By Fred Kroner
Oakwood’s Nikita Taylor was a near-miss for a berth in the girls’ track and field state meet when she finished third in the 400 meters on Friday (May 13) at the Salt Fork Sectional, in Catlin.
The top two in every event qualified for state.
Taylor’s time was 1 minute, 4.66 seconds. She also placed eighth in the long jump at 15 feet, 3 inches.
Oakwood did not have any state-qualifiers.
The Comets’ other top-10 individuals were 100-meter sprinter Gwen Cambron, who finished 10th in 14.53 seconds, and 300-meter hurdler Alyssa Wells, who wound up eighth place in 56.65 seconds.
Three Oakwood relays accounted for the remainder of the school’s points.
Leading the way was the 1,600-meter relay foursome of Cambron, Taylor Smoot, Taylor and Wells. They stopped the clock in 4:53.15.
The 400-meter relay crossed in sixth place. The runners were Smoot, Luci Morris, Cambron and Taylor. Their combined time was 55.23 seconds.
Teaming up for a sixth-place ending in the 800-meter relay were Smoot, Wells, Morris and Cambron. Their time was 2:00.43.Oakwood finished 11th in the 16-school field with 12 points. St. Joseph-Ogden captured team honors with 118 points.
