Neither rain nor thunder nor lightning was going to keep the Cardinal Ritter College Prep girls track and field team from achieving its championship destiny and making school history.
The Lions captured the Class 5 state championship at Thursday’s Missouri State High School Activities Association state meet at Jefferson City High School. The meet was delayed twice because of the inclement weather, but Ritter was able to stay the course and win its first state championship in girls track with 64 points. Lee’s Summit West finished second with 58 points and Blue Springs was third with 43.5 points.
The Lions were able to spread out the points in several different events, but they got a big boost from freshman sensation Aniyah Brown, who swept the 100- and 200-meter dash titles in her first state meet. Brown won the 100 in a meet-record 11.77 seconds and the 200 in 24.08 seconds, which was another meet record. Brown won the 200 in a brilliant dual with 400-meter state champion Caleia Johnson of Park Hill. Johnson finished second in a time of 24.21, which was also impressive.
Cardinal Ritter piled up big points in the sprint relays as it finished first in the 4×100- and 4×200-meter relays and third in the 4×400. The team of Alexis Taylor, Brooklyn Brady, Mckiya Taylor and Brayanna Washington won the 4×100 in 48.37 seconds while the 4×200 crew of Taylor, Brady, Charlye Moody and Brown finished first in 1:39.93.
Freshman Hannah Wallace finished fourth in the 300-meter low hurdles and fifth in the triple jump. Washington finished fifth in the 100, Brady was fifth in the 200 and Alexis Taylor was eight in the triple jump.
Cardinal Ritter becomes the second girls’ team from the St. Louis area to bring home a state championship in track and field. STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley won the Class 2 state championship last week.
