Westside’s 3200 meter relay set a state record at the Metro Conference Championship meet with a time of 9:03.22 beating the previous record by nine seconds.
The team of Amiya Hill, Olivia Elbert, Claire White, and Stella Miner have been on a rampage this season. They set a school record the first time they ran the event together at the Harold Scott Invitational. They knew they had the potential to be even better than that performance and they proved it at Metros.
The team got started off with a solid first leg from Hill who set a personal best in her 2:25 split.
“I had to start off with a good start, I came out strong and I also ended out strong so I’m proud of myself for that,” said Hill.
Elbert was able to keep the momentum as she also set a personal best with a split of 2:15.
“I was just thinking that I needed to get us in first or second. I need to make up that stagger,” Elbert said. “I just need to do what I need to do for this team and that was getting the baton in a good place to Claire.”
The team really had the race won from there as they handed the baton off to two Division I commits in White and Miner.
“Just working for each other as a team is I think what’s going to produce the best and that’s what we did today,” White said.
When White handed off the baton to Miner she knew they had the race won.
“When I hand the baton to Stella I always know, so I think that’s the easiest part,” White said. “I think when we just know we had a great first leg by Amiya. That just kind of sets us into motion for each of us. Just working for each other as a team is I think what’s going to produce the best and that’s what we did.”
The Iowa State commit and Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year is putting the finishing touches on an amazing career at Westside, setting numerous school and state records in cross country and track and field. But this is something she couldn’t have done without the help of her teammates.
“We didn’t know how it would be this season and I think we all knew that we had the talent to get that time and all of us just to get out here and work for each other and PR every single one of us,” White said. “It’s just so inspiring and awesome to call my teammates and really just put it for each other and try and get that win and record.”
The anchor of the relay and Kansas State commit Stella Miner has been on a tear the whole season breaking multiple individual records, and now a relay record. Miner was also voted the most outstanding female track athlete of the Metro meet.
“It’s so exciting. I couldn’t have asked for a better beginning, middle, and end of the season,” said Miner. “I’m proud of what I’ve done this season and what I’ve been able to do with these girls I think we’ve all been training so hard and I think you can see our improvement throughout the season through this relay so it’s awesome.”
Peaking at the right time really allows the team to take a deep breath, and go into Districts and State with the confidence that they will be at their very best.
“I’m so relieved and proud that we were able to do it this meet. We started the season and the day wasn’t great for it, and we were kind of far off,” said Miner. “I really wasn’t sure if we were going to get there, after Amiya went through with that first leg I was like oh we’ve got a really good chance. She went above and beyond and so did everyone else in the relay honestly. I’m really proud of us. We smashed it.”
The girls weren’t the only success story to come out of the Metro meet, Keynan Cotton won the boys 100 meters and came in second in the 200 meters, setting a personal best in both events.
The junior separated himself from the other runners in the final meters of the race to get the win and the personal best.
“I knew I had to really get out, so I could have a chance to win,” Cotton said. “I really felt like I had another gear so I had to kick that in, so I just finished it out.”
Cotton is setting himself up for success at the district and state meets.
“The main focus is to make it to state right now, so just doing good in districts,” Cotton said. “I think I’m peaking at the right time.”
Westside will compete in the A-1 District meet at Gretna on Tuesday, May 7.
