Doniphan Track And Field: A Shining Example Of Improvement

Doniphan High School track and field team brought home medals from the Semo Conference tournament. Front row, from left: Josie Rice, Tori Moreland, Brylee Statler, Freedom Bates, Macye Maness, Callie Collins. Back row: Coach Andy Cheney, Zach Cook, Waylon Kelly, Jack Wellington, Jalen Young, John Joiner, Logan Price, Ben Abrams and William Leroux.

Photo by Steve Inman

The Doniphan track and field team is finding their stride at the right time of the season as they gear up for the upcoming Class 3 District 1 Tournament.

Head track and field coach Andy Cheney said the team has taken a significant jump from where they were last season. From the beginning of the year, he said the main focus has been improving every day, and with their recent performance at this year’s Semo Conference Tournament, Cheney said their confidence is at an all-time high.

“From last year to this season, we have steadily progressed each week,” Cheney said. “It seems like every week, certain kids are hitting new PRs while some are hitting theirs for the very first time. I’ve seen nothing but improvement from them all. I think we all realize that we’re progressing every week and in most events, and we’re trying to pick it up at the right time here at the end.”

The Donettes earned second place overall at the Semo South Conference Tournament.

Photo by Steve Inman

The Dons and Donettes recently competed in the Semo Conference Tournament, where multiple athletes achieved their personal best and landed top honors from the event. The Donettes finished second overall in the south division, while the Dons finished sixth.

Although the Dons didn’t finish as high, Cheney said some individuals on the boys’ side accomplished a lot at the tournament.

Ben Abrams finished second in the boys’ 110-meter hurdles, and the boys’ 4x400 finished third, dropping seven seconds off their time. Cheney told the team that if they could show up and perform as they did at the Semo conference, they could knock off more time.

As for the Donettes, Macye Maness won first in the 400-meter in the entire conference while placing third in the 230-meter and 100-meter. Cheney said sophomore Gracie Wellington has improved a lot throughout the year, and it showed in how she competed. Wellington knocked off more time in her recent event and finished first in the 800-meter. Freshman Brylee Statler won first in the 1600-meter and second in the 800-meter for Semo South.

In the field events, Freedom Bates won first in the girls’ javelin with a distance of 33.17m and Tori Moreland took first in the SEMO South shot put and she also placed second in the discus.

Cheney said this year they’ve gotten stronger at each meet. He said the team is working hard to get better, and he thinks they have a real good chance with some of these athletes, especially in the girls, that they can get out of districts, move on to sectionals, and maybe even get a couple of them into state.

“The confidence that we have gained throughout the year and competing against bigger schools is how we’ve improved,” Cheney said. “I try to tell all my kids don’t compare yourself to what others are doing. Are you progressing? Are you getting better? That’s been our focus. We just do what we need to improve weekly, and the kids have worked hard to do that, and I’m proud of each of them.”