By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Highlands placed fourth in the Class 2A girls state track and field meet that took two days to complete because of adverse weather conditions.
The state meet began on Friday at the University of Kentucky with a pair of record-setting performances in the girls 4 x 800 relay. Elizabethtown’s winning time of 9:35.70 and Highlands’ second-place time of 9:39.67 were both faster than the previous Class 2A state record set by Lexington Catholic in 2015.
Campbell County junior Grace Meiser, left, begins her leg in the 4 x 800 relay after taking the baton from her senior teammate Sidney Reagor. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
The Highlands relay team included seniors Savannah Brady and Karsen Hunter, sophomore Maria Broering and freshman Maggie Schroeder.
After rain and lightning postponed the Class 2A state meet until Saturday afternoon, two runners on the Highlands relay team won silver medals in individual events. Broering finished second in the 1600 run and Brady did the same in the 800 run.
The highest local finisher in the Class 2A boys state meet was Highlands senior Nick Veneman, who came in third in the 100 dash. He also placed sixth in the 200 and was on the 4 x 200 relay that placed fourth.
In the Class 3A state meet on Saturday, qualifiers from four local schools received silver medals for placing second in four individual events and one relay.
The first silver medals went to the Campbell County girls who finished second in the 4 x 800 relay. The foursome included senior Sidney Reagor, juniors Kayla Kavanaugh and Grace Meiser and sophomore Grace Kramer.
The other second-place finishers in the Class 3A girls state meet included Ryle senior Maddie Bloemer in the 100 hurdles and Dixie Heights freshman Allison Arnett in the high jump.
In boys events, Simon Kenton senior Kyle Mastin finished second in the 3200 run and Dixie Heights junior Alex Buckshire tied for second place in the pole vault.
None of the local teams scored enough points to finish among the top 10 in the Class 3A boys or girls state meet.
