles and closed the day with a 1-minute anchor leg for the Rams' fourth-place 1,600-meter relay team.

"She's a pretty special talent," Scott City coach Travis Schiwitz said.

Consider that Essner only has run one previous 100 hurdles this year, and she rarely runs the 300 hurdles because she competes in the 400 meters and those events take place back to back in normal track meets.

The Central Relays did not have all the individual track events, instead mixing in sprint and distance medley races. The meet, which had individual and relay scoring in the field events, also did not have team scoring.

Essner, who had a season-best of 58.02 seconds in the 400 last year on her way to being a Class 2 state medalist, did get to cover that distance in the relay.

Notre Dame sophomore Joe Froemsdorf cleared 9 feet in the pole vault Saturday.

It is an event she would like to run again at state this year, to erase the way 2007 ended.

While winning her preliminary heat at state, "my hip just popped and that was it for that day," Essner said. "I didn't run the 200 [preliminary], and I walked the 400 to get my medal."

The injury was it for Essner's summer as well. She did not require surgery, but said her summer was filled with "lots and lots of therapy" and no running.

"I couldn't do anything until two weeks before school, when I started practicing for volleyball and could start running again," Essner said.

"When I did my MRI," she added, "it said my muscle was pulling away from the bone. I think maybe it was too much at one time and I was growing still. I think just pounding and pounding and working on it and just not listening to my body."

She is listening more this year, having overcome some initial nerves about returning to the track.

"For the most part, getting back and running helps getting over it," Essner said. "I'm just making sure I'm not hurting whatsoever. If I feel sore that day, I won't go as much, but I haven't had as much soreness."

Added Schiwitz: "She hasn't done as much hurdle drills and exercises. We've kind of gone a little bit easier."

Which made Saturday's performance more impressive.

On a day when she had great starts in all three events, she led the 100 hurdles race for the first 50 meters before finishing second in 17.50, nearly a full second behind University City's Olachi Anaemeribe. Although she was more than 1.5 seconds off her season's best from last year, she was most pleased with that event.

"I just started doing the 100 hurdles -- this was just my second time running it -- and my time got better," Essner said

In the next event, Essner cruised to an easy win in the 100 in 12.76 seconds, a shade off her runner-up time earlier this year at the Jackson Invitational.

To highlight her day, she got the better of Anaemeribe in the 300 hurdles, again racing off to a fast start and then closing stronger in this race. Her time of 47.79 was a fraction off the school record, 2.2 seconds ahead of runner-up Anaemeribe, more than 4 seconds better than her only other run in the Chaffee meet earlier this year and better than all but one other time in Southeast Missouri in the past two years.

Pretty good considering Essner only had been working on the event a few days this week and still hasn't established a running pattern with a lead leg.

"I was thinking maybe the 50s," for her time, Essner said. "One of the guys on my team was like, 'The meet record is 46-something,' and I was like, 'If I get it, that's awesome,' but I was real surprised with it."

"If she ran it one more time this year," Schiwitz said, "she would probably get the school record."

But that may have to wait until next year.

Essner expects to have plenty on her plate in the next few weeks as she attempts to qualify for state in the 100, 200 and 400 as well as the 100 hurdles. Saturday was a good step on her comeback trail.

"At the beginning of the day, I thought, 'Crap, it's going to rain,'" she said, "but it turned out good, I guess."

@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:

BOYS RESULTS

3,200 relay -- 1, Notre Dame (Dillon Klaffer, Ben Beussink, John Unterreiner, Neil Kanneberg), 8:23.56; 4, Central, 8:27.85; 5, Jackson, 8:30.20; 6, Scott City, 8:30.75.

400 relay -- 1, University City, 43.97; 4, Jackson, 45.63; 6, Central, 47.55; 7, Notre Dame, 47.92; 8, Scott City, 52.36.

110 high hurdles -- 1, Belton (UC), 14.97; 6, Schaper, (J), 16.93; 7, Essner (ND), 17.90; 7, Schoch (ND), 18.03.

100 -- 1, Moore (Murphysboro, Ill.), 10.76; 3, Adam Zweigart (J), 11.08.

1,600 -- 1, Kenyon (UC), 4:40.09; 2, Logan Davis (ND), 4:41.04; 3, Cody Green (J), 4:47.02; 4, Wynn McClellan (ND), 4:52.15.

Sprint medley -- 1, University City, 1:36.24; 3, Jackson, 1:40.13; 4, Central.

Distance medley -- 1, Malden, 11:14.46; 2, Notre Dame, 11:18.86; 3, Central; 4, Jackson.

300 intermediate hurdles -- 1, Belton (UC), 36.97; 2, Derek Goodin (SC), 41.69; 4, Thomas McElmurry (Central), 44.57; 6, Essner (ND), 45.04; 8, Wier (J), 46.89.

800 relay -- 1, Murphysboro, 1:31.90; 4, Central, 1:36.59; 6, Jackson, 1:37.10.

