Seven Track And Field Athletes Advance To State

Seven of Sullivan’s track and field athletes are state-bound after rocking the Class 4 Sectional 3 Tournament on Saturday, May 18, at Waynesville High School. 

The girls finished tenth out of 16 teams with 38 points, while the boys tied for 11th out of 18 squads with 31 points.

Co-head coach Terry Wood is excited to show the rest of Missouri the talent a small school like Sullivan has at the upcoming state meet. He said, “We’re looking forward to an amazing opportunity to showcase our abilities at the highest level. So many of our kids are hitting their peaks and this is the best time to showcase it!” They will take their shot at reaching the Class 4 podium at Jefferson City’s Adkins Stadium from May 24-25.

State Qualifiers

Robert York crowned himself the sectional champion after throwing 54.01 meters in the javelin, setting a new school record. York improved upon his fourth-place finish (48.95m) last year in sectionals and aims to crack the top 8 during his second trip to state. 

Mariah Denney will join York on the ride to Missouri’s capital this weekend. She took fourth in the 1600-meter run with a school record-breaking time of 5:15.11 and was the runner-up in the 800-meter run at 2:23.60. 

Denney was also part of the 4x400-meter relay team, which included Breanna Mayberry, Eva Heady and Karlee Head. They set a personal record of 4:07.79 in their fourth-place finish and look to replicate the same success at state. 

Heady also qualified in the triple jump, landing 3rd and marking a new personal record of 11.07 meters.

Wyatt Kraus finished 3rd in the 110-meter hurdles at 15.37 seconds and will head to Jefferson City for the third straight year. Last season, Kraus took 6th in the Class 4 tournament with All-State honors.

Abram Denney will travel to Adkins Stadium with his sister Mariah after placing 4th in the 1600-meter run with a personal record-breaking time of 4:27.95.