With four returning state qualifiers, the Montgomery County track team is setting its sights on another strong spring.

Senior El Reagan, junior Tyler Erwin and seniors Jacer Brower and Malia Rodgers are the top returning athletes of a MCHS team that broke seven school records, celebrated its seventh Eastern Missouri Conference title in the girls division and had five all-state medalists.

The Wildcats began their season on March 19 at the Montgomery County Invite, where they had first-place finishes in six events.

Erwin, who was coming off an outstanding basketball season this winter, came out on top in three of those events – long jump, triple jump and high jump. Last year, he earned all-state medals in all three jumping events, had five first-place victories and set school records in the long jump and triple jump.

Reagan is back after earning all-state honors in the pole vault for the third straight year in 2023, placing third. She won the event seven times and broke her own school record at the sectional meet. Reagan was a pole vault state champion in 2022.

Brower returns after receiving an all-state medal in the 400 last spring. He won the event three times and broke his own school record in the state preliminaries. When he was a sophomore, Brower earned all-state honors in the 800-meter relay.

Rodgers was one of the Wildcats’ top performers in the distance events a year ago. She made her third straight trip to state and came in 10th in the 3,200. She also helped the MCHS girls win another EMO title by placing first in the 1,600 and 3,200 and second in the 800 and 3,200-meter relay.

Seniors Weston Marshall and Morgan Koch and junior Jadrian Thurmon are the returning sectional qualifiers. Last year, Marshall advanced to sectionals in the javelin after winning a district title with a 169-9. He surpassed that in his first-place finish at the Montgomery County Early Invite on March 19, throwing a personal-best 174 feet, 6 inches. Koch, who qualified for sectionals in the 4x800 last year, placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles at the Montgomery County Early Invite. Thurmon, a sectional qualifier in three events last year, finished fourth in the 800 and 4x400 at the Early Invite meet.

Other seniors on the team include Conner Finke, Landon Massey and James Pollard. Finke won the shot put at the Montgomery County Early Invite.

The Wildcats finished fourth with 82.5 points in the boys division and 59.5 points in the girls division at the Montgomery County Early Invite. There were eight teams in the meet.

MCHS lost seven seniors to graduation, including Lyric Ford, who placed second in the 1,600 and fourth in the 800 at the state meet last year.
The Wildcats were scheduled to compete at a track meet at South Shelby High School on March 25. They will compete in the Fayette Relays on March 28 and the Holt Invitational on March 30.

MCHS is hosting this year’s EMO meet on April 26.