ShawneeDispatch.com

With the Kaw Valley League meet and regionals looming ahead, the Mill Valley track and field team is finding its stride.

The Jaguars ran brilliantly once again last Friday in bitter conditions at the Gardner Invitational and finished first and second on the girls and boys sides against eight local schools -- including league opponents Bonner Springs, Tonganoxie, Lansing and Piper.

As has been the case all season, the Lady Jags proved too talented for their counterparts and won the competition with 138 points, eclipsing second place Gardner (103) by more than 30 points.

Sarah Karcher was the star of the day for the Lady Jags with three first place finishes: in the 800 meter run and as a member of both the 3,200 (10:20.7) and 4 x 400 meter relays (4:18.06) that also included Kelsey O' Hara, Lindsey Warren, Emily Gilbreath and Brittney Gardner.

Karcher's performance was business as usual for the junior stand-out, who has dominated her individual events thus far this season and has been pivotal in the Lady Jags' relay success this year.

"Sarah has lived up to the expectations we had for her at the start of the year and has yet to lose an 800 meter race this season, which is just amazing," Mill Valley track coach Mark Peck said. "She is an exceptional athlete, and we knew heading into the season that she was one of our strongest distance runners and would make some noise for us this season."

Overall, distance events have been the Lady Jags' strong suit this season, and Friday was no different.

Emily Gilbreath medaled in the 1,600 meter run, while Kelsey O' Hara, Amber Keith and Tara Anderson continued to thrive in the 3,200 meter run by going one, two and three respectively for the Jaguars in the event at Gardner.

And while the Lady Jags have made their living in the endurance events, Andrea Crabaugh remained a top contender in the 100 meter dash Friday with a time of 12.99 seconds and a second place finish.

Crabaugh has consistently finished first or second in the dash all year and along with sophomore Justin Woods forms one of the most prolific one-two punches in the Kaw Valley League sprint event.

Woods dazzled Friday afternoon in the 100 meter (10.96) and 200 meter dashes (22.59), winning first place in both events while shattering the previous school records and headlining the boy's strongest outing of the year.

Woods has continued to improve his times with each passing meet, and with his blistering speed, he is a strong candidate to win the league title in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes next Wednesday.

"Justin had a great meet and was really impressive," Peck said. "He is really coming into his own, and I thought he had a huge meet for us. He is getting stronger as the year goes on and is really running well right now."

While Woods was wowing the spectators with his jaw-dropping speed, Kyle Hancock and Max Rinkel were cementing their place as the league's best shot-put and discus throwing combination.

The strong pair finished first (Hancock) and second (Rinkel) in the shot-put event and continued to ring up valuable points for the Jaguars by going two (Rinkel) and three (Hancock) in the discus throw.

Securing first and second in the same event proved to be a theme for the Jaguars at the Gardner meet, as Steven Scott (first place; 41 feet, 8.25 inches) and Kyle Gladfelder (second place; 40 feet, 10 inches) owned the triple jump, and both posted

personal records on the afternoon.

Scott also took second in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet and third in the long jump with a mark of 20 feet.

Overall, it was easily the most well-rounded effort of the year for the boy's team and should elevate their confidence heading into the final and most pivotal meets of the season.

"I was extremely happy with the boys," Peck said. "We are moving in the right direction, and I am very pleased with the progress they are making. We just need to keep working hard, and things should fall into place if we can stay healthy."

The Jaguars' next test will come at the Shawnee Mission North relays, which will attract talent from all over the Kansas City area and should showcase many of the best track and field athletes in the state of Kansas.

The meet begins at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 6, and will be the last event held at the old Shawnee Mission North facility, which is set for demolition later this year to make room for the construction of new athletic facilities.