At her graduation party, Eldon senior Sara Rhine had on her table one object that stood out: a five-gallon jar filled to the brim with medals from track meets from over the course of her career.
She will have to squeeze in a few more after earning two medals Friday in the Class 3 state track and field championships at Dwight T. Reed Stadium.
Rhine took home a first-place medal in the high jump and a third-place medal in the long jumps.
"I feel like I was just a freshman," she said, "Then, I turn around and I'm done with senior year and going off to college."
The 6-foot-2-inch Drake basketball signee won the event with a 5-foot-4-inch jump, topping Anna Ash of Montgomery County. Ash was the only girl other than Rhine to make a 5-foot-3-inch jump.
After earning the championship, Rhine set her mark two inches higher and easily cleared the 5-foot-6-inch bar on her first attempt.
Rhine attempted to leave a permanent mark in her high school career with a 5-foot-8 inch leap, a mark which would have set a new class record at the state tournament. She barely nicked the bar with her heels on her first two attempts and her last attempt left something to be desired, according to the jumper.
"My last one obviously was not my best, but the last two before that, it ended up being my feet," Rhine said. "So I had the height, but I just needed to work on technique. I'm a power jumper ... I don't have a ton of speed that's one of my weak points."
At meets in the past, Rhine has made jumps at 5 feet 9 inches, but she failed to pull that rabbit out of her bag of tricks at the state meet.
Rhine's third place in the long jump matched her best effort in the event so far as she had the same finish in each of the last two years. This year, she claimed third with a jump of 17 feet, 11/2-inches, trailing second place Clinton senior Allie Lowe by two inches. John Burroughs' Lailah Elliott won the event with a 17-foot-91/4-inch leap.
The Eldon senior also qualified for the finals in the 100-meter hurdles. She finished sixth in her preliminary heat Friday, and last year she earned fifth in the event.
Even with her propensity to succeed in multiple events, Rhine sees those as secondary to the high jump.
"It adds to the fun to be able to try different things out and explore a little bit," Rhine said.
She also cites her experience at so many state championships for giving her a mental edge over other competitors.
"The nice thing about being here for four years is you have the experience, just to kind of know what the atmosphere is like and how much craziness goes on with all the other stuff besides just jumping."
Rhine came well-prepared for a full day of events with an umbrella, a foldable camping chair and a mini cooler filled with water bottles and snacks.
However, the individual glory does not interest Rhine as much as her team's. The Eldon girls won their first district track and field title ever two weeks ago, which Rhine cited as her favorite moment of her high school career.
"I was so happy for the girls," she said. "So many girls got to move on and they were doing so well. I was thankful we got to move on as a team."
Additional coverage from Friday's competition:
Records fall at track and field championships
Roberson claims Class 5 shot put crown
Blair Oaks scores in two events
California's Pickering beats nerves to win title
Southern Boone's Crow advances in two events
Another state title for Fatima's Haller
Prep Track: Area competitors in Class 3-5 championships
Prep Track: Class 3-5 state championship results (statewide)