The O’Neill Eagles swept the team championships Tuesday at the Norfolk Catholic Invitational, with both the boys and girls squads capturing team titles in an impressive showing heading into next week’s district meet.
The O’Neill girls won the team championship over Norfolk Catholic, the Lady Eagles scored 107 points. The Eagle boys narrowly edged Norfolk Catholic for the title, scoring 86 points to the Knights’ 82.
The girls team relied on strong performances in the distance races, relays, field events, and jumps to earn the championship. Junior Kiarra Kennedy led the way with an individual title in the 1600-meter run, crossing the finish line in 5:35.14. Kennedy also anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay team of Mady Heiss, Mia Lindsay, Mollie Corkle, and Kennedy, which posted a time of 4:17.02.
The Eagles also captured the 4x800-meter relay title as Kennedy, Reagan Kaufman, Hannah Hilker, and Mollie Corkle combined for a winning time of 10:22.77.
Mady Heiss turned in a strong all-around meet, placing third in the 400-meter dash in 1:02.49 and winning the long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 9 inches. Mia Lindsay added a fourth-place finish in the 400 in 1:05.91.
In the sprints, Tenzlie Sorensen placed fifth in the 100-meter dash in 13.33 seconds, while Hailey Fick finished sixth in the 200-meter dash in 28.73. Reagan Kaufman added a fifth-place medal in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:42.70.
Madison Shoemaker finished fifth in the 100-meter hurdles in 18.16, and Blakely Sudbeck placed fifth in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 52.12. Sudbeck also claimed the high jump title by clearing 5 feet, while teammate Reese Boetcher finished runner-up at 4-10.
The girls 4x100-meter relay team of Mady Heiss, Tenzlie Sorensen, Blakely Sudbeck, and Serena Chavez placed third in 51.55 seconds.
In the throwing events, Mariah Kallhoff dominated the shot put with a winning throw of 39 feet and placed third in the discus at 119-5. Taylor Young added a third-place finish in the shot put with a toss of 36-2.
Serena Chavez rounded out the girls’ medalists with a third-place finish in the triple jump at 33-4½.
The Eagle boys also delivered a balanced team effort highlighted by another record-breaking relay performance.
The boys 4x100-meter relay team of Colten Shoemaker, Ryker Sudbeck, Maguire Heiss, and Porter Mathews continued its outstanding season by breaking the school record again while winning the event in 43.83 seconds.
O’Neill also won the 4x400-meter relay as Colten Shoemaker, Porter Mathews, Paul Fonseca, and Ryker Sudbeck posted a time of 3:32.16. The 4x800-meter relay team of Paul Fonseca, Alonso Hernandez, Angel Sanchez, and Nate Brown added a third-place finish in 9:02.79.
Ryker Sudbeck sprinted to a runner-up finish in the 100-meter dash in 11.11 seconds, while Colten Shoemaker took second in the 200-meter dash in 23.15.
In the distance races, Tomas Arciniega placed fifth in the 800-meter run in 2:14.17 and later earned third in the 3200-meter run with a time of 11:08.94. Brandon Romero added a fifth-place finish in the 3200 in 11:41.34, while Alonso Hernandez finished fourth in the 1600-meter run in 4:48.94.
Drake Brandt took third in the 110-meter high hurdles in 16.40 seconds. In the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, Maguire Heiss placed third in 44.56 and Paul Fonseca added a fifth-place finish in 45.61.
In the field events, James Welsh placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 41-10½ and fifth in the discus at 129-3. Colten Shoemaker added a fourth-place finish in the high jump by clearing 5-8.
Grady Welke finished second in the pole vault at 12-8, while Braxen Eichelberger took sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 39-8½.
The Eagles will now prepare for the Class C-5 District Championships hosted by West Holt on May 14. Field events are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with running events starting at 1:30 p.m. Athletes will be competing for the opportunity to qualify for the NSAA State Track and Field Championships May 22-23.