GRAVETTE, Ark. — Led by stellar performances from distance runners Kaden Cole and Riley Kemna, Neosho’s boys and girls both claimed team championships at the Gravette Lion Invitational track meet on Thursday.
Neosho’s boys compiled 194.5 points to best the 16-team field. Siloam Springs was a distant second with 74.5 points.
A Missouri Southern recruit, Cole won three events in the boys meet.
Cole won the 800-meter run in a school record time of 1:57, with teammate Connor Jordon second in 2:04. Cole won the 1600 with a time of 4:43, with Brandon Doyle the runner-up in 4:53. Cole crossed the line first in the 3200 in 10:05.
Neosho had several other individual champs.
Isaiah Green won the 400 in 54.31 seconds, while Eric Bebie took first in the 110 hurdles (16.13) and was second in the 300 hurdles (42.51). Colin Ortiz took first in the pole vault (11-6) and Jared Siler won the triple jump (42-1).
Neosho’s boys won three of the four relays.
The Wildcats won the 4×200 relay in 1:35, with Evan Haskins, Marcus Duncan, Izaiah Hill and Tyrese Hill competing. Neosho also took first in the 4×400 relay, as the team of Hill, Haskins, Jordon and Green recorded a time of 3:36. The 4×800 relay team of Cole, Jordon, Gabe Mabrey and Carson Newell finished first in 8:42.
The Wildcats finished second in the 4×100, with Haskins, Talon Mitchell, Konnor Siler and Hill running.
Jared Siler tied for second in the high jump, while Green was second in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump.
Eric Renner and Hadyn Riggs finished third and fourth in the shot put, while Renner took fifth in the discus. Other fifth place finishers were Hill (200) and Isaiah Keezer (400).
Neosho’s girls topped the 18-team field with 127 points. Gravette was second with 96.3.
A sophomore, Kemna won three events for the Wildcats—the 800-meter run in 2:31, the 1600 in 5:25 and the 3200 in 11:28.
The Neosho girls won the 4×400 in 4:26, with Taigen Mitchell, Claire Burghart, Heaven Kivett and Madilyn Ebbinghaus competing.
The Wildcats also won the 4×800 relay in 10:46, with Chloe Wood, Kivett, Lakyn Prough and Kemna competing.
The Wildcats placed second in the 4×200 and fourth in the 4×100.
Ebbinghaus placed second in the 200 and third in the 400, while Wood was the runner-up in the 3200.
Also for the Wildcats, Bailey Miller finished third in the pole vault, Kendall Platner placed fourth in the 100 hurdles and fifth in the high jump.
Finishing fifth in their events were Prough (1600), Burghart (pole vault) and Katelyn Mahurin (shot put).
