McDaniel and Wells lead Comets at Vermilion Valley Conference meet
By Fred Kroner
Junior Bryson McDaniel and sophomore Thomas Wells posted the top finishes for the Oakwood boys’ track and field team on Thursday (May 4) in the Vermilion Valley Conference meet.
McDaniel was second in the triple jump (39 feet, 8 inches) and Wells was the runner-up in the 3,200 meters (personal-best 11 minutes, 13.02 seconds).
McDaniel also nabbed a third-place medal in the long jump (personal-best 19 feet 3 inches) and Wells captured a fifth-place finish in the 1,600 meters (5:05.15).
Teammate Connor Smith recorded personal-best times in all of the sprint races. Smith was fifth in the 400 meters (52.49 seconds), seventh in the 100 meters (11.78 seconds) and eighth in the 200 meters (23.96 seconds).
Two of the Comets’ other field-event performers had two top-10 finishes to go with one personal best apiece.
Doug Myers finished ninth in both the shot put (personal-best 35 feet) and the discus (106 feet, 8 inches). Sailer Harrison landed in sixth place in the triple jump (36 feet, 9 inches) and eighth in the long jump (personal-best 18 feet, 2 inches).
Five other Oakwood runners who achieved top-10 placements also registered personal-bests: Jakob Rupp (sixth in 800 meters in 2:15.72), Ben Darling (sixth in 3,200 meters in 12:38.13), Jack Ajster (ninth in the 300-meter hurdles in 50.26 seconds), Grant Brewer (10th in the 800 meters in 2:19.39) and Tucker Pesek (10th in the 110-meter high hurdles in 19.92 seconds).
Also placing 10th was Macen Phillips in the 400 meters (57.20 seconds).
All four Oakwood relays garnered finishes among the top seven in the 11-school meet.
The 800-meter foursome of Jacob Pricer, Pesek, Kaden McDaniel and Connor Taflinger was timed in 1:44.43 and placed fifth.
Also crossing in fourth place was the 1,600-meter relay, which featured Kaden McDaniel, Rupp, Macen Phillips and Brewer. Their combined time was 3:51.81.
Sharing the baton for the sixth-place 3,200-meter relay were Ajster, Connor Moss, Alex Wells and Harrison. Their cumulative time was 10:47.70.
The Comets’ 400-meter relay unit was seventh. The relay runners were Bryson McDaniel, Pricer, Taflinger and Noah Phillips. They stopped the clock in 49.22 seconds.
Team honors were captured by Salt Fork (148 points) followed by Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin (124 points). Oakwood was sixth with 34 points.
The Comets return to action on Wednesday (May 10) at B-H/R-A.
