Hillsboro boys take first at Halstead
Girls finish 11th
Sports reporter
The weather finally cooperated, and the Hillsboro High School boys' track team took advantage.
The Trojans left the Conrad Nightengale Invitational Friday at Halstead with a first-place finish and some mid-season confidence.
"The team really came through at the end of the meet," head coach Dennis Boldt said.
The Trojans notched 38 points in the final three events, finishing with 85 points, 12 ahead of second-place Cheney.
Jacob Yoder and Cody McMillen led the way for Hillsboro on a day that seemed almost hot compared to the winter-like weather the past few weeks.
The senior Yoder won the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.97 seconds, nearly three-tenths of a second ahead of his nearest competitor.
His nearest competitor in the 200m dash was teammate Ishmael Morris who gave Yoder a run for his money.
Yoder was first with a time of 23.02, and Morris was behind by the slimmest of margins with a time of 23.03.
"I could see the determination in our teams' body language, particularly Morris and Yoder," Boldt said.
McMillen had a fine day on the track as well, taking first in the 1600 and 3200m runs.
His time of four minutes, 55.12 seconds in the 1600 was five seconds better than the second-place finisher.
He won the 3200 by 30 seconds with a time of 10:25.79.
"Cody really laid the groundwork for [the] victory," Boldt said. "He worked through a very tough day of events in order to get a feel for what is coming up at the end of the season."
Three other Trojans earned points in three separate events.
Nicholas Mueller finished three spots behind McMillen in the 1600 with a time of 5:04.06.
Ben Bebermeyer had a fourth-place finish of his own with a 39-foot, 10-inch leap in the triple jump, and David Loewen's discus throw of 126 feet gave him sixth place.
The 4x400 and 4x800m relay teams helped Hillsboro to the victory as well.
Grant Schneider, McMillen, Morris, and Nathan Vogel took first in the 4x400 with a time of 3:36.59, and Mueller, Matt Klenda, McMillen, and Vogel were second in the 4x800 with a time of 8:38.66.
Boldt said he did not feel the girls' team competed at its highest level with 27 points and an 11th-place finish, but good things could come in the near future.
"We are still trying to see what events the girls can score well in not only individually, but as a team," he said. "They are an excellent group and are coming together as a true team."
Dakota Kaufman earned 16 of the team's 27 points with a first-place finish in the triple jump (34-11.50) and a third in the long jump (16-7).
Chelsea Bebermeyer placed in two events as well.
She was third in the discus with a throw of 119-0.25, and sixth in the shot put with a toss of 32-2.
Tiffany Rooker was the final individual placer for Hillsboro, after clearing eight feet on the pole vault and taking fifth.
The 4x100m relay team of Bethany Hawkinson, Kaufman, Shelby Koons, and Rooker was fifth with a time of 55.12.
For results from the April 15 Wichita Independent CKTL, see Page 5.
