North Callaway squads finish fourth at EMO track championships

MONTGOMERY CITY - Sophomore Skylar Schmauch repeated as girls' distance runner of the year Tuesday in steering the Ladybirds to a fourth-place team finish at the Eastern Missouri Conference championships.

In the boys' division, junior Steven Coleman was honored as hurdler of the year as the Thunderbirds also came in fourth overall.

Schmauch triumphed in the 3,200 meters in 13 minutes, 52.34 seconds, and also took second in the 1,600 in 6:25.82 as the North Callaway girls produced 74 points. Coleman, meanwhile, won both the 110 hurdles (:14.78) and 300 hurdles (:42.91) to help the North Callaway boys post 88.5 points.

Coleman narrowly missed a victory in the 200, taking second in :23.26 as Bowling Green's Adam Holt prevailed in :23.23. Coleman was part of the Thunderbirds' 800 relay - joining freshman Levi Gilman, sophomore Tyler Mattes and junior Michael Pezold - that came in second in 1:42.96.

Senior Jaida Gray also paced the Ladybirds with a second-place finish in the 400 (1:02.33) and a pair of third-place efforts in the 100 (:13.19) and 200 (:27.40). She was also a member of the 1,600 relay - along with sophomore Victoria Demarest and freshmen Jaclyn McMurtry and Colleen Meffert - that placed third in 4:44.41.

Sophomore Erinn Bush took second for North Callaway in the discus with a heave of 99 feet, 9 inches. The Ladybirds' 400 relay - consisting of freshman Nichole Kelly, sophomore Patri Eckert, McMurtry and junior Kaley Sommer - took fifth in :57.66. The 800 relay - made up of Meffert, Eckert, McMurtry and Sommer - was also fifth in 2:03.61.

Senior Adam Crawford helped spark the North Callaway boys by finishing third in the 3,200 (11:39.08) and fourth in the 1,600 (5:05.10), while Gilman took fourth in both the 110 hurdles (:17.21) and 300 hurdles (:46.96). Senior Nate Eichman placed fourth in the high jump at 5-2.

The Thunderbirds' 1,600 relay - comprised of Gilman, senior Devin Helwig, Pezold and freshman Tayler Vaughn - came in third in 4:05.67. The 400 relay - consisting of Gilman, Mattes, Pezold and junior Mason Trams - finished fourth in :50.03.

Bowling Green breezed to the boys' team title with 197 points, while Montgomery County (110) was second and Wright City (108.5) third. Montgomery County captured the girls' team championship with 174 points, turning back second-place Bowling Green (140). Wright City came in third with 88 points.

North Callaway competes at Centralia at 4 p.m. Monday.