Wildcats take home pair of conference titles

By her own description, Samantha Nightingale is “the Blue Springs South girl that runs.”

Those who saw her in the 1,600-meter run at Friday’s Suburban Big Six Conference track and field championships at Larry Stewart Stadium at South might call her something else: The Blue Springs South girl who breaks records.

Nightingale’s winning time of 5 minutes, 2.07 seconds broke the record of 5:04, set in 2009 by Liberty’s Megan Yohe. The Jaguars came in fourth while Blue Springs bagged the team title. Lee’s Summit North was second.

“My coach didn’t exactly tell me what the record was,” Nightingale said. “He just said that I was close to the record – and that if I wanted to get it, I could get it.”

Because Nightingale was competing in four events Friday, she had to “kind of conserve herself,” South girls coach Ryan Unruh said.

“She ran well,” he said. “She did what she needed to do to break the record and still have some left.”

Nightingale wasn’t the only record-breaker Friday. Blue Springs’ Tyonna Snow broke her own school long jump record of 17-8, set recently at Kirkwood, with Friday’s winning jump of 18 feet, 2 3/4 inches.

“I plan on continuing that,” Snow said of her record-breaking trend. “Whatever I’ve got to do to help my team win.”

Snow helped Blue Springs win the 800 relay in 1:44.04 by running the anchor leg. Following the 800 relay team’s rough outing at the KU Relays, Blue Springs girls coach Jennifer Reeder shuffled the lineup. Reyven Lawrence became the leadoff runner. Freshman Gabby Hall took over the second leg. Reeder slotted Lizzy Wendell into the third leg, followed by Snow.

“We’ve gotten excited about the change, and we’re moving in the right direction with that,” Reeder said.

As with Snow, Hall also was an individual winner, taking the 100 and 400 races. Hall credited her 400 victory partly to Lee’s Summit North’s Shantaja Heath.

“She gave me a run for my money in that race,” said Hall, who finished in 58.78.

Other Blue Springs girls individual winners included Tyra Bickham in the shot put and the discus. She also won the Rusty Hodge Award for the meet’s top thrower and it “couldn’t go to a better person,” Reeder said.

“She works hard,” Reeder said. “She’s a great leader of our team and I’m super-excited about her.”

Blue Springs boys winners included the 400 relay team, which finished 43.49. Anchor runner Jason Young capped the victory by barreling down the home stretch. He credited his finish to Cole Jones’ handoff.

“As soon as he got me, I was gone,” Young said.

That helped the Wildcats leave with the boys team title as well as they racked up 171 points to knock off Lee’s Summit North (163) while the Jaguars finished fourth (102.5).

Jones is one of two seniors on the relay team. Erron Holley, who ran the second leg, is the other.

 “I’m very proud of Cole Jones and Erron Holley,” Blue Springs boys coach Joe Cusack.

Winners in the boys individual events included North’s Kolton Sheldon, who won the 1,600. Holding back until about the final 300 meters, he kicked it in to finish in 4:21.01.

Sheldon dedicated his victory to longtime North track and cross country coach Kris Solsberg, who’s retiring when the school year ends.

“He’s taught me how to run,” Sheldon said. “He’s taught how to train a runner. And honestly, the reason I look up to him so much is because he’s taught me how to be a good person.”

Someone who was favored to win but didn’t was South hurdler Ben Harvel in the 300 intermediate hurdles. Harvel, who’s ranked among the state’s top hurdlers, had the fastest seed time entering Friday’s race, 39.76. Instead, he trailed Blue Springs’ Chris Clark, who won in 40.04.

“He injured his hamstring long jumping,” South boys coach Troy Harding said. “It’s the wrong time of the year to hurt a hamstring. We are very hopeful that a week’s going to be enough, but that’s a tough injury this time of the season.”