PAOLA — Elysia Kunkler’s varsity track and field career is now officially underway and she wasted very little time making an impact.
Iola coach Dana Daugharthy knew the competition would be tough, so he brought only six athletes to the meet that featured larger schools such as Paola, Eudora and Spring Hill. Even so, the Fillie freshman was unfazed.
Kunkler won both the 100-meter high hurdles and 300-meter low hurdles.
Kunkler was able to win the high hurdles with a personal-best time of 16.4.
The 300-meter hurdles were a new experience for the freshman. Daugharthy wasn’t quite sure what to expect of Kunkler. He came away pleasantly surprised.
Kunkler trailed a majority of the race to a Paola runner, but Kunkler closed in hard in the last 100 meters and took the victory by .04 seconds with a 51.21.
“Elysia saw a chance to go out and get her and she did just that,” Daugharthy said. “I am so excited about her career as a Fillies’ trackster. She still has much room to improve in all of her events and if she does, we will be having some good things happen at the end of the season.”
Kunkler also took fifth in the 100-meters with a 13.41.
The Mustangs saw three athletes get their best times for the season. Senior Chase Regehr ran the 400 meters with a 56.03, junior Nathan Sprague was right behind Regehr with a 56.12 in the 400 and senior Trea Williams threw a 111’4” in the discus.
Kunkler wins both hurdles events in Paola
