Lewer, Groves finish strong in first day of state track finals

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Kelly's Nathan Lewer finished second in the high jump Friday while Scott City's Loren Groves placed third in the shot put to highlight area performers during the first day of the Missouri Class 2A State Track & Field Championships.

Lewer, a sophomore, jumped 6 feet, 2 inches, which was off his 6-7 district performance last Saturday. The winning jump was 6-4.

Groves, also a sophomore, threw the discus 34-5 1/4, well off the winning performance of 40-11 1/4. Groves will be a title threat in three events today: the 100-meter hurdles, 300 hurdles and discus.

Kelly's boys' 3,200 relay team of Adam Lofton, Ashley Hahn, Lance Ferrell and Adam Daughhetee was seventh in 8:36.08. Daughhetee will shoot for his third straight 1,600 title today.

The top eight finishers in each event earn all-state honors.

Notre Dame, led by Adam Prasanphanich, qualified for today's finals in three events.

Prasanphanich qualified for the finals in the 100, 200 and ran the anchor leg on the 4x200 relay.

He clocked the second fast time in the 100 in 11.43 seconds, won his 200 heat, and helped the Bulldogs to the seventh seed in the 800 relay. The foursome of Andy Arnzen, Austin Critchlow, Garrett Holzum and Prasanphanich timed 1:33.35 in the event.

Lauren Beussink placed 13th in the 800 in a school-record time of 2:35. She was also 16th in the 1,600 in 6:01.

Girls' swimming

ST. PETERS, Mo. -- Notre Dame senior Lindsay Kuper met her pre-meet goal by advancing to today's finals in both her events as the State Swimming & Diving Championships got under way.

During Friday's preliminaries, in which the top 16 places make the finals, Kuper was 15th in the 100-yard freestyle (56.88) and 16th in the 200 freestyle (2:05.07). The top times in each event were 51.46 and 1:54.25, respectively.

Central failed to reach the finals in its three events. Terra Herzberger was 26th in the 100 butterfly (1:04.38); the 200 medley relay team of Herzberger, Cassie Kipper, Brett Ford and Katie Maginel was 33rd (2:06.32); and the 400 freestyle relay team of Herzberger, Kipper, Maginel and Lauren Sulser was 32nd (4:06.19).

The top eight finishers in each event today will earn all-state honors.

--From staff reports