Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Molly Born sets record at Kansas Relays
Shawnee Mission Northwest sophomore Molly Born’s first 3,200-meter race of the season ended up being one for the record books.
Born shattered the Kansas Relays high school record by 16 seconds on Friday at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence with a time of 10 minutes, 28 seconds. It marked the fourth-fastest girls time ever run in the state.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out pretty well,” said Born, who won the 3,200 and 1,600 Kansas Class 6A titles as a freshman.
“It was a good day with good conditions and a good field, and that helps you get a better time. I just wanted to improve my time (from last year). As long as you’re improving, that’s all you can ask for.”
Born was one of several Kansas City area athletes to win events Friday.
Blue Springs senior Justin Hall produced the sixth-best triple jump in the country this season with a leap of 49 feet, 2 1/2 inches.
“I thought I could have performed better, but I’ll always work to improve,” said Hall, who will compete for Texas Tech next year. “This is one of my favorite meets, so I was planning this year on coming in and trying to get the win.”
Hall also has the second-best jump in the nation this year, aleap of 49-11, which he did earlier this month.
Pleasant Hill senior Logan Blomquist performed so well in the discus he drew a slow clap from his competitors for his final attempt.
Blomquist’s top throw of 186 feet, 7 inches bested his nearest competitor by nearly 7 feet.
“It’s overwhelming to win here, but it’s pretty sweet,” Blomquist said. “I was here last year and finished 23rd. I came in today, was used to the rings and it was a lot easier for me after winning state last year. I came in with a good attitude and had the best series of my life.”
Lee’s Summit West sophomore Makayla Kelby completed a sweep for the Kansas City area in the discus by winning the girls side of the event with a throw of 146-6. Kelby entered her final attempt needing her best effort of the day to win.
“I could have done so much better, but being able to make one throw to do it all, I’m good with it,” said Kelby, who won the discus at the Missouri Class 5 state meet last spring. “That final throw, I told myself I was going to just put it all out there. It didn’t matter if it was a personal record. If it was better than my others and the other girls, then I’d be good with it.”
Blue Springs South senior Savion Cauveren won the boys 300 hurdles with his fastest time of the year, 37.85 seconds.
“There’s really good competition here. We had the guys on the outside corner and that helped a ton,” Cauveren said. “I’ve been training really well, listening to what my coaches have been telling me and that’s really helped out.”
Kearney junior Clayton Adams let the field set the pace early in the boys 3,200 before making a move on the final lap for the win.
“It went out really, really slow, and I was kind of having fun in the middle of the pack,” said Adams, who finished with a time of 9:20. “I waited until that last lap to go. It’s good to win. I’ve wanted to win here since my freshman year.”
A dropped baton didn’t prevent the Raymore-Peculiar girls 6,400 team (21:40) from winning gold. Senior Kami Tabor’s strong anchor helped propel the team to victory.
“I was just worried about the five people in front of me and trying to catch them,” said Tabor, who combined with fellow seniors Kiley Deain and Jamie Wharton and freshman Miranda Dick for the win.
Tabor, Deain and Wharton were also part of the team that won the event last season.
“We kind of knew what was going on from last year,” Wharton said. “But it still comes as a surprise when you actually win.”
St. Thomas Aquinas garnered the boys 6,400 title in 18:00.
“We performed really well,” said Will Cole, who teamed up with Alex Gill, Daniel Petracek and Michael Shanahan. “Everyone did their part. This is a tough race, as we were so far ahead no one is pushing you.”
Added Gill: “Running is an individual sport, but it was fun to work and win together as a team.”
Shawnee Mission North won two events on the day. Jazmin Williams claimed gold in the girls 300 hurdles (44.75), and the boys distance medley relay team of Beliste Akalu, Alex Akalu, Carter Jacobson and Noah Stevenson broke the tape in 10:23.
This story was originally published April 22, 2016 at 7:30 PM with the headline "Shawnee Mission Northwest’s Molly Born sets record at Kansas Relays."