The Southwest boys 4×800 and 4×400 relay teams finished fourth and eighth, respectively, at the Class 2 Track Meet Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City — the first in school history to earn All-State status.
The 4×800 relay team of seniors Caden Uthe and Christian Long, junior Matteo Lumetta and sophomore Robert Humphries finished the 3,200-meter race in 8:26.74 seconds, only 0.30 seconds off the school record they established two weeks prior.
“We had been ranked high most of the season in the 4×8, so we went into the race as one of the top teams,” said Steve Voyak, Southwest track coach. “The kids ran a strong race against a stellar field. It’s a lot of pressure when you go into a race expecting to do well and everybody coming for you but the kids responded to the high expectations.”
Later in the day, the 4×400 team of Uthe, Long, Lumetta and junior Otis Rainer did it again when the Trojans ran a 3:34.11 in heat one of the preliminaries and qualified for the final the next day, nearly guaranteeing a second All-State relay. The group ran 3:41.86 in the finals, taking eighth to earn a spot on the podium.
“We didn’t really discover the 4×400 until about halfway through the season, but the guys just took to it and they were solid the first time we tried it and we got better when we changed the line-up a few times,” Voyak said.
Other Trojan highlights from the state meet include:
• Long ended his distance running career at Southwest with a personal record of 4:36.47 in the mile, finishing 13th in the state.
• Uthe qualified for and competed in four events at state. He ran 55.53 in the 400 meters and was eliminated in the preliminaries, taking 15th overall. He ran five races in two days and earned All-State on two relays.
• The 4×200 relay team of Uthe, Lumetta, Rainer and sophomore Ezra Sprowes ran a 1:36.75 and was eliminated in the prelims, taking 16th overall.
SOUTHWEST TRACK
What: Two relay teams earn All-State
How: 4×800 fourth and eighth in the state
History: First All-State performance by any Trojan
