Second again

Lady Jays runner-up in 4x400 relay

The Jefferson City Lady Jays’ 4x400-meter relay team of Seleena Morris, Cheria Galbreath, Victoria Smith and Riley Schonhardt had their sights set on a state title this season after falling just short with a second-place finish a year ago.

It was the same story again Saturday on the final day of the Class 4 track and field state championships at Adkins Stadium, as the foursome led for the entire race until Ladue’s team erased a big deficit to stun the Lady Jays right before the finish line.

“Yeah, definitely a little more disapointed this year,” Schonhardt said. “We were a stronger, better team this year, and we were hoping to take it home, but there’s no real anger towards that race. We all ran the best we could, we all did really great. Especially with all the adversity we went through this season, I am proud of us for our season and our finish.”

The Lady Jays ran a time of 3:57.31 — which was more than a second faster than their firstplace qualifying time Friday — and looked to have the race in hand when Schonhardt took the baton as the final leg with a three-second lead.

But Ladue was able to circle the track in 56.20 to make up the

gap and beat out Schonhardt’s personal-best time of 59.96.

“I definitely gave it the best I could, my legs were collapsing,” she said. “… Usually you can tell by the end of the race if you ran your hardest and I definitely had nothing else to give. I’m pretty proud of it.”

Smith — who is the only member that was not on the all-state relay team a season ago — also ran her lap in less than a minute, circling the track in 59.81 to help build the lead before the final lap.

“She went actually crazy,” Schonhardt said. “It was so good to see her run, she stepped in at basically the end of the season. It was overall just so fun to watch her run and grow in four races. I’m really proud of her for that.”

Jefferson City will be in the same position again with the relay next year with only losing senior Morris from the event.

“Seelena is a big loss, but returning three people in your race is incredible,” Schonhardt said.

That was the third time on the podium Saturday for both Galbreath and Morris, as each won medals as individuals and as part of the 4x200 team with Emerald Okpodighe and Emmarie Graham.

Galbreath picked up the best finish of the day as an individual, finishing second in the girls 300 hurdles with a time of 43.74.

“I got fifth last year, so I think it’s a huge jump from last year to this year. So I’ll take it,” she said. “If I didn’t get first, I at least wanted top three, which I got.”

With another year left, Galbreath feels she can build off the progress from this year.

“Now I know that I can run a 43 because I never would’ve thought I could,” she said. “Now I know where I can get to and try to overcome that and get an even lower time.”

Morris added her individual medal with a fourth-place finish in the open 200, as she finished with a time of 56.81.

Morris qualified second Friday with a time of 57.75 and improved her time by almost a full second but had to settle for fourth nonetheless.

“When I start, I always give myself a hard 300 and let myself carry for the last 100,” she said. “This time I tried to run that hard 300, but I realized rounding the last turn that I was going to have to kick it in a little harder for the last stretch.”

In the 4x200, Morris, Galbreath, Okpodighe and Graham combined to run a fourth-place time of 1:43.58.

The foursome entered the prelims as the No. 7 seed before running a 1:44.36 to qualify fourth for the finals.

“I was proud of how we did,” Morris said. “We came in not seeded as high as we did, but we got fourth overall, so we worked hard.”

Jefferson City’s successful Saturday nearly got it a top-four finish as a team, as the Lady Jays totaled 38 points to finish fifth, eight points shy of Ladue’s 46 that grabbed the final spot on the podium.

Kearney won the team title with 52 points, Pleasant Hill was next at 50 and Parkway Central finished third with 48.5.

☆☆☆

The Jefferson City Jays were only able to muster one point in the Class 4 track and field state championships and finished in a tie for 43rd.

The Jays competed in two finals Saturday, picking up their lone point in the 4x100-meter relay while missing out on the podium in the pole vault.

Jefferson City’s team of Josh Wilson, Rodney Wilson, Demario Wright and Jacob Wilson entered the 4x100 relay prelims Friday as the No. 8 seed. But the Jays were able to qualify second for the finals after running to a time of 42.77.

Second place looked to be where the foursome would finish again Saturday, as the team entered the final exchange of the baton in second.

But the exchange was not clean and it cost Jefferson City, as the team dropped from second all the way down to having to settle for eighth after finishing in 43.65.

Luke Mosley was the other competitor for the Jays on Saturday, as he entered his first state appearance as the No. 16 seed in the pole vault.

Mosley was unable to clear the opening height at 11-10 and had to settle for a no-height finish.

Festus won the team title with 76 points, Hillsboro claimed second with 63, Kearney got third after scoring 47 and Hazelwood East occupied the final spot on the team podium with 41 points.