DAZZLING DEBUT: Kunkler shines in first high school meet

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Sports

April 3, 2017 - 12:00 AM

ALTAMONT — “The first meet of the year is a bit like opening presents on Christmas morning,” Iola track coach Dana Daugharthy said. “There is always a lot of anticipation to see what you are going to get.”
Judging by the season opener at the Labette County Invitational, Santa Claus and Daugharthy  have really built up a solid relationship, because the infusion of talent for the Mustangs and Fillies was on full display on Friday.
Of all the talented newcomers to the Fillies program, none  came shouldered with higher expectations than Elysia Kunkler.
It would seem impossible for her to meet such pressure, at least in the first meet of her freshman year, but Kunkler rose to the occasion.
“Elysia stole the show,” Daugharthy said. “We knew she was going to be good. I entered her in junior varsity for her to have a low-stress meet and prove to me that she is ready for varsity. She definitely did that.”
Kunkler won high hurdles and the long jump with a 16.83 in the hurdles and a jump of 14’5.75”. While both marks were far and away the top junior varsity marks, she would have won the varsity meet with in both events as well.
“She only practiced long jump for two days and she was not able to find the board,” Daugharthy said. “In fact, her best jump was about a foot behind the board. With more practice in the long jump, she might be able to get 16 feet.”
Kunkler also took second in the junior varsity meet in both the 100- and 200-meters with times that would have gotten her second and fifth at in the varsity competition.
Kunkler was the star of the day for the Fillies without a doubt, but she was far from the only one to impress.
Returning state qualifier Ashleigh Nicholas began her sophomore season with a third place finish in the varsity high hurdles by running a 20.06. She also took fifth in the intermediate hurdles with a 1:60.
On the junior varity side, Elka Billings made a strong debut with third place finish in the 1600 meters. She also got fifth in the 800 meters and sixth in the 200 meters.
“For a freshman, I was very impressed with her work ethic in cross country and it has clearly spilled over into track,” Daugharthy said. “She was the workhorse of the girls’ junior varsity.”
Billings anchored the 4×100 team that placed third along with Kylee Maloney, Ella Taylor and Sierra Petty.
Brie-Anna Winner also earned a medal with a third-place throw in the discus.
Other top marks belonged to Christine Helman with a sixth place finish in the javelin and Taylor with a fourth-place showing in the immediate hurdles.

MUSTANGS
Iola senior Chase Regehr showed why Daugharthy refers to him as “the leader of our team.”
Regehr won the 800 meters with a comfortable five-second margin and a time of 2:13.
Kanyon Beasley also had a terrific meet with a third place finish in both the javelin with a 128’3” throw and the discus with a 106’11” throw.
“Kanyon has been getting better and better over the last two years and the work paid off,” Daugharthy said.
The 4×800 team of Regehr, Cole Regehr, Bryce Andres and Nathan Sprague took second with a 9:20.
Sprague and the Regehr brothers joined forces with Dan Foust on the 4×400 team which finished fifth with a 3:54.
Sprague also took fifth in the 400 meters by running a 56.25.
In junior varsity competition, Foust took second in the intermediate hurdles and third in the 100 meters.
“Dan works incredibly hard in practice and will get better,” Daugharthy said. “When his hurdling form gets down, he could be a force to be reckoned with.”
Tyler Garner finished third in the long jump and Christian Jackson took third in the pole vault.
The team of Garner, Pieter Venter, Jonathan Rodewald and Cale Barnhart was third in the 4×100 relay and fourth in the 4×400 relay.
Trevor Stover took fifth place in the javelin with a 96’8”.

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