CARTHAGE, Mo. — Each and every member of the Joplin High School track and field team that competed at Saturday’s Class 5 Sectional 3 meet at Carthage High School’s David Haffner Stadium will also be traveling to Thursday’s state track meet in Jefferson City.
For the Eagles, it was a day to remember.
“Everybody that came to the meet will be going to state,” Joplin coach Brandon Taute said. “We had 14 entries on the boys side and 11 of those entries moved on. We feel really good about that. We had a lot of personal bests across the board. I’m really happy with how the boys competed. What we’ve seen all year is what we saw again today. The guys that have carried us all year did it again today.
“All three of our entries on the girls side moved on and broke school records,” Taute added. “That’s pretty awesome for them. We’re just excited for all of them.”
Joplin’s boys finished as the sectional runner-up. The Eagles compiled 90 points, second only to Waynesville’s 97.5.
The Joplin girls had three sectional entries, and all three advanced to state. All three JHS girls broke school records along the way.
At the sectional, the top four in each event advanced to state.
The usual suspects led the way for the Joplin boys.
Donovyn Fowler was the sectional champion in two individual events and he also qualified in a third event.
A junior, Fowler won the long jump with a leap of 23-9. He also won the triple jump, breaking his own school record with a distance of 49-11.5.
Fowler moved on in the 200-meter dash by finishing third with a time of 22.82 seconds.
Trayshawn Thomas moved on in two individual events. A senior, Thomas finished second in the triple jump (44-11.75) and was third in the long jump (22-1.5).
Hobbs Campbell and Micah Bruggeman finished second and third, respectively, in the 1600. Campbell recorded a time of 4:20, while Bruggeman had a time of 4:22.
Bruggeman, a Mizzou recruit, also advanced in the 800 by finishing third in 1:57.
Campbell just missed qualifying in the 3200, as he finished fifth.
As far as the throws, junior Donovahn Watkins captured gold in the shot put with a toss of 53-6.25.
Joplin’s boys had two relays qualify for state.
The Eagles took third in the 4×800 relay, with Bruggeman, Evan Matlock, Ashton Ventura and Campbell finishing in 8:11.
Joplin’s 4×100 relay team of Dominick Simmons, Thomas, Luke Vieselmeyer and Fowler finished fourth in 43.93.
For the Joplin girls, Jennalee Dunn advanced to state in two events.
A junior, Dunn crossed the line first in the 1600 with a time of 5:14, breaking her own school record.
Dunn also advanced in the 800, as she finished second in a school record time of 2:22.
Also for the JHS girls, Alayna Merriman placed third in the javelin with a school record toss of 113-11.
In a change this year, state track meets will be one-day affairs.
“It’s the same for everybody,” Taute said. “I loved the two-day meet. But everybody is dealing with the same conditions. It’s like anything…whoever responds to those conditions the best is going to win. The last time these kids were there it was a one-day meet too. It’s nothing new to them and I expect them to respond really well.”
Class 5 Sectional 3
(At Carthage)
Boys team standings: Waynesville 97.5, Joplin 90, Nixa 83, Kickapoo 57, Ozark 53.5, Capital City 53, Jefferson City 47, Raymore-Peculiar 44, Carthage 39.5, Branson 39, Lebanon 28.5, Parkview 24, Republic 18, Neosho 18, Springfield Central 17.5, Smith-Cotton 10.5, Glendale 8, Belton 4.
Girls team standings: Jefferson City 101, Nixa 94, Ozark 80.5, Capital City 75, Kickapoo 70, Republic 66, Branson 49, Raymore-Peculiar 46, Lebanon 39, Parkview 35, Joplin 24, Neosho 21, Glendale 15.5, Waynesville 13, Belton 5, Carthage 4.
Congrats to Layni for qualifying for State in the Javelin! pic.twitter.com/dq1wU2CYC0
— Coach Taute (@brandontaute) May 22, 2021
