Blair Oaks among several area Class 3 squads bidding for track honors

When the Blair Oaks Falcons arrive at Adkins Stadium today for the Class 3 state track and field championships, five of the seven individual competitors will be chasing after a state medal for the first time.

The two athletes making a return to the state meet are Cassie Twehus and Jason Otto.

Twehus missed making the medal stand last year, placing 12th in the shot put. She'll start competition at 4 p.m. today.

Otto was a member of last year's state runner-up 4x800-meter relay team. He'll run with teammates Cole Brenneke, Bo Thomas and Adam McCauley at 10:30 a.m. today in the relay before competing in the 3,200-meter run at 5:25 p.m.

As for Alexa Stegemann, Kaleb Cox, Emily Yaeger, Annette Peterson and Josh Henson, they'll be competing at state for the first time.

Stegemann is coming off a third-place finish at sectionals and will race in the 100-hurdle prelims at 11:30 a.m. today.

Cox will be in the discus at 12:30 p.m. today while Yeager will run in the 800-meter run at 4:25 p.m.

Yaeger will also join teammates Rachel Isenberg, Kayla Jones and Taylor Scott in the 4x800-meter run at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Peterson, a freshman, will compete in the discus at noon Saturday.

Josh Henson will represent the Falcons in the javelin, an exhibition event, at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Fatima Comets send six individuals and four relay teams to the state meet.

Senior jumper Hailey Buscher is making her third trip to state, finishing 10th in 2014 and 12th last year in the long jump.

Alex Krieg qualified for the first time as an individual in the 800-meter run. He was part of the 4x800-meter relay team that placed seventh last year.

Logan Borland, Cody Huhn and Caleb Schroeder will join Krieg in the 4x800.

The girls' team had three relays qualify: 4x100, 4x400 and 4x800.

Freshman Alyssa Struemph and sophomore Brianna Haller will compete in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs, respectively, as well as the 4x800-meter relay.

Haller is the defending champion in the 3,200.

Freshman Jordan Pope will be busy, competing in the 200-meter dash and the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays.

Gavin Ownbey makes his first trip to state, qualifying in the high jump with a third-place finish in sectionals.

Eldon will be well represented, sending nine to compete as individuals and five relay teams.

The Lady Mustangs will send Debra Baucom (long jump, triple jump, 4x100), Hanna Ruark (javelin), Halle Herbert (300-meter hurdles, 4x100, 4x400), Logan Reed (pole vault), Rachel Leffert (pole vault) and Sidney Prater (discus).

The girls 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams will also compete.

The Eldon girls are coming off a sectional title.

For the Eldon boys, Levi Shinn and Zachary Schaeffer both qualified in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles. Shinn is also on the 4x400-meter relay team.

The other boys relay teams are the 4x100 and 4x200.

Auston Phillips will compete in the shot put for the Mustangs.

Another area team with more than a half-dozen athletes is School of the Osage.

Jason Edwards (pole vault, javelin), Charles Kempf (discus) and Hayden Drace (long jump) will represent the boys team.

For the girls, Jordyn Bartlett (high jump), Kerrigan Gamm (javelin), Rose Colonius (100-meter hurdles, 4x200) and Cecilia Verslues (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 4x200) will compete.

Verslues won the 100 in sectionals, while the girls 4x200-meter relay team also qualified.

The California Pintos have defending state champion Audrey Pickering back in the girls shot put. Fellow thrower Cameron Meyer qualified in the girls discus.

The Southern Boone Eagles will send its girls 4x400- and 4x800-meter relay teams.

Tessa Edgar (high jump) and Allison Taylor (400-meter dash) are Versailles' state qualifiers.