Oakwood’s Nikita Taylor Shines with 400-Meter Victory and Long Jump Success at Vermilion Valley Conference Meet
By Fred Kroner
Oakwood senior Nikita Taylor won the 400-meter race on Thursday (May 2) in the 11-school Vermilion Valley Conference girls’ track and field meet at Westville.
Taylor’s time was a personal-best 1:02.49. She was also fourth in the long jump (personal-best 16 feet, inch).
Another two-event placer for the Comets was sprinter Aubri Elliott, who ran third in the 100 meters (13.57 seconds) and fourth in the 200 meters (personal-best 28.12 seconds).
Other individual leaders for Oakwood were Quinn Sperry (sixth in the shot put at 29 feet, 2 inches), Amber Betzwiser (eighth in the 800 meters in 2:52.44) and Mady Nicoson (ninth in the shot put at 25 feet, 8 inches).
Two of the Comets’ relays also fared well.
Winding up in fourth place was the 400-meter unit of Taylor Smoot, Leanne Snow, Taylor and Elliott. Their cumulative time was 54.17 seconds.
The sixth-place 800-meter relay featured Smoot, Snow, Laylah Gibbons and Elliott. Their total time was 2:10.30.
Salt Fork won the team title with 150 points. Runner-up Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin totaled 114 points. Oakwood was fifth with 29 points.
The Comets return to action on Thursday (May 9) in the 17-school Class 1A St. Anne Sectional.
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Four Oakwood athletes competed in the Lady Spartan Classic on Friday (May 3) at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.
Laylah Gibbons was 18th in the 100 meters (21.49 seconds) and 28th in the long jump (12 feet, 4 inches).
In the same events, Rylee Wright placed 21st in the 100 meters (22.61 seconds) and 38th in the long jump (10 feet, 8 inches).
Quinn Sperry ended 15th in the shot put (28 feet, 4 inches) and 26th in the discus (66 feet, 6 inches). Mady Nicoson was 20th in the discus (69 feet 8 inches) and 27th in the shot put (24 feet, 7 inches).
