Whitney takes top 100, 200 preliminary times into finals

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Jackson senior Mario Whitney demonstrated to the rest of the state a major reason why he was a coveted running back recruit by Division I colleges on Friday.

He's fast.

Whitney turned in the top times in both the boys' 100 and 200 meter preliminaries at the Class 4A track and field championships.

Whitney was among several Southeast Missouri athletes to excel Friday. Central had two all-state performers after Chris Smith finished second in the shot put and Lainie Bohnsack placed fifth in the high jump, while Jackson's Heather West placed fourth in the triple jump. A few others also moved on to today's finals with top-eight qualifying times.

Whitney and Jefferson City junior Domenik Peterson finished 1-2 in qualifying in both the 100 and 200. Whitney clocked 10.63 seconds in the 100 while Peterson finished in 10.89. They were among four runners who ran under 11 seconds.

Whitney (21.53) and Peterson (21.79) distanced themselves from the pack in the 200 with the only times under 22 seconds.

Whitney placed third in the 100 as a sophomore in 10.81 and sixth in the 200 in 22.34. He didn't reach state last year due to a pulled hamstring.

Elsewhere Friday, Smith threw the shot put 52 feet, 11.5 inches to finish runner-up to Tyler Daily of Joplin, who threw 53-8.

Bohnsack, who placed third last year, repeated as an all-stater by clearing 5-2. The top eight finishers gain all-state status.

Central's Ashley Colon was 13th in the shot put (35-1) and Vicki Wilson failed to qualify in the 100 and 200.

For the Central boys, Anthony Harris finished 16th in the long jump (19-8.5).

West, competing in the long jump today, traveled 37-1.25 in the triple jump to take fourth. She was also member of the 400 relay (50.46) which failed to qualify. Jackson's 800 (1:48.42) and 1,600 relays (4:09.69) also failed to make today's finals.

On the boys' side, Jackson's 3,200 relay (8:12.05) failed to qualify.

In 3A, Perryville's Kevin Bohnert was fourth in the 100 (11.34) and the 3,200 relay team of Kent Hadler, Terry Wood, Brian Schlichting and Brian Hadler qualified third in 8:19.74. Kyle Dobbelare also qualified sixth in the 110 hurdles (14.94).

Perryville's girls qualified in the 1,600 as Gina Buerck, Sarah Lappe, Melissa Crannick and Emily Amberger clocked 4:11.04.

Also for Perryville, Chris Porter finished ninth in the triple jump (41-11.25); Kelly Kassell placed 16th in the long jump (15-2); Amberger failed to qualify in the 400 (1:03.54).