Emporia High track and field turned in a strong showing Thursday at the Beardslee Invite, hosted by Washburn Rural in Topeka, collecting multiple top finishes against a competitive field.
Leading the way for the Black and Red were several first-place performances. Rylan Crowell sprinted to victory in the 100-meter dash(11.43), while Chance Duncan dominated the throwing events with gold medals in both the discus (51’1″) and shot put (169’4″). Molly Rusco added another win on the track, taking first in the 100-meter hurdles (17.44).
Emporia also piled up a number of runner-up finishes. The 4×100-meter relay team of Crowell, Ben Collins, Garrett LeBlanc, and Gavin Jennings placed second with a strong team effort. LeBlanc added an individual second-place finish in the triple jump. Kaylee DeWitt crossed the line second in the 300-meter hurdles, while Paige Newland earned a pair of second-place marks in the long jump. Morgan McCoy also contributed with a second-place finish in the shot put.
Third-place finishes came from Cohen Bloomquist in the pole vault and Allison Aeschliman in the 100-meter hurdles, rounding out a productive day for the Spartans.
Emporia High will be back in action Friday, April 10, as they travel to compete in the Lansing Invite.
