Liberty girls track team takes district title

By Kevin Goodwin

It’s hard to imagine Liberty High sophomore Megan Yohe was a track neophyte when the season started.

Yohe looked like an old pro at the Class 4 District 8 meet, winning the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races Saturday, May 10, at Blue Springs High.

Yohe and senior Laura Greenfield (discus and shot put) each won two events, helping the Blue Jays win the district title with 125 1/2 points. Fort Osage was second with 103 1/2 points.

Yohe has run cross country the last two years, taking 11th at state last fall. She didn’t run track last year, and split time between track and junior varsity soccer this spring.

Still, Yohe had no problems winning the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 17.46 seconds, and the 3,200 in 11:36.67.

“Once I got into the races, I felt more comfortable,” Yohe said. “Every time, I’m learning something new on how to run track, when to cut in or what my splits should be. I’m getting more comfortable with what I know I should be running.

“I ran eighth-grade track, but I really didn’t know what to expect this year. All of my friends were running track and convinced me to do it. I really didn’t know all that entailed in doing it. It’s completely different running on the circle and more than one event instead of just one with cross country.”

Greenfield also pulled off a double win with a 120 feet, 7 inch throw in the discus and a 40-4 ½ throw in the shot put.

Greenfield has placed at state in the shot put the past two years, and has never qualified for state in the discus. This was Greenfield’s first district discus championship.

“(Winning the discus) wasn’t a surprise,” Greenfield said. “I’ve been doing a lot better at practice, getting into the 120s. I have got to get about 125 to get out of sectionals.”

Greenfield said she’ll have to throw better in each event to advance at Saturday’s sectional meet.

“I think I’m going to have to take another step next week,” Greenfield said. “I’ve had a slow start this year, but I’m getting better. Next week, I need to be up around 41 or 42 (feet) in the shot.”

Liberty had three other first-place finishes. Kami Groom won the 300 hurdles in a time of 46.48. The Blue Jays’ 1,600 relay team of Reaux Daughtery, Meredith Hughes, Shea Groom and Kami Groom won in 4:05.77. The 3,200 team of Yohe, Camrie Nixon, Lydia Newland and Rachel Lindsay took first in 9:56.87.

Others who qualified for the sectional meet include: Shea Groom (100 hurdles, second), the 400 relay team of Sarah Lewey, Daughtery, Shea Groom and Michele Tucker (second), the 800 relay team of Abby Fish, Rhea Jones, Krista Villers and Rhocia Ibok (third), Tucker (200, third), and Newland (third in 1,600 and 3,200).

The Kansas City sectional meet will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Lee’s Summit North High.

The meet will begin with the girls 3,200 relay, followed by the boys 3,200 relay. The other track events begin at 11:30 a.m.

The top four in each event advance to the Class 4 state meet on Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24, in Jefferson City.

Sports writer Kevin Goodwin can be reached at 389-6652 or kgoodwin@npgco.com.