Bria Bartolotta capped her track and field career at Sullivan High School in a big way.
Competing at the MSHSAA Class 3 track and field championships last Friday and Saturday at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Bartolotta won four all-state medals, including a second-place performance Saturday in the triple jump.
The top eight finishers in each event earned all-state medals.
Bartolotta’s performance helped the Lady Eagles claim third-place honors in the Class 3 team standings.
Bartolotta finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 35-8 and fifth in the long jump with an effort of 16-9.
Sullivan also took all-state honors in a pair of sprint relay events.
The 400-meter relay team of Bartolotta, Macy Ritter, Brianna Winistoerfer and Natasha Snavely placed sixth in a time of 49.91.
The 800-meter relay team of Bartolotta, Ritter, Winistoerfer and Natalie Schriever was sixth in 1:45.97.
“I thought both of our relays would win medals. I wasn’t sure about my jumps,” Bartolotta said. “So to get medals in all four events is really awesome. I’m excited.”
Bartolotta and fellow senior Ritter did much of the damage for the Lady Eagles, both winning for all-state medals in the same four events.
“I was absolutely ecstatic. I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” said Sullivan Coach Pat Burke. “Macy and Bria accumulated 27 individual points of our 36. Those girls work incredibly hard at what they do and this was a great reward for that hard work.”
Affton’s Hali Ford recorded a leap of 36-9 3/4 to claim the triple jump state title.
Ritter finished fourth with an effort of 35-3 1/2.
“I feel good about it. My best is 36-2 and I got 35-8 today,” Bartolotta said. “It was hard. I was worn out. It’s really hot. Macy did an awesome job, so it all turned out pretty good. It’s just been hard for everyone.”
Bartolotta came through toward the end of the competition.
“Ending up in fifth place last year, I was kind of nervous because I had a lot to live up to,” Bartolotta said. “It worked out. My second-to-last jump, I pulled out a good one to get me second place. I scratched on my last jump.”
Bartolotta has been a standout athlete for the Lady Eagles.
“Bria has been our strongest jumper over the years. She made the finals on her first jump. Both Bria and Macy were able to improve dramatically in the finals,” Burke said. “Bria hit her second jump of finals and moved into second place, bumping Macy down to fourth after she had already moved up the rankings.”
Burke said hard work paid off for Bartolotta.
“On her last jump, Bria had a huge jump that she scratched,” Burke said. “She is such a natural hardworking athlete. I was very proud to see her finish second after a fifth-place finish last year. It was a great meet for Bria and Macy. They have been the vanguard for our team all season and they certainly did not disappoint in the state meet.”
Bartolotta kicked off the state meet on Friday by placing fifth in the long jump at 16-9.
“I could have done better, but fifth place is still good,” Bartolotta said. “It’s my first year really getting into the long jump. Getting to state and placing, I feel really good about it. I felt pretty good. I wasn’t that nervous. I scratched on my last jump, but I still felt good. I wasn’t nervous.”
Ritter won the long jump title, leaping to 18-0 on her final attempt.
“Macy did really good,” Bartolotta said. “She really deserves it, especially after getting second place last year.”
Needless to say, Bartolotta and Ritter had a busy couple of days at the state meet.
They both ran in the 400- and 800-meter preliminaries on Friday and the finals on Saturday, notching a pair of sixth-place all-state finishes.
“I was very proud of our two sprint relays,” Burke said. “We have talked all year about making it to Saturday in both the 4x100 and the 4x200. The girls knew that they would most likely have to run school records to get there.”
Bartolotta said she hasn’t made a final decision on where she will attend college, but is leaning toward the University of Missouri.
“I can’t say enough about our seniors. They are such a great group of competitors. To say that they will be missed is an understatement,” Burke said. “Not only are they tremendous athletes, but they are very special young ladies who have worked extremely hard and have dedicated themselves to this sport and their team.”
