Good weather, a fast track, and great competition made for many standout performances at Kirkwood's 45th annual Dale Collier Invitational on Saturday, April 28.
On the girls' side, two powerhouses battled four weeks before doing so for the state title in Jefferson City. Coach Tiffany Spain's Cardinal Ritter College Prep (in St. Louis city) has won the Class 5 state titles in their first two years of being in the largest classification. This year they are the favorites to win again and are led by exceptional talent in the sprints, relays, and jumps.
Results
However, Jennifer Reeder's Blue Springs squad is loaded with special athletes up and down the roster. The Lady Wildcats placed 3rd at the one-day 2021 state meet behind Cardinal Ritter and Lee's Summit West, scoring 43.5 points. Ritter scored 64 points to edge Lee's Summit West (58 points) to win and end West's state meet title streak at four.
Last year, Blue Springs totaled 46 points to tie Lee's Summit West for 2nd at state. Cardinal Ritter sprinted away from the field, wracking up 85.5 points for a dominating win and a score that puts them among the highest-scoring teams ever at state.
Saturday in St. Louis County at Kirkwood High, Blue Springs had its own dominant performance. The Lady Wildcats piled up 144.5 points to beat the field by 59.5 points. That margin was greater than every other team totaled except for Ritter.
Ritter hasn't raced several of their standouts after spectacular performances at the Arcadia Invitational in California early in April, and the following week at their Lion's Den home meet. At Kirkwood, where Aniyah Brown and a few teammates were their to support their competing teammates, she said they weren't injured.
But even with a full squad, it would have been hard for Ritter to get close to Blue Springs and their nearly 150 point total. Host Kirkwood was 3rd, scoring 52 points to edge Jefferson City (49), St. Teresa's (42), Timberland (41), Capital City (38.5), and Hickman (38), among others.
The meet attracted three teams from the Kansas City area in Blue Springs, St. Teresa's, and Lincoln College Prep. The East St. Louis Flyerettes made the trip across the mighty Mississippi River from Illinois, while Springfield Central High made the trip from Southwest Missouri.
Watch some of the top finishers compete in the video below