Midway’s Adia Eberle wins Missouri Class 1 high jump at state meet
Adia Eberle didn’t feel like jumping for joy even with a state championship medal around her neck. She was just too tired to find any joy in her jumping.
Eberle, a sophomore from Midway, defended her Class 1 girls high jump title Friday during the first day of the Missouri Class 1-2 state track meets at Lincoln University. But it was not quite in the convincing fashion she envisioned.
Eberle won with a jump of 5 feet 4 inches, which was two inches better than her winning mark last year but a good 5 inches less than her best this season. Had she matched her season-best mark of 5-9, she would have not only shattered the Class 1 record but tied the all-class mark as well.
“I was hoping I could jump over 5-7 because that’s what the (Class 1) state record was, but it just didn’t happen,” Eberle said.
It didn’t happen, Eberle said, because of a bad night’s sleep at the team hotel. She could feel the effects when she needed two attempts to clear 5-2 and three to barely reach the winning height. Her three tries at 5-6 were not even close.
Eberle’s drowsy day also included missing the finals in the shot put with a toss 3 feet shorter than her best. And Midway’s 800-meter relay team, on which Eberle ran the second leg, got disqualified by an improper handoff.
Eberle didn’t want to complain, however. She just wanted some sack time.
“I feel bratty saying, ‘Oh, I’m so sad.’ I’ll take what I got,” Eberle said. “I just wish I would’ve done my best.”
Breitkreutz in the running
Zac Breitkreutz of Kansas City Lutheran established himself as the man to beat in the Class 1 sprints Saturday with his times in Friday’s preliminaries. Breitkreutz, a junior, posted the fastest qualifying time in the 100 meters (11.37 seconds), the 400 (51.08) and the second best in the 200 (23.06). Breitkreutz also helped Lutheran’s 400 relay team post the second-best preliminary time (45.95).
Queen scratched
Summit Christian Academy sophomore Carlie Queen was scratched from the Class 2 pole vault because of a strained quadriceps muscle. Summit Christian assistant coach Christie Queen, who is also Carlie’s mother, said the muscle had been bothering her for the past three weeks and they didn’t want to aggravate it before Saturday’s Class 2 high jump. Queen set the Class 2 record in winning the high jump last season.
Worth noting
▪ Samantha Fulte of Orrick won the Class 1 triple jump with a leap of 36 feet, 11 inches. Fulte, who will try to repeat as Class 1 long jump champion Saturday, also qualified for the 100 and 300 hurdles finals.
▪ Kelsey Herring of Lone Jack posted the fastest qualifying time in the Class 2 girls 300 hurdles (47.31 seconds) and the third-best time in the 100 hurdles (16.17).
This story was originally published May 22, 2015 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Midway’s Adia Eberle wins Missouri Class 1 high jump at state meet."