CARBONDALE — The Iola Mustangs turn their attention to the postseason with a full head of steam after taking third at Thursday’s Pioneer League Championship.
Testing the limits of his endurance, junior Keegan Hill participated in four different events, taking first in the high jump with a 5’ 11” leap and first in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:04.
“We knew first and second were out, because Wellsville and Santa Fe Trail have really good track programs,” said Iola coach David Daugharthy. “It was us and Burlington. We had a different strategy in heats. Keegan did an ironman, running the 1600 and 3200 combo, which is tough, and he won the high jump in a jump off. We had great performances across the board for the guys — lots of PRs.”
Hill took fourth in the 3200 (10:52) and second in the 1600 (4:38).
Just one day removed from leading Iola in RBIs, junior Austin Crooks took second in the long jump (21’ 4.5”) while sophomore Kevon Loving took fourth (20’ 4.5”). Senior hurdler Maddox Riley took third in the 110-meter high hurdles.
In girls action, the Mustangs finished last, but it was due more to a lack of athletes than team and individual performances. Senior Bethany Miller took second in the shot put (35’ 1.5”) and finished eighth (86’ 11”) in the javelin behind fifth-place senior Faith Warden (92’ 9”).
Senior distance runner Ari Ramirez took second in the 800-meter (2:48) and fifth in the 1600 (6:30). Senior hurdler Mahailie Genoble took third in the 300-meter hurdles after clearing the distance in 48.69 seconds.
“Unfortunately, on the girls side, we just do not have enough athletes,” Daugharthy said. “We’re building. We had some really good performances. Bethany had a great day in the shot put and Mahailie finally broke under 50 seconds in the 300-hurdles, so that puts both of them in the running for state. All of the girls performed well.”
Now entering the postseason, Daugharthy said he plans to pull back a bit in the physicality of practice and focus on reserving their season peak for the regional meet Thursday and the state tournament the following week.
“We’re hitting our stride and our key athletes are hitting their marks,” Daugharthy said. “This sets us up for success heading into regionals and on to state. We call this peak week, so we start backing off on our mileage, the distances we run, and start focusing on our reps. I love this part of the year. It’s where the kids are the most invested and eager to grow.”
Results for Iola follow:
Boys High Jump: first, Keegan Hill, 5-11.
Girls Long Jump: 11th, Mary Burris, 11-2.
Boys Long Jump: second, Austin Crooks, 21-4.50; fourth, Kevon Loving, 20-4.50; 11th, Adriel Pina, 17-6.
Boys Triple Jump: ninth, Landon Shelton, 34-6; 11th, A. Pina, 30-11.50.
Girls Discus Throw: fifth, Faith Warden, 92-9; eighth, Bethany Miller, 86-11.25; 13th, Lainey Oswald, 74-0.
