Louisiana High School – April 23, 2024
There are several ways for a track and field team to succeed at a meet. Teams who produce high scores are often able to add points in a variety of events. This also usually means several athletes from the same team place in a race or field event. The Blue Knights used this formula at the Cunningham Invitational held at Louisiana High School on April 23rd. The boys and girls both finished in 2nd place out of nine teams.
While the Royal Blue have developed a reputation for excelling in the distance events the last few years, the points earned in hurdling, jumps, and throws made a big difference at the Cunningham.
Hannah Gresham and
Faith Brown both broke team records in the hurdle events. Gresham, the reigning national pentathlon champion for homeschoolers, became the first Blue Knight to break 19 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 18.96. A few events later, Brown surpassed the team record in the 300 hurdles by 2.7 seconds. Faith’s time of 51:43 added 8 points for a 2nd place finish.
Jeremiah Szymanski,
Caleb Gall, and
Nathan Schellman added points for the Knights in the hurdling events. Szymanski finished 4th in the 110, Schellman crossed the line in 5th in the 300, while Gall had a 6th place in the 110. All three set PRs in the process.
It was a point-gathering night for the Knights in the three jumping events. Captain
Michael Moore demonstrated he could jump effectively vertically and horizontally. Moore took home the gold in the triple jump with a best of 38’1.”
Nathaniel Barton added a 6th place for an additional point in the event. Moore then added a 5th place finish in the high jump, while teammate Szymanski finished one place behind him for 6th.
Izzy Aimonette managed 6 points for a 3rd place finish in the high jump, and
Emery Plymale finished 4th in the long jump.
In the throwing events, Captain
Anya Stiles recorded a 4th place finish in her favored event, the discus. The versatile Gresham added points for the BK in the javelin for 5th place. Both Stiles and Gresham are team record-holders in these throwing events.
The sprinters continued to add to the team totals.
Aaron Mudge and Moore finished 2nd and 3rd in the 100-meter dash, adding 14 team points to the BK total. Mudge added another 3rd in the 200 with a time of 24.23. Moore and Mudge each scored points in their four entered events and were the top two point-scorers. Moore tallied 21 points, and Mudge amassed 16.25 as the two highest point totals for the boys. The Plymale cousins were at it again with success in the open 400.
Cami edged out Emery, but both earned points with 4th and 5th place finishes.
Distance runners followed the successes of their teammates at the LHS meet. Three team records were broken for at least the 3rd time this year. The 4 x 800 relay team of
Lydia Myskowski,
Anna Armesto, Aimonette, and
Tabby Bryant turned in a time of 10:31:31. This was nearly a 14-second improvement from the previous week’s record-breaking performance at the Washington Nix Relays.
The six BK runners in the 1600 had an exceptional night. Captain
James Wamsley ran against the clock and lowered his team record to 4:39:63.
Clay Muratori lowered his freshman 1600 record with a time of 5:01 and a 2nd place finish.
Mason Tallo earned a 4th place finish to secure three of the top four spots for Coach Jane Criswell’s distance crew. All three boys runners set PRs in the process. The girls replicated the boys in the event, with
Sonya Myskowski taking 1st with a 5:57 time. Stiles and
Lynn Criswell finished 3rd and 4th in the 1600. This pattern with three BK runners and three medal winners would continue in the other distance events the rest of the evening.
Bryant and Lydia Myskowski won 1st and 2nd in the 800.
Lily Campbell added a 5th place finish in the event. The trifecta of boys in the 800 did not want to be outdone by the girls, so
Andrew Meyers finished 3rd, and in the process, lowered his PR by nearly six seconds with a time of 2:22:41. Seniors
Isaac Ward and
Christopher Griffith added points in the 800 by placing 5th and 6th.
The last distance event of the meet was the 3200. Six BK runners completed the 3-for-3 of an event. In the 3200, Aimonette shaved nearly seven seconds off eof her PR and BK record with a time of 12:00. Armesto added a 2nd place finish, and
Kierra Stiles ensured an all blue podium in the 3200 with her 3rd place finish. Sophomore
Reuben Anderson took 1st place with 10 points in the event and recorded a PR of 10:49:39. The
Barfield brothers,
Ben and
Joel, added to the BK distance point haul with 3rd and 4th place finishes.
Immediately after the meet, it was believed by folks handing out medals and plaques that the BK girls team had finished 1st overall. Part of the confusion was the fact that each team could enter three athletes in events, but only the top two finishers could score points if they placed. As a result of the mistake, a correction was made later in the week for the BK girls to finish 2nd, with Mark Twain High School taking 1st place.
