Panthers open season strong with six records

BLOOMFIELD ? One of the strongest track teams Pekin has ever had finally got the chance to compete Monday night, and they didn?t disappoint.

The Panther girls sped off with the team title at the Dennis Anderson Relays in Bloomfield and posted a whopping six meet records in the process.

Pekin set the tone on the track early with a 1-2 finish in the 3,000-meter run from Brenna Conger and Maleaha Earnest. Conger?s time of 11:22 was the first meet record of the night for the Panthers.

Moments later, Kaitlin Spilman, Celsey Conger, Annie Jones and Kristen Fariss tallied another record in the 4x800 relay finishing in 10:13.

Celsey Conger went on to pick up records in her other two events that included the 800 (2:28) and the 1500 (5:13) beating out her twin sister, Brenna, by two seconds.

Emily Ellis, Maranda Baker, Mackenzie Laux and Emma Nelson teamed up to win the 1600 Medley-relay in a time of 4:40, and the foursome of Spilman, Victoria Eckley, Laux and Jones took the 4x400 title as well in 4:22.

Other first-place finishers for the Panthers included Jones in the 400-meter dash (1:02.36), Ellis in the 100-hurdles (17.26) and Eckley in the 200-meter dash (28.02).

Pekin also posted relay wins in the 4x200 (Jessi Martin, Caylee Johnson, Cheyenne Lankford, Spilman, 1:55.56) and sprint medley-relay (Martin, Lankford, Spilman, Ellis, 2:02).

While the success Pekin found Monday is astounding, it may just be a sign of things to come for the 2010 Panthers. They will get another chance to impress Friday at Clear Creek-Amana.