Sophomore Cody Skinner (left) and junior Garrett Falls got through the first exchange of the 400-meter relay, but the 'Cats didn't finish in the money. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

JEFFERSON CITY -- Medals were hard to come by for track and field athletes from four Saline Area schools taking part in the MSHSAA Class 1 Championships, Friday and Saturday at Jefferson City.

Local schools came up empty on the boys' side, while Slater freshman Ana Jackson came home with three medals and two Santa Fe girls also came away with something to show for the meet. Meanwhile, the dread ninth-place spot, one position away from participating in the trophy presentation, afflicted four entries.

Jackson's preliminary times on Friday were better than her marks in the Saturday finals in her two solo events. She was third in the 200-meter dash in the prelim (26.51 seconds), but came in fifth in the finals (27.05). Her fifth-place showing in the 100-meter heat race (13.04) slipped to sixth the next day (13.23).

Jackson also anchored the Lady Wildcats' 1,600-meter relay, running behind sophomore Niki Kruger, freshman Marissa Weiher and senior Jessica Fleetwood. That quartet was seventh in both the prelim (4:25.95) and finals (4:31.32).

Kruger had a rough Friday. She placed ninth in the 1,600 (5:36.85), staying on the shoulders of the champion -- Miller junior Taylor Rivera -- through the first half of the race, but falling while trying to move up from the tail end of the lead pack on the final sprint down the front stretch.

Kruger wound up 11th in the 800 (2:34.98). She had won the sectional meet the previous week at Marshall in both events.

Slater's 3,200 relay (11:00.03) -- with Kruger, Weiher, junior Rachel Gonzalez and sophomore Lexsi Griffith -- finished 13th. Gonzalez was ninth in the 3,200 run (13:25.33).

Meanwhile, Santa Fe junior Cassie Wright was unable to defend her state discus title. She made the finals easily, but didn't match her top-seeded qualifying mark of 111 feet, 5 inches -- instead throwing for 108-8 and placing fifth.

Wright didn't contend in the shot put (29-6.25), and neither did Sweet Springs sophomore Hollie Heaper -- who came in 12th (30-8.5), one spot up from last year's showing.

The Lady 'Hounds also had sophomore Kristen Jones in the discus (93-9), but she didn't make the finals cut.

The Lady Chiefs' other medalist was sophomore Lauren Aversman, who improved from the first day (50.28) to the second (50.10) while coming in seventh in the 300-meter low hurdles. Aversman also suffered the plague of ninth after making the finals in the long jump (14-11.75) and was 13th in the triple jump (29-11.5).

Ninth was the best showing of any of the area boys: Santa Fe junior Logan Kirchhoff in the triple jump (41-7) and Malta Bend sophomore Tyler Armstrong in the long jump (19-6.5).

Slater sophomore Jeremy Wilson placed 10th in the 400 (53.80) and 13th in the 200 (23.96). He also anchored the 1,600 relay (3:41.12) -- following juniors Jeremy Fizer and Garrett Falls and sophomore Cody Skinner -- which finished 12th.

The 'Cats' 400 relay (47.14) of Skinner, Falls, Fizer and senior Aric Falls was 14th.

The Chiefs had also had two relay squads. The 3,200 (8:59.84) of senior Ramon Gordillo, junior Darin Buford and sophomores Jeff Knipmeyer and Hunter Rolf was 13th while the 1,600 (3:43.36) of Buford, Gordillo, Rolf and Kirchhoff placed 15th.

Buford (2:11.07) and Gordillo (2:14.14) were 11th and 13th, respectively, in the 800 run.

The Slater girls tied for 27th place with nine points, Jackson involved in all them, and the Lady Chiefs shared 34th place with six.

With three long distance wins, including two in relays, Saxony Lutheran of Cape Girardeau won the boys' crown, 52 to 49 points, over Worth County after coming in second last year.

Rock Port ended Worth County's three-year hold on the girls' title, getting by Meadville, 58-52.