JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — McAuley Catholic and Thomas Jefferson each had strong showings at the Missouri Class 1 State Track and Field Championships over the weekend.
McAuley Catholic's Distance Dominance
McAuley Catholic's boys and girls teams made significant marks in the distance events.
In the boys' 1600-meter run, Michael Parrigon claimed the state title with an impressive time of 4:26.09, edging out Dora High School’s Daniel Tomlinson by less than a second.
His teammate, Franklin Veer, also performed admirably, securing fifth place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:01.06, contributing valuable points to McAuley’s tally.
In the boys’ 800-meter run, Veer finished fourth (1:59.36) and Parrigon closed in sixth (1:59.87). Their efforts helped McAuley secure a first-place finish in the boys’ 4x800-meter relay, clocking 8:14.94, a commanding performance that outpaced Thomas Jefferson’s second-place team (8:20.39).
On the girls’ side, Olivia Parrigon ran a strong 800-meter race, finishing fourth with a time of 2:23.56.
The girls’ 4x800-meter relay team placed 13th (10:57.33), showing resilience in a competitive field.
In the field events, Samantha Conrad threw 33.53 meters in the discus to earn sixth place, and Roscoe Miller took second in the javelin with a throw of 48.03 meters.
Thomas Jefferson’s Relay and Distance Prowess
Thomas Jefferson Independent School also had a stellar showing, particularly in the relays and distance events.
The boys’ 4x400-meter relay team secured third place with a time of 3:34.68, narrowly beating Faith Christian Academy by 0.12 seconds.
In the 3200-meter run, Will Twiss led the way for Thomas Jefferson, capturing the state title with a time of 9:45.87. Twiss also earned fifth place in the 1600-meter run (4:33.01), while teammate Braden Honeywell-Lynch finished sixth (4:34.57) in the same event and eighth (10:06.93) in the 3200-meter run.
The boys’ 4x800-meter relay team added a second-place finish (8:20.39).
On the girls’ side, Macie Shifferd was a standout, winning the 3200-meter run with a time of 11:41.62, outpacing South Nodaway’s Mya Wray by over five seconds. Shifferd also took fourth in the 1600-meter run (5:27.01).
Anna Hiebert contributed points in the long jump, finishing eighth with a leap of 4.85 meters.