Rochester girls, boys track finish behind Lewis Cass, ahead of Peru

Johnson, Walley, Wagner among senior night winners

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Reece Johnson, Trevor Walley and Audrey Wagner were among the seniors on the Rochester track teams that won individual events on senior night against Lewis Cass and Peru at Bob Copeland Field, but their wins could not help either the girls or boys win.

Lewis Cass won the girls meet with 73.5 points, Rochester had 68.5, and Peru had 22.

In the boys meet, Lewis Cass won with 79 points while Rochester had 70, and Peru had 17.

Despite losing his coveted zebra print jacket in his personal rivalry with teammate Leandro Javier, Johnson won the 3,200 meters, and Walley added a win by clearing 12-0 in the pole vault.

Wagner won the 300 hurdles and also ran a leg on the victorious 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays.

“Our seniors are good,” Rochester coach Ryan Helt said. “Kind of a mix of kids. I’ve got some that are four-year kids that have been on some good teams and some not-so-good teams. Reminiscing with Maddox today, talking about we had an athlete not able to go to the regional, and Maddox had to step in as a freshman and jump on a four by four team and a school record-breaking four by one team, and that was an intimidating experience for him, and now he’s that older guy who’s trying to help the younger people.

“Audrey Wagner, I saw her going around high-fiving people trying to get them pumped up for their race. … Tyler Reese is a guy you might not hear a lot about, but behind the scenes in practice, he’s helping out a lot, leading a lot. And you’ve got people like X (Xavier Vance), they’re just easy to be around. He brings a good vibe to the team. Bryce Baugher puts his head down and works hard. And then you’ve got guys like Owen Prater, he comes out his senior year after taking two seasons off, and he’s a difference maker for us. Emma Bays, she wasn’t here tonight, but she’s always helping behind the scenes, helping coaches out. … They’ve laid a foundation for a good team this season, and they’re paying it forward for years to come.”

Girls

Along with Emma Bays, Wagner is one of just two girls on the team, and she routed the field in the 300 hurdles, running a 48.5 and beating the field by over seven seconds.

Freshmen Kyla Conley and Maddie Bailon joined Wagner on both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays. Kyra Doran is the fourth member of the 4 x 100 relay that won in 53.3 seconds, and Allyson Calloway is the fourth member of the 4 x 400 relay.

Doran also won the 100 hurdles in 16.3 seconds and the long jump with a leap of 15-11 ½. She also finished second in the 200 behind Lewis Cass’ AnnaLeigh Hedrick.

“Her time was really good,” Rochester coach Ryan Helt said of Doran. “It’s going to be close to a PR (personal record). She had a good night. She won the long jump. She won the hurdles. She got a win in the four by one. She ran a good 200. She’s a strong runner. She’s got some things technically she can clean up a little bit, but I like where she’s going right now.”

Rochester girls won four of the five field events. Beside Doran, the other winners were Taylor Navara, who high-jumped 4-4 to defeat teammate and runner-up Avarie Montel’s 4-2; Ashlynn Weyant, who won the shot put with a heave of 31-10 ½; and Sophia Baker, who set a personal best of 5-6 in winning the pole vault.

Boys

Johnson won the 3,200 meters in 11:13.7. The race consisted of four Lewis Cass runners and Johnson, who begged assistant coach Troy Pryor to let him run the race.

“I found out I was running it five seconds before because I had to beg Pryor to let me do it,” Johnson said. “They were lining up, and I asked him, ‘Pryor, can I go win the two-mile?’ So I had to go win it.”

In his head-to-head showdown with Javier in the 800 meters, he ran a 2:20.7 and finished fifth, and Javier ran a 2:18.2 and took third. So Javier won the jacket.

The jacket was the idea of assistant coach Troy Pryor, who wanted to spur a competition between the friends and reward Javier for his rapid improvement.

“Arlo (Javier) worked his butt off this winter, so now we’re like right neck and neck for our times, so Pryor, as a way to get our rivalry going and get our times faster, he got us the jacket, so whenever we have a head to head matchup, and whoever wins it gets to keep it until we race next,” Johnson said. “And we have a points system, so whoever has the most points by the end of the year will keep it.”

But senior night was also good for the juniors: Harrison Dunwoody flew over the 110 hurdles in 15.1 seconds, Grant Bailey won the 800 meters in 2:07.4, and Mason Hisey hurled the discus 145-6 in earning wins.

Bailey is a former cross-country runner who has run the 1,600 more than the 800. He praised the coaches for running a more measured first lap so that he will have extra speed left over for his second lap.

“I feel alright,” Bailey said. “I thought I did pretty well. I think I can get the time down a little bit more before the season ends, but it’s really where I want to be. … I’m excited to see what I can do in the 800 because the coaches want me to get into the 800, and I’m more than open to it.”

GIRLS RESULTS: LEWIS CASS 73.5, ROCHESTER 68.5, PERU 22

Scoring on 5-3-2-1 basis for individual events and 5-3 basis for relays

Winners plus all Rochester scorers

100 m

1. Griffin (LC) – 12.7 seconds, 2. Audrey Wagner (RHS) – 13.0, 3. Maddie Bailon (RHS) – 13.5

200 m

1. Hedrick (LC) – 27.5 seconds, 2. Kyra Doran (RHS) – 28.3, 4. Maddie Bailon (RHS) – 29.0

400 m

1. Griffin (LC) – 1:02.87, 4. Vivian Miller (RHS) – 1:11.6

800 m

1. Griffin (LC) – 2:30.6, 2. Allyson Calloway (RHS) – 2:39.5, 3. Taylor Navara (RHS) – 2:54.5

1,600 m

1. Rush (LC) – 5:44.6, 2. Allyson Calloway (RHS) – 5:54.6

3,200 m

1. Rush (LC) – 13:04.7

100 m hurdles

1. Kyra Doran (RHS) – 16.3 seconds

300 m hurdles

1. Audrey Wagner (RHS) – 48.5 seconds

4 x 100 m relay

1. Rochester (Kyra Doran, Audrey Wagner, Kyla Conley, Maddie Bailon) – 53.3 seconds

4 x 400 m relay

1. Rochester (Maddie Bailon, Allyson Calloway, Kyla Conley, Audrey Wagner) – (no time listed), 4. Rochester (Vivian Miller, Addisyn Zimmerman, Trinity Baine, Taylor Navara) – 5:12.5

