By Fred Kroner
St. Joseph eighth-grader Katie Ericksen was the individual winner on Saturday (April 23) in the 200 meters at the Tuscola East Prairie girls’ junior high track and field invitational.
Her winning time was 29.74 seconds.
One St. Joseph eighth-grader registered a third-place finish. Hannah Mock was third in the 400 meters (1:12.84).
The school’s 1,600-meter relay captured fourth. The relay consisted of Sophia Kasper, Mock, Karleigh Spain and Ericksen. Their total time was 5:03.41.
Seven other St. Joseph eighth-graders turned in top-10 performances.
Lucie Hernandez was seventh in the discus (49 feet 3 inches) and ninth in the shot put (18 feet, 7 inches), Spain was eighth in the 100 meters (15.13 seconds), Kasper was ninth in the 200 meters (31.52 seconds) and Loren Althoff was 10th in the discus (40 feet, 9 inches).
Eight schools participated in the meet. St. Joseph was seventh in the eighth-grade division with 20 points.
The St. Joseph seventh-graders recorded 46 points and placed fourth overall.
The 1,600-meter relay foursome of Kiah Riesel, Ava Gallo, Abgail Bello and Abi Crider registered St. Joseph’s top finish, second in 5:12.45.
The school had three third-place performances and two athletes who ended in fourth place.
Gallo captured third in the 1,600 meters (6:16.06), Vivian Smith was third in the shot put (20 feet, 6 inches), and the 800-meter relay unit of Sophie Schmitz, Faith King, Iris Davis and Bello were timed in 2:13.01.
Avarie Dietiker ended fourth in the 1,600 meters (6:25.75) and Smith wound up fourth in the discus (47 feet, 9 inches).
Other top-10 performers for the school were Crider (fourth in the long jump at 13 feet, 1 ¼ inches and fifth in the 200 meters 30.79 seconds), Tessa Walker (fifth in the 800 meters in 3:02.20), Mia Jones (tied for fifth in the high jump at 5 feet, 1 inch and seventh in the 800 meters in 3:10.93) King (sixth in the 400 meters in 1:12.51), Riesel (sixth in the long jump at 12 feet, 8 ½ inches and seventh in the 400 meters in 1:14.40), and Bello (eighth in the 100 meters in 15.05 seconds).
The school returns to action on Thursday (April 28) at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley.
