Pekin keeps home meet title in Packwood

PACKWOOD ? The Pekin girls? track and field team made its final home meet of the season count Thursday.

Pekin racked up 161 points to comfortably outscore the rest of the field at its own Pantherette Relays in Packwood. Mediapolis finished the afternoon second with 128 points, and Columbus Junction took third with 91 points.

The Panthers won a total of five events Thursday. In addition to a win in the 4x800 relay, Maleaha Earnest, Brenna Conger, Mallory Reed and Brandy Millikin tacked on individual victories for the Panthers.

Brenna Conger made the 3,000-meter run the most lopsided race of the day, finishing in 12:29 for a 39-second win. Earnest helped the Panthers to a sweep in the distance races with a 5:29 finish in the 1,500. Reed took an individual win in the 100-meter hurdles with a 16.90 second finish, and Millikin threw the shot put 34 feet for a win.

Runner-up individual finishes came from Samantha Wright in the 400-meter hurdles (1:13.39), Jessica Horras in the 400-meter dash (1:05.84), Monica Cooley in the 3,000-meter run (13:08), and Maranda Baker in the shot put (33? 9?) and discus (98? 8?).

The Panthers look to continue their winning ways at the Lew Lundy Relays in Montezuma Tuesday.

Johnson leads MSAE

PACKWOOD ? Maharishi School?s Essa Johnson finished second in the long jump at Thursday?s Pantherette Relays.

Johnson?s leap of 15-feet, 10-inches was 4.5 inches short of the winning jump. The senior?s finish accounted for 8 of the Pioneers? 10 total points.

Next up for the Pioneers is a Tuesday meet at Mid-Prairie.

Warriors take 10th

PACKWOOD ? The Van Buren girls? track team scored 27 points and finished 10th out of 13 teams Thursday at the Pantherette Relays.

Junior Hanna Haynes led the Warriors with a trio of top-three placings. Haynes finished second in the 100-meter hurdles (17.11), third in the long jump (14? 11?) and third in the 400-meter dash (1:06.39).

The Pekin girls are back in action today at Central Lee.