By Fred Kroner
St. Joseph-Ogden athletes won seven events on Friday (May 6) in the annual SJ-O Spartan Classic and captured team honors in the nine-school meet.
The Spartans amassed 182 points. Runner-up Urbana Uni High wound up with 206 points.
Three SJ-O victories were captured in relay races.
Hope Rajlich, Emily Elsbernd, Ashlyn Lannert and Payton Carter were timed in 53.34 seconds in the 400-meter relay.
Joining forces in the winning 800-meter relay were Lauren Lannert, Carter, Grace Schmitz and Elsbernd. Their combined time was 1:56.80.
In the 1,600-meter relay, the foursome of Ashlyn Lannert, Kailyn Ingram, Lauren Lannert and Helene Jones stopped the clock in 4:36.12 seconds.
Individually, Lannert took top honors in the 300-meter hurdles in 50.25 seconds. Elsbernd won the long jump at 15 feet, 2 inches.
Abby Behrens was the high jump champion (4 feet, 9 inches). In the pole vault, two Spartans shared first place. Clearing 9 feet, 5 inches were Carter and Schmitz.
Six Spartans secured runner-up finishes.
Rajlich was second in the 200 meters (28.30 seconds), Alexis Wirth was the 100-meter runner-up (14.37 seconds), Savanna Franzen was second in the 1,600 meters (5:25.34), Kaytlyn Baker was the 100-meter hurdle runner-up (18.06 seconds), Ashley Eldridge was second in the shot put (30 feet, 6 inches), and Alyssa Hamilton was second in the discus (91 feet, 3 inches).
In seven events, SJ-O athletes were third: Behrens (100 meters in 14.55 seconds), Rajlich (400 meters in 1:03.33), Ingram (800 meters in 2:31.35), Ava Knap (1,600 meters in 5:33.71), Taryn Sexton (3,200 meters in 13:35.47), Baker (300-meter hurdles in 53.52 seconds) and Mackenzie Trame (shot put at 30 feet, 1 inch).
Finishing in the No. 4 spot were Spartans Jones (800 meters in 2:32.47) Hamilton (shot put at 29 feet, 6 inches) and Elsbernd (triple jump at 29 feet, 8 inches).
Other field-event placers for SJ-O were: Macy Reed-Thompson (fifth in the high jump at 4 feet, 7 inches), Yamilka Casanova (fifth in the long jump at 14 feet, 2 inches, and sixth in the triple jump at 28 feet, 4 inches), Lyla Frerichs (sixth in the high jump at 4 feet, 6 inches), Eldridge (seventh in the discus at 78 feet, 7 inches) and Joselyn Frerichs (seventh in the triple jump at 28 feet, 4 inches, and eighth in the long jump at 13 feet, 5 inches).
Lyla Frerichs was also a two-event placer in running events. She took seventh in both the 100-meter hurdles (21.40 seconds) and the 300-meter hurdles (59.95 seconds).
Chloe Burkhalter ran fifth in the 800 meters (2:34.19), Addie Allen was eighth in the 1,600 meters (6:09.19) and Madison Clampitt was eighth in the 400 meter (1:08.33).
SJ-O returns to action on Friday (May 13) in the 18-school Catlin Salt Fork IHSA Sectional.