The Blue Knights will finish the season in traditional fashion by competing in the Homeschool National Track and Field meet May 7-9 in Bolivar, Missouri. The event hosted over 1200 athletes from all over the region in 2023.
Washington Nix Relay – April 17, 2024
The Blue Knights participated in the Nix Relays held at Washington High School on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The Nix is a unique meet with several rarely held events. The Blue Crew dismantled then rewrote the relay portion of the team record book at the Nix. Nine BK running relay records were set.
The first set of records to fall took place by both the boys and girls 4 x 1600 relay teams (6400 meters total). The girls team of
Lynn Criswell,
Sonya Myskowski,
Anya Stiles, and
Izzy Aimonette combined for a time of 24:45 for a 4th place finish. The boys bettered the team event record by 3 minutes and 31 seconds. The relay of
Clay Muratori,
Reuben Anderson,
Evan Adkisson, and
James Wamsley brought home gold in the event with a time of 20:29.
The Distance Medley is a unique relay in which each team member runs a different distance. (1200, 800, 400, and 1600 for 4000 meters in total) The girls team of Criswell,
Lydia Myskowski, Sonya Myskowski, and Aimonette won the event with a time of 13:52. The boys team in the event consisted of Muratori,
Nathan Schellman,
Joel Barfield, and Wamsley. As in the 4 x 1600, both girls and boys set team records but swapped finishing positions with the girls winning and the Boys finishing 4th.
The girls 4 x 800 relay team (3200 meters) continued the distance relay success with a first place finish and a new team record of 10:45. Lydia Myskowski,
Anna Armesto,
Lily Campbell, and
Tabby Bryant stood at the top of the podium and broke the previous best mark by 10 seconds. The boys team in the event,
Cameron Lange,
Andrew Meyers,
Ben Barfield, and
Mason Tallo set some PRs for the 800 length and added team points with a 7th place finish.
As in the tradition of track, nearly all meets end with the 4 x 400 relay (1600 meters). At relay specific meets, there is an additional race called the1600-meter relay. In the past it had been called the mid-distance relay. In this relay the runners alternate with a 400 meter leg, two 200 meter legs, and then finish with an 800 meter. The girls team of
Emery Plymale,
Cami Plymale,
Sophia Boehlke, and 800 meter specialist Bryant finished 4th in the event but once again, set a team record with a time of 4:42.
Bryant, Cami Plymale, Boehlke, and
Faith Brown ran an impressive time of 4 minutes and 40 seconds for a podium finish of 3rd place in the traditional 4 x 400. For the third time this year, they lowered the BK best mark once again and this time by more than 4.5 seconds. Considering that this group consists of a junior, two sophomores, and a freshman, look for the record to be lowered in the future.
For the second straight meet, the 4 x 200 meter relay of Cali Plymale,
Lydia Boehlke,
Kayla Martin, and Sophia Boehlke broke the 2-minute mark. At the Nix, the quad lowered the BK record to 1:58:95. The girls 4 x 100 wanted their names engraved into the record book, too. The relay of Cami Plymale, Sophia Boehlke, Cali Plymale, and Brown achieved their goal by passing the baton to a time of 55:39.
The hurdle shuttle relay team does not pass a baton, and the race is only on one side of the track. It gives several athletes an opportunity to compete in an event in which they would not normally participate. The boys hurdle shuttle team lowered the team record by more than eight seconds.
Jeremiah Szymanski,
Logan Clipper,
Caleb Gall, and Anderson combined to lower the time set from the previous year at Nix.
In the field events portion of the meet, Emery Plymale broke the team record for the long jump at the second consecutive meet! Emery broke 15 feet and finished 6th out of 31 jumpers. BK field athletes achieved points in four events. (see below)
| Event |
Relay Team Scoring Points |
| Boys Discus |
Roman Gaugh, Christian Slayton, Caleb Gall |
| Girls Long Jump |
Emery Plymale, Kayla Martin, Kiera Stiles |
| Girls Triple Jump |
Madelynn Drago, Makayla Bird, Kiera Stiles |
| Girls High Jump |
Faith Brown, Izzy Aimonette, Madelynn Drago |
St. Dominic Invitational – April 5, 2024
The Blue Knights traveled to the Crusader Invitational for a Friday evening meet consisting of 12 teams. The meet held at St. Dominic HS in O’Fallon, MO marked the unofficial halfway point of the season. Once again, the BK crew did not disappoint with numerous PRs, team records, and a 3rd place finish for the BK girls team.
