The Chillicothe Hornets turned in an impressive performance at the Class 3 Sectional meet, battling some of the top competition in Missouri while earning several trips to the state track and field championships. The top four finishers in each event advanced to the MSHSAA State Championships, and Chillicothe athletes rose to the occasion with multiple podium finishes and state qualifiers.
Leading the way for the Hornets was senior distance standout Luke Thompson, who captured the sectional championship in the boys 800-meter run with a winning time of 2:00.31, securing one of Chillicothe’s state berths. Thompson also anchored the boys 4×800 relay team to a sectional title in dramatic fashion, as the Hornets crossed the line first in 8:13.52, edging St. Michael the Archangel by just one-hundredth of a second.
The boys 4×400 relay team also punched its ticket to state with a runner-up finish in 3:23.27, continuing Chillicothe’s strong tradition in the relay events by setting a school record in the process.
Junior standout Brennen FitzPatrick qualified for state in two events. FitzPatrick placed third in the boys 400-meter dash with a time of 49.80 and added another third-place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 13.25 meters.
On the girls side, Chillicothe’s distance runners delivered a huge performance in the 800 meters. Hope Donoho finished second in 2:23.83, while teammate Lydia Bonderer placed fourth in 2:25.66, sending both Lady Hornets to the state meet. The girls 4×800 relay team also secured a state berth with a second-place finish in 9:56.83, breaking the 10-minute mark in one of the team’s strongest races of the season.
In the field events, Jayden Martin qualified for state in the boys shot put after placing second with a throw of 15.18 meters. Martin also added an additional state spots in javelin, placing third in that throwing event.
The Hornets also received strong efforts from Mason Walter, who finished fifth in the boys 1600 meters, and Mya Oliver, who placed third in the girls triple jump to advance to state with a jump of 10.70 meters.
The multiple Chillicothe Hornets athletes and relay teams now advancing to the MSHSAA Class 3 State Championships will compete at Jefferson City High School on Friday and Saturday.