LUKENS CAPTURES SECOND STATE TITLE

JEFFERSON CITY -- Cape Girardeau Central's Laura Lukens won another state title while Perryville's Celeste Ramsey did the same as the Missouri High School State Track and Field Championships came to a close Saturday.

Also shining were Perryville's boys, who finished fourth as a team, led by their state championship 4x800-meter relay team.

Lukens, a senior, smashed her own school record during Saturday's Class 4A discus competition as she had a toss of 145 feet 8 inches. Her previous school record, set earlier this season, had been 140-1. Second in the discus at state last year, she won Saturday by a whopping 15 feet.

Lukens went into state merely hoping for a 141-foot throw, which would qualify her for the Junior Nationals this summer.

"My coach (Central assistant coach Vince Powell, who works with the weight throwers) told me I could do it all year," said Lukens, who won the state shot put title on Friday. "He really helped me today. He told me all year I could do it. It was nice to do it in my last high school meet."

Lukens scored 20 of Central's 27.6 points as the Lady Tigers placed sixth in the 4A team standings.

Also Saturday, Central's Kristen Tallent was seventh in the 400 (59.90) while the Lady Tigers' 4x400 relay team of Tallent, Nichole Thiele, Tosha Smith and Tobie Bittle placed fourth (3:59.51).

Central's boys had only one state placer as Andy Dunaway was eighth in the pole vault (13-6).

Meanwhile, Perryville's track program -- led by Ramsey -- had a big weekend.

Like Lukens, Ramsey had finished second in one of her specialties -- the 1,600 -- during last year's state meet.

This time, the senior star did not come up short. After winning the 3,200 on Friday (11:16.3), Ramsey captured Saturday's 1,600 (5:10.43).

Also for the Lady Pirates, who tied for sixth in the 3A team standings with 23 points, April Watts was sixth in the 400 (1:00.74).

Perryville's boys placed fourth in 3A with 33 points, led by the 4x800 relay squad that captured the state title (8:05.42).

Ryan Layton also had a big weekend for the Pirates, finishing second in both the 1,600 (4:20.83) and 3,200 (9:44.25).

The Pirates also got a third place from Tyson Brown in the 800 (1:58.22) and an eighth from their 4x400 relay team (3:30.10).