Spartan girls runners-up at Higginsville; boys third
HIGGINSVILLE – Sophomore Kaylee Pugh and senior Abrey Oldham had their handoffs down pat in the girls 400- and 800-meter relays for Richmond at Tuesday’s Rob Hoefer Husker Invitational.
Pugh ran the leadoff leg of both races. Oldham ran the second leg. Sparked by the Pugh-to-Oldham exchanges, the Spartans won the 400 relay in 54.24 seconds and the 800 relay in 1:54.29.
The 400 relay handoff “was clean,” Pugh said.
“We pushed through it, won the race,” she said.
The Spartans also “pushed through” legs 1-4 of their 800 relay, “even though it was hard, getting cold,” Oldham said.
“We got it done,” she said. Overall, the handoffs in the 800 relay were the better of the two, Pugh, Oldham and Richmond track and field coach Andy Frerking agreed.
“In the 4-by-1 (400 relay), we had a girl that got run up on and didn’t get going fast, so our baton slowed down,” Frerking said. “In the … (4-by-2), our handoffs were … (really) good.”
Generally, handoffs this season have been good in the 400…