Coach Mark Adkisson has been working diligently with the athletes in the three throwing events this year. His efforts were rewarded with three athletes setting PRs in three different events.
Tucker Hughes bested his shot-put PR by more than a foot at St. Dominic.
Christian Slayton has shown rapid progression in the javelin in the last few weeks by hurling the spear by nearly 10 feet longer than his previous best! In the discus,
Anya Stiles set another PR and team record with a distance of 94’1”. The BK captain improved by more than four feet with her first throw of the evening and finished 3rd in the competition.
Other BK records fell on this Friday.
Cali Plymale,
Lydia Boehlke,
Kayla Martin, and
Sophia Boehlke became the first BK girls 4 x 200 relay team to break the 2:00 barrier with a time of 1:59:77. Faith Brown finished 4th in the 100-meter hurdles and broke a team record with a time of 19:02.
Izzy Aimonette set the 3200 record in a second consecutive meet for a time of 12:07:26 and a silver medal in the event.
Anna Armesto added points in the event with a 6th place finish. On the boys side of the 3200,
Reuben Anderson set a PR and became the 6th Blue Knight to break the 11-minute mark for a 4th place finish with a time of 10:58:71.
Blue Knights who ran the 400, 800, and 1600 races continued to add to team point totals.
Brandon Bryant ran a 53:22 as he lowered the 400 time he had previously posted at Winfield earlier this year. He finished 3rd. Brown earned a 3rd place podium spot in the open 400, while freshman
Emery Plymale added points with a 5th place finish in the same event. Continuing her winning ways,
Tabby Bryant held on to win a tightly contested 800. She defeated a St. Dominic runner by less than .2 seconds to take gold.
Lydia Myskowsi finished 5th in the event and set a PR by posting a 2:36:36. Three BK athletes earned points in the 1600. Captain
James Wamsley had his 3rd consecutive 1600 under 4:46 for a 4th place finish. Freshmen
Lynn Criswell and
Sonya Myskowski went back-to-back for 4th and 5th place finishes. Criswell and Sonya Myskowski both finished under the 6-minute plateau at 5:53 and 5:56 respectively.
Perhaps the highlight of the meet came in the boys 4 x 100 relay. In the two previous meets this year, the relay team has broken the team record in the event. The team consisting of
Aaron Mudge, Brandon Bryant, Captain
Michael Moore, and
Michael Leine broke the record again, this time by 1.2 seconds for a time of 46.09. The relay finished on the podium with a bronze medal.
Other point winners of the evening were
Madelynn Drago in the high jump (6th place) and Emery Plymale in the long jump (6th place).
The BK girls continued to excel in the relay events at the Crusader. The 4 x 400 brought home the gold with a team time of 4:26:30. This team consisted of Tabby Bryant, Cami Plymale, Boehlke, and Brown. The
Stile sisters (Anya and
Kiera),
Lilly Campbell, and Aimonette earned a 2nd place in the 4 x 800 relay.
Holt Invitational - March 30, 2024
The Holt Invitational is one of the biggest early season meets in terms of teams and number of entries. The boys division had 22 teams while the girls side had athletes from 17 different schools. On Saturday, March 30th, the 2024 Holt meet offered more than 100 heat races for their Varsity only invite. The Blue Knights ladies had a stellar day finishing in a 5th place team finish including many PRs, and 3 all-time team records. The BK Ladies finished 1 ½ point ahead of the 6th place team. Every point proved quite valuable in the team score.
The Girls relays teams this year have taken a big step forward in terms of commitment and talent. The 4 x 400 team of
Tabitha Bryant,
Cami Plymale,
Sophia Boehlke,
Faith Brown completed the 4 lap race for a BK record of 4:24.64 and a podium finish of 3rd place. The 3 other relay teams: 4 x 100 - (Cami Plymale, Sophia Boehlke,
Cali Plymale, Brown) - 4 x 200 - (Cali Plymale,
Lydia Boehlke,
Kayla Martin, Sophia Boehlke) 4 x 800 - (
Lydia Myskowski,
Anna Armesto,
Kiera Stiles, Bryant) all achieved the 2nd fastest times ever recorded by BK relay teams. The 4 x 800 took home the 2nd place medals as well.
