Republic earns school record six state track & field medals

At the state track meet in Jefferson City over the weekend, Republic athletes secured six medals across six different events, topping the 2002 school record of five medals in a single year.
Gracie Troester and Alaina Norman both won two medals. Troester ranked seventh in the 1600m run and fifth in the 3200m run, improving on her previous school records by five and 15 seconds, respectively. She also competed in the 800m run, placing ninth.
Norman placed sixth in the shot put finals with a throw of 11.79 meters. She bettered her ranking in the javelin, finishing fifth with a 38.83-meter throw, one of her season's longest. This is the second consecutive year she has secured a javelin medal.
On the meet's first day, two Republic boys brought home medals. Zion Allen jumped 1.97 meters in the high jump, placing fourth. In his final career throw, Cooper Douglas surpassed his own school record with a 53.0-meter distance, also placing fourth.
Audra Robinson was the last Republic girl to win two medals at the state track meet. She did that in 2002. This year, both Norman and Troester won two medals, a first for a pair of Republic girls in the same year.
Despite not securing a medal in the 800m run, Troester and Probst, who placed ninth and 12th, respectively, made history by becoming the first pair of Republic girls to compete in the same race at the state meet.
In Friday's long jump, Jenna Belcher ranked 12th. She finished 13th in Saturday's triple jump.
Other event placements included Kendell Curbow's 11th-place finish in pole vault and Kailey Manes's 14th-place finish in the high jump.
In the girls 4x800m relay, the team of Kristin Probst, Gracie Woods, Cali Thompson, and Gracie Troester secured a 10th-place finish. The girls 4x400m relay team of Gracie Woods, Kristin Probst, Rilynn Finley, and Alaina Norman, finished ninth.