HOLLISTER — Advance to state with a top-four finish.

That was the goal Saturday for Matt Candrl’s Owensville Dutchmen and Dutchgirl track athletes during one of four Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 3 Sectional track meets held at Hollister High School in southwest Missouri.

After severe weather around 3 p.m., Saturday afternoon delayed the meet for two hours, Owensville qualified a total of 15 athletes in 15 events to compete this weekend during the MSHSAA Class 3 State Track and Field Championships held at Jefferson City High School’s Dennis and Roberta Licklider Track Complex inside of Adkins Stadium.

It only took an hour for OHS to send their first athlete to state.

Junior hurdler Bryce Payne claimed a sectional title winning the boys 110-meter hurdles in a time of 15.03.

Later in the meet, Payne placed second in the 300m hurdles with a time of 40.33. Both times have him in position to possibly win a pair of state titles.

“Bryce has put himself in a great position to be successful this weekend at state,” Candrl said.

Staying on the track, the Dutchgirl sprinting duo of Emma Daniels and Saylor Richardson looked to keep their respective seasons alive in the girls 100m dash.

Placing third and fourth in times of 12.94 and 13.17 respectively, Daniels and Richardson both punched their tickets to state.

Daniels added to her individual state agenda with a third-place time of 26.97 in the girls 200m dash that was ran following a two-hour weather delay due to lightning and subsequent heavy rain.

Following the 100m dash, both the Dutchmen and Dutchgirl 4x200m relay teams looked to clinch their respective spots at state.

Fresh off setting a school record at districts in West Plains, the Dutchgirl quartet of Ella Gehlert, Alexis Kohrmann, Daniels and Richardson broke it again with a third-place time of 1:49.27 advancing them to the state meet.

Later in the meet, the Dutchgirl 4x100m relay team of Alison Daniels, Emma Daniels, Cameron Nowack and Richardson sprinted their way to state with a third-place time of 51.59 at sectionals in Hollister.

Along with their Dutchgirl counterpart, the Dutchmen 4x200m relay team of Jacob Breedlove, Charlie Whelan, Bryce Payne and Tanner Meyer cemented their spot at state with a second-place time of 1:31.92.

In between the two relay races, two OHS distance runners punched their respective tickets to state.

Dutchmen sophomore Felix Guerrero came on strong in the final lap of the boys 1600m run to place third in a time of 4:44.07 to compete at state on Saturday.

Freshman Ilene Limberg then ran her way to the state meet with a second-place time of 5:23.33 in the girls 1600m run.

Later in the meet after the weather delay, Limberg made it two events for her over the coming weekend at state with a second-place time of 11:59.36 in the girls 3200m run.

Over in the field events, Dutchmen sophomore Garrett Crosby continued his surprising run of success in the boys javelin breaking the school record previously held by Miles McKinney with a second-place throw of 49.86 meters at Saturday’s sectional meet.

During the final set of field events, Dutchmen sophomore Trenton Million placed third clearing 3.50m to become the latest pole vaulter from OHS to advance to state.

Right before the weather delay, junior Gabe Soest looked to punch his ticket to state in the boys 800m run.

Leading the pack after the first lap, Soest held on to finish third in a time of 2:04.63 sending him to state in at least one event.

Capping the meet with the boys 4x400m relay, the Dutchmen squad of Soest, Meyer, Payne and Breedlove placed second in a time of 3:31.65 to guarantee themselves a long day at state on Friday.

Breedlove will also compete at state in the boys 400m dash after winning a sectional title in a time of 49.96.

That makes him only the third athlete in OHS Track and Field history to break the 50-second mark in the event along with Tanner Waits and the late Jason Kottwitz.

Individuals ending their respective seasons after sectionals finishing outside the top four were Jenna Vandegriffe (pole vault), Meike Bakker (shot put and long jump), Blake Elliott (high jump) and Hayden Shoemaker (discus).

Owensville’s girls 4x800m (Grace Abell, Lauren Kandlbinder (Kyah Weirich and Limberg) and 4x400m (Gehlert, Kohrmann, Limberg and Alison Daniels) relay teams both saw their seasons end with fifth-place finishes.