Saturday afternoon at the Miner Invitational Track Meet inside Allgood-Bailey Stadium on the University of Missouri - Science and Technology (S&T) campus felt like a reunion among former area high school track and field athletes.

A total of 10 former area high school track and field athletes between William Woods University (WWU), Columbia College (CC), Missouri Southern State University (MSSU), Westminster College (WC) and Maryville University (MU) competed in Miner country.

A former Owensville Dutchgirl and Belle Lady Tiger sprinted down the track in the women’s 100-meter dash.

Saylor Richardson placed 25th for William Woods in 13.49 while Gracie Schultz took 26th place in 13.55.

Richardson followed that up with a 31st-place time of 27.69 in the women’s 200m dash.

Recently earning NAIA Indoor Track and Field All-American honors in the women’s 5000m run, former Dutchgirl and current WWU junior Mekayla Gibson competed in three events Saturday at Rolla.

Taking 21st in the women’s 800m run in a time of 2:31.33, Gibson took eighth in the women’s 1500m run with a time of 5:00.01.

Fellow former Dutchgirl and WWU runner Kyah Weirich also placed 10th in the women’s 5000m run with a time of 21:32.89.

Schultz helped CC’s women’s 4x100m relay team to a fifth-place time of 51.39.

Gibson and Richardson made up half of WWU’s women’s 4x400m relay team that placed eighth in a time of 4:31.84.

Currently holding the Owensville High School (OHS) record in the girl’s pole vault, MSSU’s Katie Candrl won the women’s pole vault with a clearing height of 3.70m.

Moving from the track to the field, Schultz placed 19th for CC in the women’s long jump with a leap of 4.69m.

Four former Hermann High School (HHS) track and field athletes also competed for their respective institutions Saturday in Rolla.

CC’s Tirzah Dodorico placed 24th in the women’s shot put with a throw of 10.57m while also taking 25th place in the women’s discus with a mark of 33.68m.

She also took 24th place in the women’s hammer throw posting a distance of 37.88m.

Winning a state championship several years ago in the girls javelin, former Belle Lady Tiger Susie Moman placed fifth Saturday in Rolla in the women’s javelin for MSSU with a mark of 39.81m.

Former Hermann Bearcat distance runners Michael and Peter Giles both made the trek to Rolla competing for WC and CC respectively.

In the men’s 800m run, Michael placed 21st in a time of 2:03.20 while Peter took 47th in a time of 2:16.49.

During the men’s 1500m run, Michael Giles placed 50th in 4:20.79.

Peter Giles also helped the Cougars place fourth in the men’s 4x400m relay with a time of 3:30.63.

Finishing his high school track career at Hermann, Austin Terry competed in two events Saturday for the Saints of Maryville University.

Finishing in a three-way tie for 10th place clearing 1.80m in the high jump, Terry also placed 23rd in the men’s javelin with a toss of 45.94m.

Throughout the spring, we will make every effort to recognize former area athletes competing in college in their respective sports as space permits on a weekly basis.