SPRINGFIELD – Taylor Suiter followed her game plan to perfection.
The Thurston sophomore went wire-to-wire to win the girls 300 hurdles in 46.21 seconds at the Midwestern League district track meet on Saturday at Silke Field. That was the fastest time of the year for Suiter.
“My goal was to start as fast as I possibly could and be the first one to the first hurdle,” Suiter said. “The wind was pretty hard at the start, but once I got around the corner, I was feeling really good. I wanted the PR really bad.”
Suiter was one of three winners for the Colts, who finished second in the team standings with 141 points. She is one of eight Thurston girls who qualified for the state meet this weekend at Hayward Field.
“I just want to run as hard as I can and do what I can do and hopefully I will be able to place,” she said.
Suiter will also compete at state in the triple jump after finishing third at 36-6 3/4. She’s also on Thurston’s short relay that qualified for state.
Senior Addison Nelson won the triple jump with a mark of 39-0 1/2. Nelson finished fourth in the long jump at 18-6 and sixth in the high jump at 4-9 1/2 to reach state in both of those events as well.
Sophomore Scotlyn Curtis was runner-up in the discus with a toss of 110-4.
“That was an amazing opportunity,” Curtis said. “I am a sophomore so it is crazy that I even made it to state. I believed in myself. It was a nice day, the weather was great, and I feel like that is why I threw better.”
Curtis also qualified for state in the shot put by finishing third at 35-1 1/4.
Sophomore Emmie Gerdrum is off to state in the 400 and 200 and after finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, in those events. She ran the 400 in 59.98 seconds and the 200 in 26.06. Gerdrum is also part of the short relay at state, as is Megan Fisher.
Thurston’s boys finished tied for fifth at districts with 76 points.
Keanan Weber qualified for state by finishing second in the triple jump at 42-11, his personal best.
“I had a good day on Thursday and carried that momentum to today,” Weber said. “I PR’d in the long jump and 200 on Thursday, so that set the tone and made me feel good about this meet.”
Carson Buergey finished third in the 800 in 1:56.40 and fifth in the 1,500 in 3:58.89 to reach state in both events. Justin Fisher qualified for state by finishing third in the 100 at 11.03 and fourth in the 200 at 22.52.
Lucas Wadley qualified in the high jump by finishing third at 5-11 1/4 and also the long jump by placing fourth at 21-4 3/4. He also advanced in the javelin by placing third at 158-6.
Owen Smith, Treyson Hill and Logan Fine are part of the 4×400 relay that qualified for state by placing second at 3:32.73.
