Track and Field: Springfield sweeps Clark County championships

Springfield High School's Jonathon Richardson competes in the 110-meter hurdles at the Clark County Championships on Tuesday evening at Greenon High School. Richardson won both the 110 and 300 hurdles as the Wildcats took home the team championship. Michael Cooper/CONTRIBUTED

Springfield High School's Jonathon Richardson competes in the 110-meter hurdles at the Clark County Championships on Tuesday evening at Greenon High School. Richardson won both the 110 and 300 hurdles as the Wildcats took home the team championship. Michael Cooper/CONTRIBUTED

SPRINGFIELD — It was a great day to be a Wildcat.

The Springfield High School boys and girls track and field teams swept the Clark County Championships on Tuesday night at Greenon High School.

The boys team dominated the meet with 199.5 points, beating second-place Tecumseh by 91.5 points. It was the second straight county title for Springfield, which won the meet when it was last held in 2019. The meet was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Springfield’s girls team finished first with 119.5 points, while Northwestern placed second with 106.5 points.

The Wildcats boys team scored 10 or more points in 12 of the 17 events.

“This is the first year in a long time we’re pretty even in every event,” said Wildcats coach Mike Davis. “That really helps. It’s been a great team effort this year. We’re pretty excited.”

Springfield’s Jonathon Richardson won both the 110-meter hurdles (14.85) and the 300 hurdles (42.10).

“My goal is to make it to state and get on the podium,” Richardson said. “Next year, my goal is to win it.”

The Springfield boys 800-meter relay team of Dovon Williams, Elijah Johnson, Anthony Brown and Cameron Elliott in a meet record time of 1:31.77. The Wildcats set the previous mark of 1:33.22 in 2019.

The Wildcats 400 relay team of Brown, Williams, Kendall Dolby and Jayvin Norman won in 43.88, while the 1,600 relay team of Elliott, Williams, Charles Brown and Aaron Scott also took first in 3:29.37.

Greenon High School's Tru Buddenburg competes in the pole vault at the Clark County Championships on Tuesday evening at Greenon High School. Buddenburg set a new meet record with a leap of 11 feet, 8 inches. Michael Cooper/CONTRIBUTED

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Springfield’s Te’Sean Smoot won the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 11.25 inches, while teammate Shawn Thigpen won the high jump with a leap of 5-10.

Dolby won both the 100 (11.33) and the 200 (23.13), while Elliott won the 400 in 51.09.

The Wildcats’ Jokell Brown won the shot put with a toss of 54-1.5 and teammate Vasean Washington took home first in the discus (133-0).

Greenon’s Gavin Patrick won the 1,600 in 4:41.73 and the 3,200 in 10:34.88.

The Emmanuel Christian 3,200 relay team of Gavin Ford, Jay Connor, Caleb Bagget and Jacob Kittles took first in 8:51.39.

Tecumseh’s Parker Jackson won the 800 in 2:06.23, while teammate Drew Berner won the shot put with a leap of 11-0.

The Wildcats girls team won for the first time in 11 years, said Springfield coach Marcus Clark.

“I’m excited for the girls,” Clark said. “We’ve been putting in a lot of hard work. We knew this was one of the meets we wanted to come back home with a championship to Springfield High School.”

Springfield’s Katie Miller won the 800 in 2:38.82. She also placed second in the 400 and third in the 3,200 — which she didn’t know she was running until last week. It was the first time in her career she had completed “the triple.”

“It was a lot of pressure individually and with each individual knowing what they had to do and who they had to go after,” Miller said. “I knew it was a lot to do, but it was definitely well worth it.”

Springfield’s 800 relay team Keaira Massey, Tymeerah De’Armond, Michaela Stroder and Ke’shae Colvin won 1:50.87, while the 400 relay team of Colvin, Stroder, Aundayah Bullard and Jaden Brown won in 52.37.

Springfield’s Lauren Tate and Northwestern’s Amerika Goad tied for first in the shot put with toss of 37-9.5 inches, setting a new meet record. Tate set the previous record of 36-5.5 in 2019. Goad also won the discus with a toss of 115-11.

Catholic Central’s Mallory Mullen won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches, breaking the previous meet record of 5-4 set by North’s Anne Morrow in 2001.

Greenon’s Tru Buddenburg also set a meet record in the pole vault, claiming first at 11-8. The previous mark of 11-0 was set by Tecumseh’s Jordan Bair in 2015.

Southeastern’s Peyton Isaac won the 100 hurdles in 17.44, while teammate Lily Bertemes won the 400 in 1:02.12. The Trojans 1,600 relay team of Isaac, Bertemes, Mary Sulfridge and Aubree Moore won in 4:25.57.

The Tecumseh 3,200 relay team of Allayna Reiff, Veronica Zaragoza, Lucy Hughes and

Laine Adams took first in 11:20.49. The Arrows’ Katie Rawlins won the 300 hurdles in 49.87.

Shawnee’s Kylee Schafer took first in both the 100 (12.77) and the 200 (27.08), while teammate Audrey DeSantis won the 3,200 (11:38.89).

Northwestern’s Madison Little won the 1,600 in 5:41.00 and Emmanuel Christian’s Niya Shropshire won the long jump with a leap of 15-11.

Springfield’s teams will now set their sights on “championship season,” Clark said. The Wildcats just a few more meets before the postseason begins next month.

“We’ve got to be prepared and ready to go,” Clark said.

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