Baker, Carter and Franzen win at GCMS Invitational

By Fred Kroner

Kaytlyn Baker, Payton Carter and Savannah Franzen were individual winners on Friday (April 21) for the St. Joseph-Ogden girls’ track and field team in the 18-school Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Invitational.

Baker outstepped all competitors in the 300-meter hurdles. She was timed in 50.84 seconds and won by 1.23 seconds.

Carter cleared 11 feet to win the pole vault. Franzen was victorious in the 1,600 meters (5:41.82). She won by 3.08 seconds.

The Spartans also had a first-place finish from its 1,600-meter relay foursome of Carter, Sophia Kasper, Madison Clampitt and Helene Jones. They stopped the clock in 4:28.06.

Baker added a second-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles (personal-best 17.23 seconds).

Other two-event individual placers for SJ-O were Lyla Frerichs and Ally Schmitz.

Frerichs was fifth in the pole vault (7 feet, 6 inches) and tied for sixth in the long jump (4 feet 5 inches).

Schmitz finished fourth in the 100 hurdles (personal-best 18.84 seconds) and was fifth in the 300 hurdles (personal-best 54.65 seconds).

Other top runner for the Spartans were Jones (second in the 400 meters in a personal-best 1:03.52), Ainsley Rhoton (sixth in the 200 meters in a personal-best 29.88 seconds) and Hannah Mock (ninth in the 800 meters in 2:45.68).

SJ-O also received points from its fourth-place 800-meter relay, which featured Carter, Alexis Wirth, Clampitt and Kasper. Their cumulative time was 1:58.07.

The meet champion at GCMS was Bismarck-Henning (107 points). Pontiac (73 points) was second, followed by SJ-O in third (69 1/3 points).

SJ-O will return to action on Friday (April 28) in the Monticello Invitational.