It was a Dixie Delight.
Dixie Heights celebrated something Wednesday that doesn’t happen a lot – the Colonels swept the boys and girls track and field team titles at the Class 3A, Region 5 meet at Scott High School.
The boys had the easier time, a 134.5-85 win over Cooper, while the girls hung on for a 106-99 victory over Campbell County.
“It means, honestly, everything,” Dixie senior JJ Kriger said.
Cooper coach Eric Van Laningham said the Jaguars celebrated second place. “Going into this, I thought Dixie had a pretty good stranglehold on it,” he said.
Wednesday was Dixie’s first boys team title since 2011 and just the second since 1957. Stephen Saunders said this year’s team is similar to 2011.
“In that we’ve won some events, and we were very good,” Saunders said. “We were scoring points all over in a lot of different events. The whole team’s contributing stuff. I mean, guys that we didn’t even think possibly could score at all, but they scored one point here, two points there.”
Dixie won three events: the 4×800 relay (Drew Carskadon, Michael Smith, Nicholas Kopp and Evan McDowell), 400 (Brennan Simpson) and 800 (Kopp) and shot put (Carson Hehman).
Ryle took care of the sprints. Nathan Verax won the 100-meter dash and Reagan Nichols won the 200, and the Raiders won the 4×100 and 4×200 relays.
Ryle placed third with 84 points, Simon Kenton was fourth with 78, and Conner was fifth with 53.
The closest races were the last two. Grant County’s Lincoln Herald pulled away from Cooper’s Paul Van Laningham in the final 50 meters to win the 3,200 by three-tenths of a second, and Ryle won the 4×400 by three-hundredths when the Raiders’ Reagan Nichols dove to the finish line ahead of Simpson.
“It sucks losing the 4×400, but nothing’s better than winning the regional championship, so I’m going to be more happy,” Kriger said. “I love my team so much.”
‘Kind of unexpected’
Dixie’s girls won for the first time since 2022. Coach Lauren Myfelt said Wednesday was “kind of unexpected.”
“We knew we were going to come out and do well, but we didn’t know we were going to come out and do that well,” Myfelt said.
Campbell County coach Toni McKee was “thrilled” with second place.
Dixie sophomore Ari Carter won the discus (121 feet, 8 inches), and senior Emily Bruns took gold in the 300 hurdles (47.44 seconds). Carter also placed third in the shot put.
Myfelt, however, said sophomore Tatjana Andracenko finishing third in long jump and second in triple jump was equally important.
“She also got second in 100 (meter) hurdles, which we weren’t expecting from her,” Myfelt said.
Carter, the defending state 3A discus champion, was happy with her discus results despite fouling twice.
“Every time I’d go to do my throw, I’d feel like I was falling over, and my balance just wasn’t good,” Carter said.
Simon Kenton junior Alexis Howard was a three-event winner, taking the 100 (12.05), long jump (17-4 ¼) and triple jump (37-6 ¾).
Notre Dame finished third with 95 points, Cooper was fourth with 87, and Ryle was fifth with 59. Ryle’s boys placed thirdwith 84 points, Simon Kenton was fourth with 78, and Conner was fifth with 53.
Senior superlatives
Campbell County’s Olivia Holbrook and Simon Kenton’s Brayden Polly had senior moments.
Holbrook, who’s headed for Ohio State, won the 800 and 1,600 and was part of the Camels’ first-place 4×800 and 4×400 relay teams. She was proudest of the 800.
“It was a second off my (personal record), so it was definitely my best race,” Holbrook said. “And I have the most fin doing that one.”
Polly didn’t need as much space to win the long jump (21-5 ½), high jump (6-0) and triple jump (44-11 ¼). He said long jump is his favorite event.
“I just feel more confident in (long jump),” Polly said.
Next week will be the end of competitive track for Polly; he has an offer from Thomas More University, but he’s going to Gateway Community and Technical College to become an electrical lineman – like his paternal grandfather, Paul Moore.
Fast times
Scott’s Jose Silva-Cortez and McKenzie Leach placed 18th in the Unified Mixed 2×50 relay. Their time of 21.65 was nearly seven seconds behind Ryle’s Vincent Gallucci, Bredyn Elder and Kason Thomas.
It didn’t seem to matter to Silva-Cortez because he and Leach won their heat – and beat a deadline.
“I’m a senior,” Silva-Cortez said. “I’ve got to do it before I graduate.”
Added Leach: “He’s the fast one, not me.”
For complete results, visit khsaa.org (bit.ly/44RVig0).
PHOTOS: Class 3A, Region 5 track and field meet (provided by Charles Bolton)
