HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Prairie Hills Middle School’s seventh-grade girls and Hutchinson Middle School’s boys teams turned in the top local finishes Thursday at the Todd Thurston Invitational at Gowans Stadium.
Prairie Hills placed sixth in the seventh-grade girls team standings with 40 points, while Hutchinson was 10th with 10. In the seventh-grade boys division, Hutchinson finished fifth with 45 points and Prairie Hills tied for 11th with 13.
In the eighth-grade girls standings, Prairie Hills tied for fourth with 38 points and Hutchinson was 11th with 18. In the eighth-grade boys division, Hutchinson placed fifth with 42 points and Prairie Hills was 10th with 16.
Prairie Hills’ seventh-grade girls were paced by a big day from Emerson Westhoff, who finished second in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.25 seconds, won the 200-meter hurdles in 31.01 and added a fourth-place finish in the long jump at 14 feet, 3 inches. Nevaeh Davis added a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles in 18.32 and took fourth in the 200 hurdles in 32.48.
Also for Prairie Hills’ seventh-grade girls, Logan Bentley placed fourth in the 1,600 meters in 5:43.10 and fourth in the 800 in 2:40.61. The Prairie Hills 4x100 relay finished third in 54.15, and the 4x200 relay added a runner-up finish in 1:57.76.
Hutchinson’s seventh-grade boys were led by Draiden Hopewell, who placed second in the high jump by clearing 5-1, and Noah Charlton, who finished runner-up in the 200 in 25.61, fourth in the 400 in 59.95 and fourth in the long jump at 15-10. Tyden Swanson added a third-place finish in the discus with a throw of 89-0.
Hutchinson also won the seventh-grade boys 4x100 relay in 51.38. The Salthawks added a fourth-place finish in the 800 sprint medley relay in 1:59.69.
In the eighth-grade girls division, Prairie Hills was anchored by Eleanor Long, who won the shot put with a throw of 33-2 1/2. Jocelyn Scherbarth added a fourth-place finish in the 100 in 14.08 and was sixth in the 200 in 28.41. Brooklyn Beals placed fifth in the 3,200 in 13:43.35, while Liani Davis-Mendez was sixth in the long jump at 14-8.
Prairie Hills’ eighth-grade girls also picked up a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay in 4:39.98.
Hutchinson’s eighth-grade girls were led by Tay’liana Hill, who took third in the 100 in 13.95. Roxanne Bleything added a fifth-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 30-10, and the Salthawks were third in the sprint medley relay in 5:04.46 and fourth in the 4x400 relay in 4:56.77.
Hutchinson’s eighth-grade boys produced one of the top local team performances of the meet, finishing fifth behind event wins from Kendrick Green and the 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams. Green won the long jump with a leap of 19-6 and placed fourth in the 400 in 56.35. Jack Sandberg added a third-place finish in the 100 in 12.09 and was fifth in the 200 in 25.01.
The Salthawks won the eighth-grade boys 4x100 relay in 47.62 and the 4x200 relay in 1:40.98.
Prairie Hills’ eighth-grade boys were highlighted by strong showings in the high jump, where Jace Harmony placed third at 5-2 and Nels LeGron was fourth at 5-2. The eighth-grade boys 4x100 relay added a fourth-place finish in 47.85, while the 800 sprint medley relay placed third in 1:58.93.