For the ninth straight season, Sullivan’s girls are Four Rivers Conference track and field champions.
Union gave the Lady Eagles a run for their money, but Sullivan prevailed to place on top of the standings at the FRC track and field meet Monday at Pacific High School.
“The girls were very excited to win it this year. The conference is very strong and really could have been won by a number of schools,” said Sullivan Coach Pat Burke. “One of the goals that we set each year is to compete for a conference championship and the girls really take a lot of pride in reaching the goals they set each year. We are a senior led team with great leadership and our younger girls are beginning to see what it takes to compete at the level expected of them.”
Sullivan accumulated 171.5 points to take top honors. Union finished second with 156.5 points.
“I could not be any prouder of the girls. They gave it absolutely everything they had to try and catch Sullivan this year,” said Union Coach Chris Kelley. “Christa Lenau and Hannah Candrl came up huge for us in the 3,200-meter run. They had nothing left in the tank and had to be helped off the track after their run. Janna Ruether had an outstanding day. I put a lot of pressure on her. For a freshman to handle that and actually score more than what I asked from her shows the kind of competitor she is and the maturity she has. Our girls competed as a team and not as a bunch of individuals. They were at each others’ events encouraging one another. They wanted it bad.”
Owensville placed third with 124.5 points followed by St. Clair with 109, Pacific with 52.5, St. James with 33, New Haven with 26 and Hermann with 16.
“We did a lot of great things,” said St. Clair Coach Lane Cox. “We had a lot of good placement in the meet. Our next focus is going to try and improve on depth so we can really compete with the other conference teams at a better team level.”
Sullivan’s Macy Ritter was named the girls most outstanding performer of the meet.
It was the fourth straight season Ritter has won four events at the FRC meet.
“I am very interested to research to see just how many times that has been done in the history of conference championships. An outstanding accomplishment,” Burke said. “She broke the conference triple jump record in only her second time ever triple jumping. It will be great to watch her take her athleticism to college.”
Results
•100-meter dash — Sullivan’s Ritter won in a time of 13.21. St. James’ Shelby Ridenhour finished second. Sullivan’s Brianna Winistoerfer placed third.
•200-meter dash — Sullivan’s Ritter won in 27.72. Owensville’s Emily Ellis ended second. Sullivan’s Winistoerfer was third.
•400-meter dash — Owensville’s Ellis won in 1:01.12. Sullivan’s Natalie Schriever placed second. Union’s Janna Ruether was third.
•800-meter run — St. Clair’s Lyndsay Hardin won in 2:29.29. Union’s Kayla Kelly finished second. Union’s Ruether placed third.
•1,600-meter run — St. Clair’s Hardin won in 5:31.67. Owensville’s Hannah Baehr placed second. Hermann’s Natalie Witte ended third.
•3,200-meter run — Owensville’s Baehr won in 12:17.22. Pacific’s Hannah Graf finished second. St. James’ Emily Perona was third.
•100-meter high hurdles — Union’s Anna Houston won in 16.59. St. Clair’s Kelly Barns placed second. Sullivan’s Schriever ended third.
•300-meter low hurdles — Sullivan’s Schriever won in 46.68. Union’s Houston was second in 46.72, which broke a school record. St. Clair’s Nicole Ritrovato finished third.
•400-meter relay — Union’s Courtney Zweifel, Amber Tharp, Justice Oliver and Alonnah Diez won in 53.11. St. Clair placed second. Sullivan ended third.
•800-meter relay — Sullivan’s Madison Bartle, Sierra Pryor, Natasha Snavely and Winistoerfer won in 1:52.13. Union finished second. St. Clair was third.
•1,600-meter relay — St. Clair’s Halley Cokley, Brittany Hauther, Ritrovato and Hardin won in 4:15.22. Union placed second. Sullivan ended third.
•3,200-meter relay — Union’s Taylor LaValle, Victoria Kramer, Kayla Kelly and Ruether won in 10:11.52. Pacific finished second. Sullivan was third.
•Shot put — Owensville’s Katie Gregor won at 39-10. Union’s Hannah Mayfield placed second. St. Clair’s Allison Hinson ended third.
•Discus — St. Clair’s Alicia York won at 111-1. Owensville’s Haley Record finished second. Union’s Mayfield was third.
•High jump — Pacific’s Madison Livell won at 5-0. Union’s Houston ended second. Union’s Jillian Johnston placed third.
•Pole vault — Union’s Houston won at 9-6, which tied a school record. St. Clair’s Emily Presley finished second. Owensville’s Angela Soest was third.
•Long jump — Sullivan’s Ritter won at 16-4 1/2. Sullivan’s Bria Bartolotta placed second. Owensville’s Michelle Wehmeyer ended third.
•Triple jump — Sullivan’s Ritter won with a meet record distance of 35-0. Sullivan’s Bartolotta finished second. St. James’ Ridenhour was third.
“Bria Bartolotta also had an outstanding conference meet. She is one of our very versatile athletes and a great team leader who puts everything out there for the team. Natalie Schriever, one of our sophomore hurdlers, had a great meet,” Burke said. “This was a total team effort. We knew that this was going to be a very close meet and if things went well, we could have a chance to win.”
