The Lincoln County girls 3200-meter relay team, sprinter Santana Hocker and triple jumper Luke Shofner led the Lady Patriots and Patriots at Saturday’s season-opening Model All-Comers meet, with each earning first place at the Eastern Kentucky University track complex in Richmond.
The Lady Patriot relay team, which includes senior Alex Bunch and freshmen Morgan Gourley, Logan Godbey and MaHaley Long, had little trouble bringing home first in the distance race, finishing a full minute and 41 seconds ahead of the second-place team from Burgin. The Lincoln runners covered the 3200 meters in 12:13.31. Burgin’s Riley Brown, Danielle Peavler, Shelby Pettit and Kiley Luallen combined for a time of 13:54.67.
Hocker and Shofner were all alone in first place at the finish of their respective victories.
More than a second separated Hocker from the second-place runner in his 200-meter dash win, with the Lincoln senior crossing in 24.17 seconds. It was a 1-2 finish for Lincoln in the sprint as teammate Haydon Hale, a freshman, claimed second in 25.91 seconds.
Distance and not speed was where Shofner excelled in the Model meet, as the Lincoln junior won the triple jump event with a jump of 36-09.50, over three-feet longer than his nearest competitor, Owsley County’s William Bowling. Bowling cleared 33-05.00.
Lincoln collected just three wins, however, the Patriot and Lady Patriot track teams brought home a box load of hardware with nine boys individuals, six girls individuals and two girls teams scoring in the all-comers meet.
The Patriot track and field team scored 64 points, including 20 points for Hocker’s and Shofner’s firsts, to finish fourth out of 10 teams. Lincoln finished in the top 6 to score in 6 of the 17 boys events contested.
Hocker and Shofner both scored in multiple events, with Hocker placing second in the 100-meter dash in 11.95 seconds and Shofner going 18-00.00 to place second in long jump. Shofner also scored in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash, placing third in the 100 in 12.55 seconds and sixth in the 200 in 26.50 seconds.
Distance runner Brian Carlson was another multiple scorer, placing in the top six in both the 800 and 1600-meter runs. Carlson, a sophomore, ran second in the 800 in 2:14.54 and was third in the 1600 in a time of 4:56.46. Burgin runner Alex Beckerson took first in both events, winning the 800 in 2:11.44 and the 1600 in 4:52.55.
The Lady Patriot team had 41 points in the meet, 10 points for the 3200 relay win, to place seventh out of 10 teams. Lincoln scored in six events.
Gourley and Godbey were also a part of Lincoln’s second-place running 1600-meter relay team, joining Katie King and Briana McKenzie on track. The Lincoln team covered the distance in 5:03.66 for second and eight points.
The Lincoln girls picked up the rest of their points in three different individual events. Kanesha Miller and Taelor Owens finished 3-4 in the girls 100-meter dash, with Miller edging out Owens with a time of 15.35 seconds. Owens’ time was 15.37 seconds. Miller added to Lincoln’s point total with a strong performance in the 200-meter dash as well. Miller ran fifth overall with a time of 31.59 seconds. King also scored in the 200, placing sixth in 31.85 seconds.
It was a 3-4 finish for Lincoln in the girls 800-meter run as well, with Bunch and Godbey claiming two of the top four spots. Bunch ran third overall in a time of 2:44.17 while Godbey followed right behind her in fourth-place in a time of 2:52.80.
