ShawneeDispatch.com

Christen Botteron proved she was more than a match for Mother Nature while claiming a first-place medal in her showcase event at Friday's Shawnee Mission North Relays.

The relays attracted athletes from more than 30 schools to one of the area's most popular athletic events. Against some of the toughest competition in the area, Botteron, a Shawnee Mission Northwest senior, battled high winds and turned in the best performance of her career while winning the pole vault.

Botteron's vault of 11 feet, 6 inches bettered her previous Northwest record of 10-8 and tied the North Relays record.

Northwest coach Mike Cooper believes that Botteron, who is headed to Brigham Young University in the fall, had an extra surge of motivation for the meet.

"The BYU track coach said to Kristen, 'We'll talk to you (about joining the program) when you reach 11-6,'" Cooper said. "Now that she's reached it they will talk to her and let her know that if she can reach 12-0 that she will be an invited walk-on. So I think she's got some extra motivation going on right now."

Another Northwest athlete who conquered the wind, as well as the competition, was sophomore Erica Brand. Throwing into the wind, Brand nailed a mark of 123-8 to claim her win.

The Northwest boys medaled in five events at the meet. Freshman Sterling Spencer and senior Evan Mesh earned second-place hardware in the 3,200 meters and 300 hurdles, respectively. Another second-place finish was turned in by the 1,600 relay team of Mesh, senior Alex Reed, junior Mark Fancher and junior Alex Reynolds. Their time of 3:26.33 represented an almost three-second improvement of their previous best.

Jared Ellsworth grabbed third in the 800, while the 800 relay squad of senior Evan Hayes, Reed, senior Trevor Hughes and junior Nick Kolega earned the same finish with a 1:33.48 mark.

Though the meet was not officially scored, the Cougar boys racked up the third-best team finish of the 32 schools involved, according to Eagle Eye Timing's results. The Northwest girls accumulated the eighth-best finish according to Eagle Eye.

The postseason now comes fast and furious for the Cougars, who will face the Sunflower League championships, regionals and state in the next three weekends. With rain in the forecast for the upcoming week, Cooper and his assistant coaches may have to get inventive with preparing their athletes for league.

"Luckily, I think our girls and boys sprinters truly had their best practice of the year tonight," Cooper said Monday night. "I was extremely happy with it and so was the girls sprint coach (Justin Stigge)."

"We've got a little transition going here while the kids' volume of training goes down but their intensity goes up. Coach (Van) Rose coaches the distance kids and he has them do some 'pool running' where they strap on some Aqua Joggers and get into the deep end where they can't touch and they just run. That way they get their heart rate going but there's zero impact. We may have to do some more of that this week."

A handful of North athletes also had dynamite performances at the Relays.

Senior Aaron Sawyer dominated on his home track by winning the 110 hurdles in 13.98. He also placed third in the 200 in 23.61 and finished fourth in the 300 hurdles in 40.72.

Fellow senior Nico Yoch was fourth in the pole vault with a clearance of 13-6.

Junior Storm Simons and senior Quinique Ivory led the way for the North girls.

Simons was the meet champion in the 300 hurdles in 47.57 and the third-place finisher in the 400 in 1:00.40. Ivory scored a pair of sixth-place finishes in the 100 and 200.

Junior Chelsea Kiefer was second in the 300 hurdles in 48.14.

In addition, the North 400 relay team of Ivory, Kiefer, Simons and Jodi Young finished third in 50.61. The 800 relay team of Taylor Burger, Janessa Clay, Jazmin Richmond and Kiefer also was third in 1:49.42.

North and Northwest next compete at 3 p.m. Friday at the Sunflower League meet at the Olathe District Activity Center.