Panthers track wins SBU Bearcat Classic, squad hosts meet

Mountain Grove’s Panther track and field team won the recent SBU Bearcat Classic held in Bolivar.
They had 52.5 team points to hold off Clever,  who had 51. Only the top five places in each event received a medal.
Andrew Whitson led Mountain Grove with a first place toss of 157’4” in the discus. Slade Rodgers was fourth in the shot put with a toss of 47’8” to earn more throwing points. It passed Jerry Dowsey’s 47’1” from 1964 for eighth best in school history.
Kale Gardner was third place in the high jump after clearing 6’2.75”.
Clayton Maloney placed fourth in the pole vault (11’.9.75”).
In the relay races, the 4x800-meter relay team of Aydon Barbe, Tex King, Masen Byerly and Max Guilliams was fourth (8:37.14), which is the 11th best in school history. It passed a 1998 time of 8:48 from S. Raemaker, D. Zid, J. Bell and (no first initial provided) Goin.
The 4x200-meter relay team of Easton Doroscan, Aden Estep, Gardner and Barbe was sixth (1:33.75).
Estep was fifth in the 200 (23.56) and sixth in the 100 (11.47).
Guilliams set the school record in the 2,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 7:19.50. This beat Haden Colson’s 7:33.31 from 2023.
Olivia Sons led the Lady Panthers after taking second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.58 seconds while Kylie Roth was third (16.67). Sons’ time was a personal best and is fourth all-time at Mountain Grove, passing Mia Marquis’ 1994 time of 16.67.
Roth was also fifth in the 300-meter hurdles (50.12).
The 4x100-meter relay team was fifth (53.01) featuring Cassidy Behrendsen, Santana Schwertfeger, Kylie Roth and Sons. The same runners were seventh in the 4x200  (1:52.21).
Schwertfeger also placed fifth in the triple jump with a personal best leap of 32’9.75, which remains fifth all-time at the school.
The girls were 11th in the standings with 28 team points.
Mountain Grove
In the Mountain Grove Invitational on Saturday, medals were given for top three finishes.
Kylie Roth had a big day winning four gold medals while setting new personal bests in three of her races.
Her 100-meter hurdles time of 16.29 seconds was a personal best and remains third best in school history.
Her 12.98 seconds in the 100 was another personal best and gives her the eighth best time at the school passing Katie Virtue’s 13.09 seconds in 2003.
Her 300-meter hurdles times of 48.65 seconds was a personal best time as she took first This is the 14th best time in program history.
Behrendsen was second in the 100 meters with a personal best time of 13.10 seconds, moving her past LeeAnn Spurgeon’s 13.12 seconds in 1988. S
Her leap of 15’11” in the long jump was a personal best, pushing her past Denna Harvill’s 15’8” from 1989. She was second place in the event.
She was also third in the 200 (27.83).
Keena Roth won the 3,200 (13:52) and took second in the 1,600 (5:53.89).
Sons placed second in the 100-mete hurdles (16.86 seconds).
Her second place time of 50.42 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles was a personal best and moved her into sixth best at the school passing Leslie Douglass’ 50.44 seconds in 187.
As for relays, the 4x100-meter relay team of Jaida Top, Patricia French, Keyonna Shannon and Behrendsen won with a time of 55.50 seconds.
The 4x200-meter relay team of Sons, Schwertfeger, Top and French was also first (1:56.46).
Schwertfeger won the triple jump with a leap of 33’4.25”, a new personal best that passed Kailyn Wake’s 33’3.25 from 2022.
Arlexis Bibens won the discus event with a toss of 26.86 meters while Marl Melton was second (26.08 meters).
Melton was second in the shot put with a personal best toss of 31’4”, moving her to 11th best at the school. This passed Courtney Vaughan’s 30’10” from 2004. Brixley Williams was fifth (8.27 meters).
Tierra Antunez placed third in the pole vault after clearing 1.50 meters.
Sons was third (1.25 meters) and French was fourth (1.25 meters) in the high jump event.
Estep had a big day as he won three events for the Panthers.
His 11.29 seconds in the 100 meters is a new personal best and fourth all-time at the school.
He ran the 300-meter hurdles for the first time ever and won with a time of 43.48 seconds, which is 12th best all time, passing Alex Prestage’s 43.54 seconds in 2023. He also won the 200 meters with his second best time of the season (22.95 seconds ).
Gardner also took second in the long jump (6.34 meters), fourth in the 100 (11.74) and fourth in the high jump (1.78 meters).
Maloney won the pole vault after clearing 3.35 meters.
Whitson won the discus after breaking his own school record with a toss of 163’9”. Peyton Metty was third (39.70 meters).
In the shot put, Rodgers was second place with a new personal best heave of 47’11.25”.
This moves him to seventh all-time, passing John Douglass’ 47’11” from 1985. Whitson was third (13.88 meters) and Malaki Williams was fourth (13.25 meters).
Barbe won the 400 meters with a time of 54.78 seconds.
Carron was second in the 110-meter hurdles (18.01), second in the 300-meter hurdles (44.18) and eighth in the triple jump (10.39 meters).
In the javelin, Christopher Fry was fifth place with a toss of 122’9.5”, passing Brody Sheeley’s 121’6.25” from 2022, for sixth all-time at the school.
Ethan Haacke was third in the 110-meter hurdles (18.32).
Guilliams was second in the 1,600 meters (4:56.19) and third in the 800 (2;15.57). Truman King was fourth in the 800 (2:17.51).
A 4x100-meter relay squad of Dalton Shannon, Braxton Williams, Thomas Brown and Doroscan was fourth (46.66).
The 4x400-meter relay team of Braxton Williams, Fry, Yarger and Carron was third (3:48.43) while Doroscan, Shannon, Maloney and Barber were fourth (1:35.88) in the 4x200.
The 4x800-meter relay team of Tanner Hicks, Yarger, King and Guilliams was fourth (9:18.71).
A mixed 4-400-meter relay team won the race with a time of 4:12.60.