South Callaway sweeps District 3 track titles

Senior Taylor Howard logged victories in the 100 and 400 meters, and pole vault Saturday as the Lady Bulldogs cruised to the Class 2, District 3 girls' championship.

In the boys' division, senior Josh Brooks triumphed in the discus and shot put to help the Bulldogs complete a sweep of the District 3 titles.

The top four finishers in each event qualified for the Sectional 2 championships this Saturday at Linn.

Howard won the 100 and 400 with respective times of 13.22 seconds and 1 minute, .38 seconds, while prevailing in the pole vault with a leap of 9 feet even as South Callaway accumulated 165.5 points. Russellville came in second with 122 points and Fatima took third with 118.2.

Howard also advanced to sectionals with a third-place finish in the 800 (2:29.95).

Also winning events for the Lady Bulldogs on Saturday were senior Bailey Ward in the 300 hurdles (:50.25), junior Hannah Oberdiek in the long jump (17-1 1/2), junior Sarah Jennings in the triple jump (33-10 1/2), and senior Karli Leeper in the shot put (34-2).

Other sectional qualifiers for South Callaway included Jennings, second in the high jump (5-2) and third in the long jump (16-6); Oberdiek, second in the 100 (:13.34) and fourth in the 200 (:27.98); Ward, second in the 100 hurdles (:17.36); junior Alexis Wetherell, second in the triple jump (32-0); the 400 relay of junior Paige Brown, Ward, Wetherell and Oberdiek, second in :52.13;

the 800 relay of Brown, Ward, Wetherell and Jennings, second in 1:53.15; sophomore Taylor Nichols, third in the 300 hurdles (:53.32), and the 3,200 relay of sophomores Dariyn Finney and Amanda McDonald, and seniors Abigail Luebbert and Andrea Rodriguez, fourth in 11:07.65.

Brooks was victorious in the discus with a throw of 135-7 and won the shot put with a heave of 41-9 1/4 as the South Callaway boys compiled 118.25 points. Cuba finished second with 91 points and Fatima placed third with 89.5.

Also picking up wins for the Bulldogs were junior Mason Shoemaker in the 100 (:11.57), junior Cory Hanger in the 400 (:52.25), senior Garner Rudroff in the long jump (21-4 1/2), senior Terry Miles in the high jump (5-10), the 400 relay of sophomore Ajay Cave, senior Seth Markley, Hanger and Rudroff (:45.57), and the 800 relay of Cave, Markley, Shoemaker and Rudroff (1:35.88).

Other South Callaway sectional qualifiers included the 1,600 relay of Shoemaker, Miles, senior Ethan Ward and Hanger, second in 3:39.84; Shoemaker, third in the 200 (:23.52); Miles, third in the 800 (2:06.17); senior Tristan Peneston, third in the triple jump (39-7); the 3,200 relay of Miles, Hanger, sophomore Brandon Ward and Ethan Ward, third in 8:59.31, and Ethan Ward, fourth in the 300 hurdles (:45.68).

The New Bloomfield boys' and girls' teams - 13th with 14 points and 16th with 1, respectively - did not advance any competitors to the sectional meet.