With the high school track season winding down, many local athletes put their best feet forward for conference and sectional competition.

One of those athletes even broke a long-standing school record.

The Waterloo High School girls track team competed May 8 in the MVC meet at Mascoutah. Although they did not place near the top as a team, the Bulldogs did have four medalists…>>>

Hannah Finnerty placed second in the 100 meter hurdles; Genna Bourgeois placed second in the high jump; Mikayla Duncan placed third in the discus; and Malone Wall placed third in the 300 meter hurdles.

The girls track sectionals took place last week in Herrin. While no WHS athlete advanced to state, Wall broke a 26-year-old school record in the 300 meter hurdles with a time of 48.3 seconds. She placed third in the event.

The prior record of 48.5 seconds was held by Jamie Dashner.

A senior, Wall ended her high school track career in style with the record setting performance.

“It was certainly a good way for her to go out,” WHS girls track coach Barb Borger said.

It was the second school record broken this spring by someone on the WHS girls track team. Duncan previously set a new school record in the discus.

Other medalists at the sectional meet were Whitney Liefer (third in the 3200 meter run) and the 4×400 meter relay team of Wall, Hannah Finnerty, Kyleen May and Jessi Elder, which placed third.

“For the seniors, it was their last meet, so they put it all out there for us,” Borger said.

For Borger, it also marked the end of her coaching career at WHS, as she is retiring. Borger served as coach and teacher in the school district for 29 years, and has 35 years of experience in all.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in girls high school sports over the years,” she said, adding that “there’s a lot of promise for the future of this program.”

WHS boys

The Waterloo boys track team participated Friday in the MVC meet at Triad, coming home with a few individual medals.

“We had some really good performances overall,” WHS boys track coach Larry Huffman said.

Greysan Moehrs placed first in the 110 meter hurdles, and Lance Mueller placed first in the 1600 meter run. Nolan Mannino placed second in the 400 meter run. Zach George placed second in the shot put.

The 4×800 relay team of Lance Mueller, Cole Rodenberg, Jake Schwartz and Noah Hays placed third.

The boys will compete Thursday in the sectional meet at Herrin.

Columbia

Columbia was ahead of Freeburg in points after the field events of the Cahokia Conference meet held earlier this month, which was a good sign. But the brutal winds proved to be too much to handle.

“In 25 years of competing or coaching track and field, I can’t recall a meet where the wind was such a factor to the outcome,” CHS trach coach Ernie Kopp said.

The depth of Freeburg’s team won out in the end, but some Columbia athletes managed to earn medals.

First places included Grant Snow (shot put) Ethan Snow (high jump and long jump), and Sean McCarty (800 meter run).

Second places included the 4×800 relay team of Sean McCarty, Kristian Avise-Rouse, Josh Thompson and Zach King, as well as Sam Berghoefer (400 meter run), Josh Thompson (800 meter run), Sean McCarty (1600 meter run) and Grant Snow (discus).