Ste. Genevieve Boys’ Distance Relay Wins

By ERIC X. VICCARO

EVICCARO@STEGENHERALD.COM

FARMINGTON — Ste. Genevieve High School junior track and field standout Nathan St. Clair continues building for the soon-to-be postseason.

St. Clair, his older brother Devin St. Clair, Levi Wiegand and Taylen Bader have forged a formidable distance medley relay quartet.

The foursome clocked in with a time of 8:33.49, taking the gold medal in the Farmington Invitational this past Friday during the Simpson Relays at Haile Stadium on Friday.

“Nathan is one of many athletes that is competing in any event we ask of him,” said first-year head boys’ coach Corey Samples. “The distance runners have worked hard in the off-season.”

That distance medley relay time was 7.01 seconds faster than Festus, and Valle Catholic was 11 seconds off the top pace.

“It turned into a great race to start off for the boys,” Samples added.

St. Clair also placed third in the open 1,600 with a time of 4:44.58 with Bader fourth (4:44.89), and he was part of a fifth-place 1,600 relay group (3:46.68). Nolan Walls joined St. Clair, Wiegand and Bader on the foursome.

Devin St. Clair was fourth overall in the 3,200 run, clocking in at 10:23.50, with William Kaempfe of DeSoto the gold standard in a stellar time of 9:51.43.

Ethan Ogden contributed a seventh-place finish in the pole vault, 3.04 meters.

On the girls’ side, senior thrower Marysa Flieg continues getting better incrementally.

“She’s been able to keep her speed, and keep her hips open,” Ste. Genevieve head girls’ coach Tyne Huck said. “We’ve been working on that, and her arms. I think she did a great job.”

Flieg broke her previous school-best record in the javelin, marking at 40.93 meters — which was one-tenth of a meter off DeSoto winner Trista Grobe’s gold standard of 41.05m.

This marks the third time this season Flieg has established a new school record in the javelin.

Central Methodist pledge Megan Aubuchon continued her masterful senior campaign with a gold in the high jump (1.57m), first in the 100 hurdles (16.97) and 300 hurdles (46.92). Potosi’s Annie McCaul finished second to Aubuchon in both hurdles races.

With such a strong field of teams, Huck said a sixth-place team finish for the girls was right around what she expected.

The Dragon quartet of Jaden Wehner, Maci Reynolds, Flieg and Aubuchon earned a bronze medal with a time of 4:23.27. Reynolds was held out from the hurdles due to an unspecified injury; however, she was seventh in the 200 dash (28.34).

The distance medley relay girls (Flieg, Gwen McKlin, Cylie Carlson and Alison Braun) clocked in at 11:02.40 for fifth spot.

Karissa Holst picked up two points for the Dragons with a seventh-place finish in the pole vault (2.13m). Jamison Kemper was seventh in the shot put (9.25m),

Middle School Meet Highlights

The Ste. Genevieve girls were sixth and boys eighth out of 13 teams at their own meet this past Wednesday at Dragon Field.

Eighth-grader Kale Clements was the lone Dragon to earn gold, racing in with the top time in the 400 run (1:05.39).

Paul Taylor was second in the shot put, marking at 11.48m, and third in the discus (33.38m). He also earned fifth in the 400 dash (1:02.22).

The boys’ 1,600 relay group (Conner Clanton, Shay Coleman, Lukas Monroe and Izik Stafford) was third with a time of 4:17.51. The girls 1,600 group (Kayden Huck, Autumn Werner, Sadie Greminger and Holly Zangaro) earned fourth in 4:49.59.

Huck also was fourth in the 100 hurdles (19.01) and Abigail Merklin fourth in the 100 dash (14.27) to round out the top Dragon performances.