Simpher caps day with 1,600 relay title

JEFFERSON CITY — Cassie Simpher was having a good day Saturday at the Class 1 state track meet.

Despite a spill that caused some lacerations, a sore hip and a sore right shoulder.

Third place in the 100 meters. Second in the 400. Fourth in the 200.

After competing in four events for two straight days, the Saxony Lutheran sophomore sprinter had reason to be worn out by Saturday's final event.

Still, Simpher made it a great day by anchoring the Crusaders' 1,600 relay to victory in the day's final event.

She passed four runners in the final 200 meters, finally catching Archie's Lindsey Cornelius at the finish line.

"I've been waiting all day for this," Simpher said. "I said nobody was going to beat us in the 4-by-4."

ANDREW JANSEN ~ Special to the Southeast Missourian Scott City's Stephanie Essner celebrated her victory in the 400 during Saturday's Class 2 track meet in Jefferson City.

The foursome of Simpher and freshmen River King, Abby Hartman and Lucy Gage finished the year without a loss. They only ran in three meets.

"What an incredible story that is," Saxony Lutheran coach Larry Cleair said. "That relay didn't come together until the morning of the district meet. Cassie was signed up for the long jump and she said, 'You know what? I'm not excited about the long jump. I think we can throw a good time up for this relay.' They've been getting better and better."

The Crusaders foursome won the district and sectional with Simpher cruising away from the opposition after being set up by her teammates. The quartet won its preliminary Friday and had the third-best time of the day.

The outlook was bleak as Simpher took the baton Saturday.

"I bet she was 30 meters-plus behind the leader when she got the baton," Cleair said. "She passed her first girl with about 200 meters to go and passed the last with about eight-tenths of a meter to go.

"They don't know how to lose."

Simpher didn't like losing in her specialty, the 400 meters, which she had won at the sectional. With a time of 59.77, she finished one-hundredth of a second behind Meadville's Kaci Sargent.

"I was really pushing for it this year," she said. "I was looking to get my personal best, and I did. With 50 meters to go, I caught up to that girl. I gave it my all. I gave it everything."

But Simpher also tumbled to the track, injuring herself, which was a factor in the 200.

"Being in lane 6 was a disadvantage, and with my arm, I couldn't pump it as hard as I can," she said after the 200. "My shoulder is killing me right now to move it."

But Simpher put aside the pain for the final event, when she overtook Cornelius.

"At the 75-meter mark, I was catching her and she kicked, and I was like 'Oh, gosh,' and I kicked with her," Simpher said.

"She had such a super finish," Cleair said. "That's the kind of finish she's been hoping for all year, and she got it in the last race."

Simpher considered this season a transition from an "awesome" freshman season, when she won the 400 in 59.80 and also medaled in the 100 and 200, and her future, when she may be competing in Class 2 with Kelly's Londyn Backfisch and Scott City's Stephanie Essner.

"I've grown in muscle and height, and I have to learn how to rerun my body," she said. "I'm hoping this is as tall as I'll get, and I'll lift some weights. I'll have some good competition next year."