On opening day of the Class 1 and 2 Missouri State High School Activities Association track and field championships Friday, 12 Harrisburg Bulldogs traveled to Jefferson City to vie for medals in six events. The top eight finishers in the state earn medals and a place on the podium.

The first athlete to achieve that goal for the Bulldogs was senior Tanner Fike who finished seventh in the Class 2 javelin competition with a throw of 46.61 meters on Friday.

Friday turned out to be a beautiful day for the athletes with little to no breeze and temperatures in the upper 80s. Saturday presented a challenge as temperatures dropped down into the lower 60s while rain and threats of thunderstorms caused delays throughout the day. Despite the less-than-ideal weather, Harrisburg earned three top-five finishes for the day.

Harrisburg’s top finisher on Saturday was senior Brayton Stephenson who took the bronze medal in the shot put competition. The senior’s top throw fell a mere 0.19 meters behind that of Schuyler County junior Hayden Dixon. Both athletes finished behind Steelville senior Tyler Davis who won the event with a score of 17.72 meters.

Stephenson and Dixon had throws of 16.58 and 16.77, respectively.

Junior Carli Ellis finished fifth in the girls’ high jump, clearing the bar at 1.49 meters behind the winner Ramzee Bruner, a senior from Marceline, at 1.58. 

Having to wait until the next to last event of the day on a delay-filled Saturday, the Harrisburg boys 4x400-meter relay team finished fourth in the state with a time of 3:33.11. The team, consisting of senior Travis Gardiner, freshman Trace Combs, junior Harley Whitaker, and senior Jace Carr, shattered the school record a day earlier in the qualifying heat with a time of 3:32.46. Whitfield High School took the gold medal with a time of 3:26.24.

Although not qualifying for the finals, the girls’ 4x100-meter relay team, made up of sophomore Kaydence Timbrook, freshman Ella Schwandt, freshman Macie Ellis, and junior Austyn Anderson, broke the school record with a time of 52.63.

Timbrook, who has continued to improve throughout this season, also broke her own school record record in the 100-meter dash, covering the distance with a time of 12.91. Timbrook finished 11th in the qualifying heats on Friday, missing out on the finals by 0.22 seconds.