4 x 800 m relay

1. Lewis Cass (Panmei, Gillem, Sprow, Hammond) – 11:04.5, 2. Rochester (Adison Hayes, Ella Hake, Trinity Baine, Brooklyn Chandler) – 12:13.5

Long jump

1. Kyra Doran (RHS) – 15-11 ½

High jump

1. Taylor Navara (RHS) – 4-4, 2. Avarie Montel (RHS) – 4-2

Discus

1. Sipe (LC) – 96-9, 3. Ashlynn Weyant (RHS) – 86-9

Shot put

1. Ashlynn Weyant (RHS) – 31-10 ½

Pole vault

1. Sophia Baker (RHS) – 5-6, 2. Anne Horban (RHS) – 4-6

BOYS RESULTS: LEWIS CASS 79, ROCHESTER 70, PERU 15

Scoring on 5-3-2-1 basis for individual events and 5-3 basis for relays

Winners plus all Rochester scorers

100 m

1. Figueredo (LC) – 11.4 seconds, 2. Maddox Jewell (RHS) – 11.5

200 m

1. Frey (LC) – 23.7 seconds, 2. Jabez Yarber (RHS) – 24.2, 4. Bryce Baugher (RHS) – 24.3

400 m

1. Frey (LC) – 52.8 seconds, 2. Owen Prater (RHS) – 53.3

800 m

1. Grant Bailey (RHS) – 2:07.4, 3. Leandro Javier (RHS) – 2:18.2

1,600 m

1. Jay (LC) – 5:16.0, 3. Lincoln Holder (RHS) – 5:40.3

3,200 m

1. Reece Johnson (RHS) – 11:13.7

110 m hurdles

1. Harrison Dunwoody (RHS) – 15.1 seconds, 3. Clarence Garrett (RHS) – 17.5

300 m hurdles

1. Copeland (LC) – 43.2 seconds, 2. Clarence Garrett (RHS) – 44.0

4 x 100 m relay

1. Lewis Cass (Figueredo, Young, Frey, Sparks) – 45.5 seconds, 2. Rochester (Spencer Backus, Maddox Jewell, Jabez Yarber, Harrison Dunwoody) – 45.5, 4. Rochester (Kale Shotts, Ethan Bailey, Hunter Kamp, Preston Luhnow) – 48.8, 5. Rochester (Reece Johnson, Leandro Javier, Lincoln Holder, Camdyn Furnivall) – 51.5

4 x 400 m relay

1. Lewis Cass (Sparks, Young, Levine, Frey) – 3:38.1, 2. Rochester (Owen Prater, Bryce Baugher, Jabez Yarber, Grant Bailey) – 3:40.7, 5. Rochester (Spencer Backus, Clarence Garrett, Jonas Kiser, Camdyn Furnivall) – 4:07.25, 6. Rochester (Ethan Bailey, Derek Wortley, Grayson Miller, Brady Gamble) – 4:30.7

4 x 800 m relay

1. Lewis Cass (Copeland, Ramer, Chomko, Jay) – 8:52.8, 2. Rochester (Grant Bailey, Leandro Javier, Jonas Kiser, Lincoln Holder) – 9:24.9, 3. Rochester (Owen Prater, Reece Johnson, Camdyn Furnivall, Evan Rudd) – 9:50.6

Long jump

1. Levine (LC) – 20-0 ¼, 4. Bryce Baugher (RHS) – 19-0 ¼

High jump

1. Levine (LC) – 6-0, t-3. Spencer Backus (RHS) – 5-4, t-3. Clarence Garrett (RHS) – 5-4

Discus

1. Mason Hisey (RHS) – 145-6, 3. Liam Pinder (RHS) – 115-10, 4. Derek Wortley (RHS) – 113-8

Shot put

1. Edwards (PERU) – 45-0 ¼, 2. Xavier Vance (RHS) – 42-10, 3. Tyler Reese (RHS) – 39-8, 4. Grant Clark (RHS) – 38-9

Pole vault

1. Trevor Walley (RHS) – 12-0, 2. Gage Zimpelman (RHS) – 10-0, 3. Grayson Miller (RHS) – 8-0

Members of the Rochester girls track team pour an ice bucket on assistant coach Troy Pryor following Tuesday’s meet against Lewis Cass and Peru at Barnhart Field. Started by the Mental Illness Needs Discussion club at the University of South Carolina in March, the club has three goals for the challenge, which has gone viral: “breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, advocating for suicide prevention on campus and practicing daily mindfulness.” Pryor subsequently challenged fellow assistant coach Alex Gudeman.

Rochester sophomore Leandro “Arlo” Javier sports a zebra-print jacket symbolizing beating senior teammate Reece Johnson in their head-to-head rivalry. Javier was third in 2:18.2, and Johnson was fifth in 2:20.7 in the 800 meters. Teammate Grant Bailey won the race in 2:07.4