3,200 -- 1, Kenyon (UC), 10:05.07; 2, McClellan (ND), 10:23.46; 4, Schott (Central), 11:00.21; 5, Foust (J), 11:04.47; 7, Crawford (Central), 11:26.61; 8, Manney (J), 11:26.68.

1,600 relay -- 1, Murphysboro, 3:26.85; 3, Central, 3:36.43; 4, Jackson, 3:40.61; 5, Notre Dame, 3:40.93; 6, Scott City, 3:45.35.

Discus (team) -- 1, University City, 393-11; 3, Central.

Discus (individual) -- 1, White (UC), 151-4; 3, Sarno (ND), 128-3.

Shot put (team) -- 1, Jackson (Blake Peiffer, Andrew Lysell, Jake Wolpers), 134-2; 2, Notre Dame.

Shot put (individual) -- 1, Lysell (J), 48-6; 2, Shane Judd (ND), 47-3; 3, Josh Egbuka (C), 43-4.

Pole vault (team) -- 1, Jackson (Garrett Stone, Micah Nickelson, Jerrett Schwab), 32-6; 2, Central.

Pole vault (individual) -- 1, Johnson (UC), 12-6; 3, Stone (J), 11-6; 4, Nickelson (J), 11-6.

High jump (team) -- 1, Sikeston, 17-10; 2, Jackson; 3, Central.

High jump (individual) -- 1, Crowder (UC), 6-4.

Triple jump (team) -- 1, Sikeston, 130-9 ; 3, Jackson.

Triple jump (individual) -- 1, Fondon (Sikeston), 45-2.

Long jump (team) -- 1, University City, 63-3; 3, Central, 56-7.

Long jump (individual) -- 1, Boure (UC), 21-6.

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@z_agate_no tab_no indnt_bld ld:GIRLS RESULTS

3,200 relay -- 1, Central (Mary Dohogne, Veronica Schabbing, Rachel Burchyett, Brittany Moreland), 10:17.62; 3, Scott City, 11:00.50; 4, Jackson, 11:28.30; 5, Notre Dame, 11:34.00.

400 relay -- 1, University City, 49.81; 6, Central, 54.51; 7, Jackson, 55.26.

100 high hurdles -- 1, Olachi Anaemerible (UC), 16.57; 2, Stephanie Essner (SC), 17.50; 6, Johnson (Central), 18.34.

100 -- 1, Essner (SC), 12.76; 5, Meyr (J), 13.42.

1,600 -- 1, Mary Dohogne (Central), 5:26.74; 3, Victoria Schabbing (Central), 5:36.61; 4, Tori Pfau (ND), 5:53.55; 5, Libby Miles (SC), 5:56.94.

Sprint medley -- 1, University City, 1:51.62; 2, Central, 1:52.91; 6, Jackson; 7, Notre Dame.

Distance medley -- 1, Central (Burchyett, Walter, Veronica Schabbing, Moreland), 13:10.63; 2, Jackson.

300 low hurdles -- 1, Essner (SC), 47.79; 7, Andrea Richardet (J), 54.71; 8, Kellie King (J), 55.23.

800 relay -- 1, University City, 1:46.78; 3, Central, 1:49.64; 6, Jackson, 1:56.61; 8, Scott City, 1:56.69.

3,200 -- 1, Veronica Schabbing (Central), 11:46.72; 5, Jordan Whitener (J), 12:42.69; 6, Pfau (ND), 12:53.32; 7, Miles (SC), 12:58.71.

1,600 -- 1, Central (Rita Walter, Moreland, Dohogne, Asia Thomas), 4:11.87; 4, Scott City, 4:28.04.

Discus (team) -- 1, Murphysboro, 265-5; 3, Central.

Discus (individual) -- 1, Lockett (M'boro), 98-7.

Shot put (team) -- 1, Murphysboro, 96-4; 2, Central.

Shot put (individuals) -- 1, House (M'boro), 34-10; 4, Kinsey (Central), 31-3; 6, Bailey (Central), 29-1.

Pole vault (team) -- 1, Notre Dame (Jill Schnurbusch, Allie Job), 15-0; 2, Jackson, 14-6.

Pole vault (individual) -- 1, Whitener (J), 8-0; 2, Schnurbusch (ND), 7-6; 3, Job (ND), 7-6; 4 (tie), Kristen Richardet (J), 6-6; 4 (tie), Sexton (Central), 6-6.

High jump (team) -- 1, Dexter 14-2; 3, Central.

High jump (individuals) -- 1, Watts (UC), 5-0.

Triple jump (team) -- 1, Dexter, 90-5.

Triple jump (individual) -- 1, Forshee (Hillsboro), 34-7.

Long jump (team) -- 1, Dexter, 42-5; 3, Notre Dame.

Long jump (individual) -- 1, Cox (Sikeston), 16-2.