Maggie Ramsey accomplished one more goal on Saturday before her Mexico career ended.
The senior ran in her first state track meet at the MSHSAA Class 4 Track and Field Championships at Adkins …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, or you are a print subscriber who had access to our previous website, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you have not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber and did not have a user account on our previous website, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
Maggie Ramsey accomplished one more goal on Saturday before her Mexico career ended.
The senior ran in her first state track meet at the MSHSAA Class 4 Track and Field Championships at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City. With four state cross country appearances behind her, Ramsey became the first Mexico girls to run in the 3200 at state since Jami Brandow in 2014.
Ramsey finished 15th with a time of 12:40.74, which was one spot ahead of her seeding, and said she wasn’t happy with place or time. However, she said it was “a cool experience” that differed from state cross country.
“Since you’re confined in a track, you get to see everybody in one spot,” Ramsey said. “There’s lots of cheering and lots of medals. There’s just the excitement with everything going on.”
Ramsey achieved her personal-best 3200 time of 12:15.01 in the Mark Twain/Becky Thatcher Relays. She also ran personal-best times in the 800 and 1600.
After being at her best in the 3200, Ramsey qualified against tough competition in districts and sectionals. The Father Tolton girls finished third on Saturday to make it on the podium, and there were three more schools from the Lady Bulldogs’ sectional that finished in the state top 15. On the boys side, Jefferson City was third on the state podium, and there were three in the top 15.
“It was pretty hard especially because, for districts, we had the big senior week,” Ramsey said. “I was mentally exhausted and wasn’t sure that I was going to make it. I made it out and was like, ‘OK, I’m going to try for one more week.’ I don’t know how I did it, but I’m here.”
Head coach Buck Green said Saturday’s state appearance was “a feather in her cap” for Ramsey. Green said Ramsey earned this opportunity by how she has run in Mexico.
“She’s just such a gritty kid,” Green said. “Not a lot of speed but just a gritty kid. She’s a hard worker. I don’t think she’s yet figured out the outside training it takes. She’s done some of that, but she’ll have to turn it up a notch when she gets to college.”
Green said “there is no offseason for distance runners” and believes Ramsey will train even more in the future at William Woods University. Ramsey said her training for this track season helped her have a better season.
“My training was really good,” Ramsey said. “Training specifically for the 3200 made it so that I had more techniques I could use and make myself better.”
While Mexico was happy for Ramsey, Green said the coaches are happy for the athletes who didn’t make it out of sectionals. Charlie Fisher almost made it out of sectionals the previous weekend with a fifth-place finish in the 200 and a sixth-place finish in the 100. Green said Fisher had been dealing with injuries he will address before running for Saint Louis University.
“Charlie has not been 100 percent all year,” Green said. “Had he been healthy, I have no doubt he would’ve gotten out. He might’ve been in the top eight here today. With track, you have to be 100 percent.”
Green included last year’s Mexico state qualifier and senior Jacob Quinlan in the health discussion after failing to make it out of districts with a sixth place in the triple jump. He said Quinlan’s district jump was better than his state-qualifying jump at sectionals last year but could’ve been even better if not for an injury.
“He did a lot of outside prep and was ready to go but came up with that heel bruise,” Green said. “That’s painful. When you’re a jumper, there’s nothing you can do. You can do things to keep your legs in shape, but you’ve got to be on the runway jumping, and he wasn’t able to do that.”
Stone, who will throw for Columbia College, finished sixth at sectionals after Green said he didn’t have his best day. Green said Stone’s district throw would have qualified him for state.
Green said Ramsey, Fisher, Stone and Alexandra Terry at Missouri Valley College should get stronger in college. Terry finished seventh at sectionals in the pole vault.
As for the future, Seth Stevenson is at the forefront after winning the boys 3200 district championship as a freshman. Stevenson finished sixth at sectionals but ran a personal-best time of 10:15.50. Green said Stevenson can go further with adjusted training as he is great at multiple sports.
“Seth is a very good swimmer,” Green said. “He didn’t really get into running until we were in our third week of the season. He never really got his legs under him, but he has tremendous form and is a very heady runner. He’s going to have to be a swimmer during swim time and a runner during run time. Otherwise, it’s going to affect him in a negative way both ways.”
