T&F: Harrisburg shines with top performances at Harrisburg Open
Harrisburg's Niko Neal grabbed three first place finishes at the Harrisburg Open and the Bulldogs scored a top three place finish in every event as the school prepares for the SIRR Conference championships.<br />Neal won the 110 High Hurdles and the 300 Intermediate Hurdles with a time of 15.0 and 42.2, respectively. In the long jump, Neal went 19-feet-10.5 for a first place finish as well.<br />Other first place winners included Evan Vaughn in the 200 meters, crossing the line at 23.8. Vaughn was also part of a 4x100 team that took first place in that relay with a time of 44.2. Kody Cavender won the pole vault, clearing 11-feet-6, while Jordan Bartok grabbed a pair of first place finishes in both the shot put and discus with a heave of 44-feet-8.5 in the shot and a toss of 128-feet-4 in the discus.<br />In addition to the first place finishes, Harrisburg had seven second place finishes.<br />The 4x800 team (Brandon Shelton, Franko Teston, Michael Watkins and Nathan Horn)  turned a time of 10:05 for a second place finish, while Raku Kuruado had a time of 11.3 in the 100 meters for a second place finish.<br />Hunter Smith took second in the 400 meters with a time of 54.9, while Kuruado was second in the 200 meters with a time of 24.0. In the discus, Dominic Ammon had a PR throw of 108-feet-5 for a second place finish and Axavier Doss went 36-feet-8 in the triple jump.<br />Harrisburg head coach Zach Cox said that second week of April is a drag on the coaching staff in regards to keeping the kids focused and continue to improve conditioning, but the Harrisburg Open was good event for his team to get back in the swing of things.<br />"We scored a top 3 place in every event with the exception of a relay, where I ran four freshman in, so it was a well rounded performance," Cox said. "It's unfair for me to say we're not there yet cause we have had the long break but it is crunch time. We only have so many critical workouts and meets left so we have to use those wisely. <br />"Everything from here on out is geared towards the conference. Our school, both boys and girls, have not won a conference championship this year and we want to change that. Our kids need the success and I've had more kids tell me this year compared to all the other years combined that winning or being good was not a top priority to them. Life is a competition and running through the aches, pains, and shortness of breath teaches you that hard work and toughness grow successful student athletes." <br />Harrisburg will run the Marion Relays on Friday and will compete at the Chuck Oyler Invite at Benton High School next Wednesday, before the SIRR Conference meet on May 11 at Pinckneyville.<br /><br />Harrisburg Open Results<br />4x800 R    10:05          2nd<br />Shelton        2:21    PR<br />Teston        2:27    PR<br />Watkins       2:35    PR<br />Horn            2:41<br />4x100 R    44.2    SB    1st<br />Raku            11.2L<br />Boone            10.7<br />Vaughn        11.1<br />Neal            11.1<br />3200 meters<br />Bethel    11:41        3rd<br />110 High Hurdles<br />Neal           15.0             1st<br />Stone    21.3    PR  4th<br />100 meters<br />Raku            11.3          2nd<br />Boone            11.4    PR  3rd<br />Vaughn        11.8        <br />Russ            12.1<br />Doss            12.1    PR<br />Morris        13.3<br />800 meters<br />Williams        2:13    PR  3rd<br />Thai            2:14          4th<br />T Bethel        2:23          5th<br />4x200        1:47.0        4th<br />Dalton<br />Shires<br />Dawe<br />Barton<br />400 meters<br />Smith            54.9                2nd<br />Russ            58.2                3rd<br />Horn            1:07<br />300 intermediate hurdles<br />Neal            42.2                1st<br />1600 meters<br />B Walker        5:32                3rd<br />C Bethel        5:35               5th<br />200 meters<br />Vaughn        23.8                1st<br />Raku            24.0 PR       2nd<br />Boone            24.2<br />Smith            25.6<br />4x400 R (A)    3:58            2nd<br />Williams        55.1 L    PR<br />Thai            59<br />Shelton        60<br />Walker        62<br />(B)<br />T Bethel        59.1 L<br />Shires            63<br />Barton            66<br />Dawe    67<br />Pole Vault<br />Ko. Cavender 11'6            1st<br />Ky. Cavender  10'6            3rd<br />Discus    <br />Bartok        128'4           1st<br />Ammon        108'5 PR     2nd<br />Beers            91'1 PR<br />Gribble       83'8<br />Shot Put<br />Bartok        44'8.5          1st<br />Gribble    35'4.5          5th<br />Beers     31'3<br />High Jump<br />Smith        5'8<br />Triple Jump<br />Doss             36'8             2nd<br />Stone            33'5             4th<br />Long Jump<br />Neal           19'10.5  PR    1st<br />Russ            17'9       PR    4th<br />Boone            17'7.5        <br />Doss            17'0<br />Smith            16'6.5<br /><br />