Brown not only anchored two of the relay teams, but she really impressed when she took the open 400 title with a BK record of 1:02.57. She had the fastest time of any of the other 33 young ladies who entered the 400 competition. The Plymale cousins (Cami and
Emery) earned points in the 400 by finishing 5th and 6th places.
Bryant added a 3rd place finish in the 800 as well her two stellar relay performances. Bryant ran a 2:34 in this first warm race of the year.
The 3200 at Holt will go down easily as the most successful race of that length for BK athletes in our brief history.
Izzy Aimonette was the other gold medalist for the team winning the 3200 with a PR and BK team record of 12:19.42. Armesto and Myskowski added points in the event by finishing 4th and 6th in the furthest individual race contested on the day. Armesto achieved the 2nd best BK recorded time as well.
Aimonette and
Lynn Criswell also earned a valuable point each for 8th place finishes in the High Jump and 1600.
Hannah Gresham set PRs in the 100 and 300 hurdles. Coach Alan Wamsley’s positive influence in these events has been substantial for Gresham and all the hurdlers this year.
On the boys side, the BK highest finisher was
James Wamsley with a 4th place finish in the 1600 with a time of 4:44.99.
Reuben Anderson ran into a 7th place finish in the 3200 and
Aaron Mudge rounded out the point winners for an 8th in the 200.
Freshmen
Clay Muratori and
Evan Adkisson set PRs in the 1600 with times of 5:13.37 and 5:15.67. These are the top 2 times ever run by BK Freshmen in the distance.
The Blue Knights will be back in action on Friday, April 5th at St. Dominic High School.
Winfield High School - March 19, 2024
The Blue Knights Track & Field HS Team opened their season in grand style at the Winfield
Early Invite. For the first time in their 6-season history, the Blue Knights Boys and Girls brought
home team trophies from the same meet. Led by the junior duo of
Aaron Mudge and
James
Wamsley, and senior
Brandon Bryant, the Boys' team brought home the 3rd place plaque. While many
girls helped secure the 2nd place trophy,
Tabby Bryant,
Anna Armesto,
Lynn Criswell, and
Lydia
Myskowski each scored points in at least 2 events.
The historic night started with the Girls' “A” relay taking 1st in the 4 x 800 (Myskowski,
Armesto,
Kiera Stiles, and Tabby). Later on in the meet, Tabby would go on to win the 800
with a time of 2:34:95. This was nearly 10 seconds ahead of the 2nd place finisher. Tabby
finished the evening by leading off the 4 x 400 “A” relay to a 2nd place finish. The other
members of the 4 x 400 consisted of
Sophia Boehke, Criswell, and
Cami Plymale.
After contributing to the 2nd place finish in the 4 x 800 relay, Armesto and Myskowski finished 2nd and 3rd in the 3200. In her HS debut, Freshman Criswell
continued her previous success in the 1600 with a first place finish and a time of 6:01:04.
Izzy
Aimonette and
Sonya Myskowski finished 3rd and 4th in the same 1600.
Faith Brown added
much needed points for the Blue Knights with a 3rd place finish in the 300 meter hurdles.
As mentioned above, Brandon, Mudge and Wamsley all had great opening meets. Both juniors
and senior were part of BK records at Winfield. Mudge, Brandon,
Michael Moore, and
Caleb Gall
combined to take the 4 x 100 in a time of 47.29. This new BK standard mark broke the previous
record by nearly 2 seconds. Brandon continued his winning ways by taking the 400 meter race in
a time of 53:36. This lowered the BK record which he had set at Nationals last May.
Wamsley earned a second place finish in the 1600. With a time of 4:44:26, he set the BK record
in the event. He also anchored the 4 x 400 relay team of Brandon,
Ruugan Lilly, and
Nathaniel
Barton to a 1st place win. Wamsley took the baton trailing by a fair amount, but ran a 57:17
anchor leg to secure the victory for the Royal Blue.
Moore earned other individual points for the BK nation. On his 3rd attempt, Moore
crossed the High Jump bar at 1.75 meters for a 3rd place finish. Another 3rd place finisher on
the guys' side was the 4 x 800 “A” relay team.
Nathan Schellman,
Andrew Meyers,
Ben Barfield,
and
Joel Barfield. With this finish, the BK Boys were able to earn podium status in 3 of the 4
relays. It is believed this would also be a first for a BK team at a MSHSAA sponsored meet.
With such a good start to the 2024 season, the Knights will look forward to competing at Holt
Invitational on Saturday, March 30th!