Grandview junior is The Star’s All-Metro girls track and field athlete of the year
Grandview High School sprinter Anglerne Annelus won three track state championships as a sophomore. The unexpected performance, she would later say, drove her to set a goal for her junior season.
Do it all over again.
“When you win one year, you have to come out the next year and defend your titles,” Annelus said. “Everybody wants to come get your titles, so it’s a lot harder.”
She got the job done anyway. Annelus won three Missouri Class 3 state championships for the second straight year, making her The Star’s All-Metro girls track and field athlete of the year.
Annelus won the 100- and 200-meter dashes at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, then anchored the Bulldogs’ win in the 800-meter relay. When she grabbed the baton in the relay race, she was in third place. It didn’t take her long to erase the gap.
Grandview set a new Missouri Class 3 record in the relay, crossing the finish line in 1 minute, 40.07 seconds.
Three races. Three state championships.
“She felt the pressure that was on her because of what she accomplished last year,” Grandview coach Dana Bedwell said. “However, she is such a graceful athlete that you would never know she was feeling any pressure. Once the race starts, she’s so calm.”
There was an added bonus to Annelus’ performance this season — it led to a team title. Grandview edged McCluer South-Berkeley for the Class 3 crown.
“I know she wanted that team victory as bad as anything,” Bedwell said. “We’ve been around the boys team, which has won it (four) straight times. The girls had never gotten it. They knew they had the potential this year.”
The Star’s All-Metro girls track and field team
HIGH JUMP
First team: Nekiesha Bailey, North Kansas City, junior. A new school-record holder in the high jump, Bailey cleared the bar at 5 feet, 8 inches in winning the Missouri Class 4 title. She also won the KU Relays.
Honorable mention: Carlie Queen, Summit Christian Academy, freshman
POLE VAULT
First team: Nicole Kallenberger, Lee’s Summit West, sophomore. Perhaps a sign of bigger things ahead for the sophomore, Kallenberger vaulted to 12 feet, good for a second-place finish in Missouri Class 4.
Honorable mention: Jannell Clampitt, De Soto, sophomore
LONG JUMP
First team: Alexis Hart, Truman, sophomore. With the triple jump serving as her signature event most of the season, Hart flew under the radar in the long jump before winning the Missouri Class 4 title with a leap of 18 feet, 5 inches.
Honorable mention: Samantha Fulte, Orrick, junior
TRIPLE JUMP
First team: Jamie Newsome, Lee’s Summit West, senior. Before winning the 400-meter dash, Newsome placed second in the Missouri Class 4 triple jump and helped the 3,200 relay team to another second-place finish.
Honorable mention: Brooke Holmes, Shawnee Mission South, senior
DISCUS
First team: Matia Finley, Lawrence, junior. The two-time Kansas Class 6A state champion defended her title with a throw of 141 feet, 10 inches. She also finished fifth in the shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 5 inches.
Honorable mention: Rebecca Finley, Lawrence, junior
SHOT PUT
First team: Asia Cole, Fort Osage, senior. It was a three-peat in the Missouri Class 4 shot put for Cole, whose toss of 45 feet, 5 1/2 inches was 3 feet better than any of her competitors. She also took second in the discus.
Honorable mention: Kelsey Slawson, Paola, senior
JAVELIN
First team: Scout Wiebe, Lawrence Free State, senior. The new school record holder in the javelin placed third in Kansas Class 6A with a throw of 137 feet and helped Free State capture the team title.
100-METER HURDLES
First team: Chelsea Gabriel, Grain Valley, senior. After claiming titles at the district and sectional meets, Gabriel placed third at the Missouri Class 3 state meet.
Honorable mention: Jazmine Thompson, Staley, senior
300-METER HURDLES
First team: Morgan Smith, Raymore-Peculiar, senior. A year after winning the Missouri Class 4 title, Smith placed second in the 300 hurdles and added another second-place showing in the 100 hurdles.
Honorable mention: Kiara Clark, Lawrence Free State, junior
100 METERS
First team: Jasmine Thomas, Olathe East, senior. The two-time Kansas Class 6A state champion repeated with a time of 12.39 seconds and helped the Hawks to a second-place finish as a team. She also took second in the 200 dash.
Honorable mention: Imani Hutchinson, Raytown South, junior
200 METERS
First team: Anglerne Annelus, Grandview, junior. For the second straight season, Annelus won three gold medals at the Missouri Class 3 state meet. She placed first in the 100 and 200 dashes and anchored the 800 relay victory.
Honorable mention: Jacqueline Darby, Olathe South, sophomore
400 METERS
First team: Ashanti Hutton, Grandview, senior. Different state, same result. A year after winning the Kansas state title in the 400-meter run, Hutton won the Missouri Class 3 title, finishing in 55.38 seconds.
Honorable mention: Rhema Taylor, Lee’s Summit North, sophomore
800 METERS
First team: Kelsey Lathrop, Olathe East, senior. The Wichita State signee repeated as Kansas Class 6A state champion with a time of 2 minutes, 16.91 seconds. She also won the 400-meter run and contributed to the Hawks’ winning 3,200-meter relay.
Honorable mention: Sabrina Monsees, Winnetonka, junior
1,600 METERS
First team: Ann Campbell, St. Teresa’s Academy, junior. The Star’s pick for girls cross country runner of the year last fall, Campbell followed with a second-place finish in the Missouri Class 4 1,600-meter race. She was also fifth in the 3,200.
Honorable mention: Bailey Sullivan, Lawrence Free State, senior
3,200 METERS
First team: Emily Venters, Lawrence Free State, freshman. The Kansas Gatorade Cross Country runner of the year won the Class 6A title in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10 minutes, 58.08 seconds.
Honorable mention: Bailee Cofer, St. Thomas Aquinas, senior
400-meter relay
Olathe South. All-Metro performer Jacqueline Darby paced the Falcons’ second-place finish in Kansas Class 6A, along with teammates Breanna Weiss, Grace Williams and Emma Davis. The group finished in 48.62 seconds.
800-meter relay
Grandview. The Bulldogs set a new Missouri Class 3 record by crossing the finish line in 1:40.07. The team featured sophomore Irea Brown, senior Nateisha Smith, sophomore Sydnee Mitchell and junior Anglerne Annelus.
1,600-meter relay
Lee’s Summit West. A team of freshman Erin Sermons, senior Elizabeth Nolke, sophomore Nicole Kallenberger and senior Jamie Newsome ran to a second-place finish in the Missouri Class 4 meet.
3,200-meter relay
Lee’s Summit West. The Titans fell 1 second shy of the Missouri Class 4 state title, using a team of seniors Jamie Newsome, Elizabeth Nolke and Annika Sisson and freshman Erin Sermons for a second-place showing.
This story was originally published July 26, 2014 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Grandview junior is The Star’s All-Metro girls track and field athlete of the year."