The latest round of Allen County Area Athlete of the Month nominations found glory on the state and national stages last month.
March’s nominations include a pair of national medalists, a state medalist and a few athletes getting a strong start to the spring sports season.
Voting is through April 9. Readers can vote online here or call the Register office at (620) 365-2111.
Ra’Nayla Moten, ACC sprinter
Allen Community College’s Ra’Nayla Moten took home two medals from the NJCAA Indoor National Championship last month in Topeka. A sophomore, Moten will continue her running career at Texas Tech next year. She took second in the 200-meter dash and the national title in the 60-meter dash.
Lainey Oswald,
IHS powerlifter
Another indoor athlete making waves last month was Iola High School junior Lainey Oswald. Oswald stunned the Wheat State with a second-place finish in the heavyweight division, weighing in more than 60 pounds below the division’s cut-off. She had the highest lift-to-bodyweight ratio with 610 pounds lifted or nearly three times her body weight. Oswald finished second in the clean at 175 lbs.; fourth in the squat at 280 lbs. and second in bench at 155 lbs.
Taylor Damme, ACC shortstop
Moving to outdoor athletics is freshman shortstop Taylor Damme. In her inaugural season with the Red Devils, Damme so far has a .377 batting average, a team-leading 27 RBIs and is second only to freshman second baseman Kara Walker in hits with 29.
Drew Wilhite, Pittsburg State Heptathlete
For the male nominees, Humboldt High School 2022 graduate and PSU junior Drew Wilhite took fifth place at the NCAA Division II Indoor Heptathlon. Wilhite finished third in the 60-meter dash — clearing the distance in 7.08 seconds. He faltered in the long jump with a scratch on his initial try, then rebounded for his best jump at 6.48 meters for 12th. He took fourth in the shot put.
In opening day competitions, Wilhite finished 14th in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.72 seconds; first in the high jump with a 1.91-meter leap, and tied for first in the pole vault after clearing the bar at 4.85 meters. Wilhite secured his fifth-place medal after taking 10th in the 1,000-meter run in 2:56.
Ean De La Torre, IHS powerlifter
Iola High School junior Ean De La Torre earned the first state championship of his career after winning the KSHSAA powerlifting title for the 181 lbs. weight class. He took third with a 270 lbs. bench, then finished second with a 415 lbs. squat. The clean was his weakest event, where he tied for fourth place. He also had the second highest weight-to-body ratio of the group, lifting 5.25 times his total mass.
Cooper Scharff, MVHS sprinter/thrower
Marmaton Valley High School track and field athlete Cooper Scharff put his myriad athletic skills on display while medaling in multiple events at Tuesday’s Uniontown Invitational. A junior, Scharff took first in the 100-meter dash in 11.71 seconds. Scharff also took third in the long jump, fifth in the javelin and played a 4×100 team’s fifth-place finish.
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