Every year Missouri's largest school district, Springfield Public Schools, hosts a varsity girls' track and field meet in the southwest Missouri town, followed a day later by a varsity boys' meet. The meets attract a wide range of sizes schools with enrollments that come from many areas of the state. The Glendale Girls Night Out meet and the Hillcrest Invitational boys meet are usually on a Thursday and Friday in the second week of April. With Easter and Good Friday falling during the week this year, the meets were moved up a day.
The meets are held at the district's Parkview High School, one of five in the district. Throwing event athletes got to compete on the new throws field just outside the stadium. Missouri State University needed a new throws facility and found the space just a few miles away at Parkview. The university and the school district partnered to complete the project, with the university footing the bill for the project, which reportedly cost $465,000
This year marked the 50th edition of the Hillcrest Invitational. Many of the state's top male teams and individuals competed and shined in Springfield. Teams competing ranged from Fair Grove to Mountain Grove, Blue Springs to Bolivar, and Rockwood Summit to Reeds Springs. Weather conditions were good, but not great. The sun shone early with minimal clouds for a short time after the 1:00 p.m. start, before the skies became overcast for most of the afternoon. Temperatures were in the 50s just about all day, with winds making it feel chillier for stretches. The wind wasn't as strong or consistent as it had been in recent years. Team scores were not awarded or tabulated.
Results
Camdenton senior superstar and Indiana State University signee Angel Dickerson captured 4 event titles. The sprinter and jumper with the sculpted physique won the 100-meters (11.16), the long jump (7.13m/23-4.5''), anchored the Lakers from 4th to first in the 4x100 and finished the day with a victory in the 200-meter dash in 22.54.
Afterward, Dickerson said he fell in love with running as a kid and eventually strength training. He said he "always wanted to be a big guy," because his dad was big and because of the father-son connection. Dickerson began that journey in seventh grade when he started lifting weights. Goal setting and accomplishment are a big part of his life and success. When asked, Dickerson said he can bench press 315 lbs and squat 395 lbs.
Dickerson credits some of his success to his study and self-education in track and training. He wants to help others with his knowledge and education. He plans to study kinesiology and wants to continue to grow his knowledge of the body's movement before becoming a personal trainer.