Lady Spartans take third behind strong performances from Megan Kitchens, Lilly Degehart, & Tobi Akangbe
By Perry Swack
Greenwood posted its best finish at the region track and field championships since 2006 as they finished second last weekend at the Class 3A, Region 2 meet hosted by Greenwood at Warren East High School. Senior Amaya Salvador placed first in two events – the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.93 and the 1,600-meter relay with Caroline Freeman, Macy Daniels, and Erin Heltsley and a time of 4:16.48. Fellow senior Rachel Evans won the 100-meter hurdles at 18:28 seconds and placed second in the 300 hurdles (52.94 seconds). Sophomore Jessica Peterson won the pole-vaulting region title at 7-06.
Greenwood junior Ashley Gaynor placed second in the 100 hurdles (18.48) and fifth in the 300 (56.62), while Heltsley (2:30.03) and Daniels (2:31.21) placed second and third in the 800-meter dash. The duo of Heltsley and Daniels paired with Salvador and Freeman in the 3,200-meter relay to finish third with a time of 10:06.22. Freshman Myra Jones recorded three fourth-place finishes, a solo in the 100-meter dash (13.30) and two in relays with Kayla Williams, Callie Strode, and Hannah Wiles (400 relay – 55.29, 800 relay – 1:53.91). Senior Katie Howard finished in the top five over the course of three field events, taking third in the shot put (28-11.25), fourth in the triple jump (29-03.50), and fifth in the long jump (13-03.25). Olivia Lovell took fifth in the discus (89-01) and shot put 27-05), while Olivia Reed placed fourth in the pole vault (7-00), and Evans tallied a fifth-place finish in the triple jump (29-03.00).
South Warren picked up an impressive fifth-consecutive third-place finish at the region track and field meet dating back to 2016. Megan Kitchens took first in the 800-meter race with a time of 2:22.78 before teaming up with Ryleigh Johnson, Taylor Brown, and Anslee Crosby in the 3,200-meter relay with a time of 10:04.31. Lilly Degehart and Tobi Akangbe each tallied second place finishes in field events as Degehart took second in the high jump at 4-10, and Akangbe placed second in the long jump at 13-11.25.
South took third in four individual events and three relays. Senior Karson Deaton placed third in both the 100-meter dash (12.95) and the 200 (27.12), Brown finished third in the 1,600 (5:33.36), and Nailah Nwanguma took third in the discus (99-02). Nwanguma, Akangbe, and Deaton teamed up with Kade Chiddster for a third-place finish in the 400-relay (53.37). Deaton, Chiddster, Degehart, and Kitchens finished third in the 800-relay (1:53.90), and Kitchens, Degehart, Abby Overbay, and Madeline Irvin took third in the 1600 (4:26.24).
Barren County finished fifth at the region meet behind strong performances from Chesney McPherson and Gracie Reed. The freshman McPherson won the 1,600-meter race with a time of 5:29.95 and placed second in the 3,200 with a time of 11:59.89. The seventh-grade Reed won the 3,200 with a time of 11:46.08. Ellie Smith finished third in the high jump at 4-10, and Skylar Owen took third in the long jump at 13-08.25.
Bowling Green’s Z’Nyah Owens placed third in 100-meter race with a time of 13.09 seconds. The Lady Purples took silver in both the 400 and 800-meter relay. Bella Elder, Erica Smith, Reese Elder, and Owens ran the 400 in 53.42 seconds, while Owens, Bella Elder, Smith, and Anna Neal finished the 800 in 1:52.84. Logan County’s Samarah Dowell placed fourth in the 200-meter race with a time of 28.02 seconds. The top two finishers in each event advanced to the state meet which will be held on June 12 at the University of Kentucky’s Outdoor Track and Field Complex in Lexington. The next ten best performances in each event from the state (across all seven regions) qualify for the state meet as an at-large for a total of 24 contestants in each event (except in the case of unbreakable ties). The Class 3A state track and field event will begin around 10:00 AM EST on June 12
