The Neosho Lady Wildcats closed out the final chapter of the Southwest Conference track and field championship with a third straight title.

The Lady Wildcats racked up 122 points to help guide the team to the final title in the conference history, as the conference dissolves at the conclusion at this school year, at Webb City’s Cardinal Stadium Thursday afternoon on a warm and very windy day.

The Wildcats scored 63 points and finished two points out of second place in the five-team race.

“It was a great night for the kids and a great night for me,” said Neosho coach Harry Lineberry.

The veteran coach of Neosho was honored by his peers for his 25 years as a coach in the Southwest Conference — the only coach in the sport to last the duration of the SWC.

“That totally surprised me,” said Lineberry of receiving a plaque given to him by Carthage track coach/athletic director Andy Youngworth.

Lineberry, with more than 30 years as a coach, recalls the Big 13 Conference, prior the formation of the Southwest Conference. Now, he will guide the team to the Central Ozark Conference next year.

“Winning the Southwest Conference was a great way to finish with the girls winning,” said Lineberry. “And our boys did a great job. We scored 63 points and I didn’t think we would reach 50 points. They did a great job.”

The Lady Wildcats had seven conference champions, including Courtney Wood, Dora Eastin and Kisa Clark, each having a part in two of those seven championships.

Eastin and Clark, both seniors, were on the 3,200-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams that placed first. Wood, a freshman, won the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs.

The 3,200-meter team of Eastin, Clark, Jessica Jackson and Shynnel Bohannon ran a 10:36 to claim first. The 1,600-meter team was comprised of Eastin, Clark, Jade Thomas and Lorelei Snow. That group ran a 4:24.1 to claim first.

Wood ran a 5:36 to take first in the 1,600-meter and ran a 12:59 in the 3,200-meter run.

It was a day for freshmen though, as four of the seven titles were from rookies.

Jackson, a freshman, won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:22.8. Another freshman, Emily Paullus, jumped 32 feet, 10 ¾ inches in the triple jump to win a SWC title.

Dimitra “Meter” Boman ran a 15.16, the third fastest time in NHS history, in the 100-meter hurdles.

Depth played a part in the Lady Wildcats’ points through all of the events, as points were scored in every event but the 100-meter dash, long jump and shot put.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Paullus placed fourth, three spots behind Boman. In the 1,600-meter run that Wood won, Eastin was third, while Bohannon was fourth.

In the 400-meter run, Clark ran a 64.8 to placed second, while Jessica Eastin ran a 66.3 to place fourth. In the 300-meter hurdles, Thomas ran a 50.2 to take second, followed by Snow in third place and Boman in fourth place.

In the 800-meter run that Jackson won, Wood placed third and Dora Eastin placed fourth.

In the 3,200-meter run, which Wood won, her sister, Tanya, placed third and Alicia Callahan placed fifth.

Thomas added a fifth-place finish in the 200-meter dash.

The 400-meter relay team of Ashlee Clouse, Amanda Thogmartin, Paullus and Boman ran a 54.3 to take third place. The 800-meter team of Clouse, Clark, Meter and Thomas finished fourth, running a 1:54.8.

Neosho placed in four of the field events, including Paullus’ championship.

Clouse was fourth in the triple jump, three spots behind Paullus. Both the high jump and discus event had two Neosho athletes place. In the high jump, Snow took second with a jump of 5 feet, while Thogmartin was fourth. In the discus, Sarah Heath had a toss of 109-8 for third place. Kylie Fischer was fifth at 98-9.

In the pole vault, Rebecca Perkins was third, with a jump of 8-feet. The Lady Wildcats were without standout Bethany Henry, who was in Columbia for a cheerleading trying at the University of Missouri.


Wildcats place third

Over recent weeks, Neosho’s Cody Holland has been throwing the discus fairly well.

On Thursday, he almost broke a school record. After coming up four feet and 5 ½ inches of the record in the Republic meet last Friday, he inches even closer at the SWC meet.

Neosho, as a team, had 63 points, finishing behind repeat champion Carthage, 125 and Webb City, 65 points.

Holland had a toss of 167 feet and 2 inches to win the championship. His toss moves him ever so close to the mark set in 1976 by Rusty Woodall of 168-6.

Holland, after three scratches in the shot put, had only one throw that count. He made it count as he has a throw of 44 feet to place second.

Neosho had five other second place finishes on the day — including all four relays.

The 3,200-meter relay team of Nick Tuggle, Lindle McAlister, Jaycob Wilkins and Mason Greninger placed second, running a 9:14.8.

The 800-meter relay team of Zach Evans, Derek Huskey, Will McDaniel and Logan Wilson ran a 1:37.0 for second.

The 400-meter relay team of Evans, Matt Hiatala, Ethan Adams and McDaniel ran a 49.5 for second. The 1,600-meter relay team of Evans, Adams, Huskey and Greninger ran a 3:39.2 for its second place finish.

Evans, a senior, added a second place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 41-6 ½,
Adams placed third in the 300-meter hurdles, running a 42.8. In the 110-meter hurdles he was fourth, with a time of 16.3, a personal best.

Sam Parks was third and Huskey was fifth in the pole vault.

Hiatala was fourth in the 100-meter dash and was fifth in the long jump.

Tuggle was fourth in the 800-meter run (2:11.8) and fourth in the 1,600-meter run (5:02.1).

McDaniel was fifth in the 200-meter dash, running a 24.8.

“I am very pleased with the guys,” said Lineberry. “They have played second fiddle all year to the girls and they stepped up and did as good as they could on a very wind, warm day.”

Neosho is idle until next Saturday, when they compete in the Class 4 District 6 Track and Field Championship at Parkview’s John F. Kennedy Stadium in Springfield, starting at 10:30 a.m.