Olathe East girls relish Kansas 6A track and field team title

Parents snapped photos while the members of Olathe East High School girls track team posed on the top of the awards stand.

But this moment would not last very long. After all, the Hawks, who won the Class 6A team title for the second straight year last Saturday at the Kansas state track and field championships at Cessna Stadium in Wichita, had other things to attend to.

Like a victory lap.

There’s little doubt it was well-deserved. The Eagles dominated the meet, winning with a team score of 95 points, 36 more than second-place Leavenworth.

Much of that had to do with the standout performances the Eagles received from junior Breeana Coleman, senior Ashley Reid and senior Courtney Reinke.

Coleman turned in what could be considered the performance of the meet, as she won the 100-meter dash in 12.03 seconds, 200 dash in 24.93 and 100 hurdles in 14.30 and ran the anchor leg of the Eagles’ second-place 400 relay team.

“I felt excited and happy,” said Coleman, who had won medals several times at state in the past but never finished first in an individual event.

But while most of Coleman’s victories were not close, Reid had to win the high jump for the third straight year the hard way. She needed to clear 5 feet, 6 inches on her third and final attempt to win the title or lose in a tiebreaker to Wichita Heights sophomore Tahlia Pope.

“I knew if I didn’t make it, I wouldn’t be state champion,” said Reid, who had more scratches than Pope in the event.

Reid won the high jump, but she also took third in the triple jump, which Reinke won with distance of 39-9 ¼.

Reinke, who took third in the event last year and had never won an individual title, said that was a personal record for her. ”My previous best was 39-3,” she said.

Olathe East coach Mike Wallace said several girls played a big part in the team championship. Junior Jessica Medlin took third in the javelin, senior Casey Epps was fourth in the 1,600 and 800, junior Chelsey Borders took fourth in the 100 and sixth in the 200 and the 3,200 relay team set a school record and took third.

“We had a (well-rounded) effort,” Wallace said.

submitted by TEREZ A. PAYLOR - 2009-06-02 19:41:01

Comments - leave comment