Staff writer
The Marion High School boys track and field team finished second out of 11 teams Friday at the Marion Relays track meet.
Led by sophomore Zach Hammond who cleared 11 feet, the Marion High School pole vaulting team won the top three spots in the event. Seniors Randy Regnier and Dillon Richmond both cleared 10 feet, 6 inches to finish second and third respectively.
It was a second consecutive event win for Hammond.
“He’s come a long way,” coach Jerry Smith said.
Although a state competitor from last season Colten Johnson has yet to attempt a jump — he is rehabbing a left wrist injury incurred while wrestling — Marion could send three pole vaulters to the state meet for a second year in a row. Last year, Johnson, Regnier, and Richmond all placed for the Warriors.
“I’d never taken more than two to state,” Smith said. “We’re still trying to work back into the form we had last year.”
Sending three vaulters to state is more evidence of the strong pole vaulting program that Smith and head coach Grant Thierolf have built at Marion. Smith said he has taken a vaulter to the state tournament the past 15 years in a row.
Smith said it is an event that becomes ingrained in an athlete’s soul. While practicing the 105 nuances of the vault and the daredevil aerials of the event, many of Smith’s vaulters have carried on a love of the event past their high school careers.
“Most kids love to vault,” Smith said. “They compete against each other but they root for each other, too. It’s kind of a specialty. You’ve got to be a little crazy to do it.”
Smith had a former MHS pole vault competitor assist him in the set-up of the event at Marion Relays. Former MHS vaulters Jared, Justin, and Shauna Hett have all helped Smith in the past with home meets. The person who runs the pole vault event at the Kansas State Championship track meet is also a former Warrior vaulter.
“It’s definitely a fun event for me to coach,” Smith said. “They like to do it and they become good vaulters.”
The Warrior boys also dominated in the throwing competitions. Conner Thierolf finished first in the javelin with a throw of 164 feet, 10 inches. Johnson, 154-11, and Spencer Fugitt, 144-09, finished second and third, respectively.
Thierolf was the overall points leader for the Warriors during the event. He accrued 24 points with a second-place finish in the discus, 115-03, and a third-place finish in the shot put, 42-07.5.
Dakin Ledford won the discus with a throw of 120 feet and Nick Meyer finished fifth at 108 feet.
Although jumps coach Deana Thierolf thought the team went through some struggles, several Warrior jumpers placed.
Patrick McCarty finished sixth in the high jump with a leap of 5-6 and fifth in the triple jump, 37-09.
“Patrick is hard on himself,” Deana Thierolf said. “He expects to do well. I was shocked Patrick started off in the 40s (April 5). He had never triple jumped in his life.”
McCarty made up for any leaping errors with a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash, 52.45 seconds.
He was also part of the fourth-place 4x400 relay team with James Jones, Richmond, and Johnson, 3:42.95.
Jones also finished fifth in the long jump, 18-03, fourth in the triple jump, 38-05, and sixth in the 200 meter, 24.99.
Also finishing second for the Warriors was Jordan Hett in both the 1600, 4:50.70, and 3200, 10:49.83; and Johnson in the 110 hurdles, 16.60.
Hett was also part of the fifth-place 4x800 relay team with Michael Kirkpatrick, Jacob Cope, and Clark Kroupa, 9:50.49.
Girls
The Marion girls team also featured stellar performances.
Kaelyn Thierolf finished second in the 1600 with a time of 5:57.61 and third in 3200, 12:47.26.
Whitney Gordon finished second in the high jump, clearing 5 feet. Paige Rockers of Garnett only bested Gordon by clearing the mark in fewer attempts.
Erin Meierhoff finished fourth in the 800, 2:44.01.
Alicia Maloney finished fourth in the pole vault at 6 feet.
other results
300 hurdles — 6. Brody Carroll, 45.79
4x100 — 6. Mikael Antoszyk, Jordan Versch, Carroll, Johnson, 47.97
Triple jump — 6. Antoszyk, 36-07.5