MMS holds invitational

Though Malta did not host a high school meet this year, Mustang field saw plenty of action last Saturday, May 5, as fourteen teams showed up for the 2018 Malta Middle School Invitational.

Malta seventh-grader, Kylee Nelson won her heat in the 100-meter dash. Twice.

"I think they didn't start their clocks in time," Nelson said of the first race.

Though the timers were trying to stop the race, the runners in the heat kept going. Nelson won, but her time like the other runners was not recorded.

Her official time in the second run was a 14.08. The time was her best of the season and her only time.

"This is my first track meet all year," Nelson said. "I was out with a concussion."

She ended up with the concussion during basketball season, but she made up for lost time recording solid times and marks at the Malta meet.

"I won hurdles but I am not sure about long jump," Nelson said.

She also participated in the triple jump and the 200. She said that her favorite event was the 100.

"I just like sprinting really fast in short distances," Nelson said.

Whitewater's Hannah Hanley, an eighth-grader won her heat in the 100, with a close finish over Malta's Skylie Lefdahl.

"I tried to keep my head down in the beginning for a while and then slowly brought it up," Hanley said.

Hanley also participated in the high jump, long jump and 200 hurdles. Hanley also plays volleyball and basketball but admitted that track was her favorite sport. She was asked what her favorite event was.

"The 100 hurdles because it's a short race and it's really fun to do," Hanley said.

Malta seventh grader Dre Oshio won his heat in the 100.

"I've done a lot of running and I have learned from my past," Oshio said. "I've taken what I have done wrong and perfected it more. I did better than I did last time."

He shared what he changed for the Malta meet.

"I worked on my stance this time," Oshio said. "Usually my legs are way too far back and I kept it a little tighter this time."

Oshio was a fan of the weather that day, which featured a pleasant breeze despite the sky being sunny.

"It's actually pretty nice, it's not too hot like the last track meets that we have had. It's not too cold either," Oshio said.

Saco's Josie Brown participated in a few events including the 100, 200, long jump and triple jump.

"So far, I've only done the 100 and I got a time of 14.79," she said. "I've done better. I got first in my heat."

Brown switched up her gameplan for the Malta meet.

"It was my first time going off the block, so I think that may have helped me compete better," Brown said.

Brown's favorite event is pole vault, though the Malta meet did not hold the event. Her personal best is 6-6.

"Being in the air like that is so fun," Brown said. "If I could have one superpower flying would be it."

Malta's Gabby Giblette, a sixth-grader, posted a new home best of 22-1 in triple jump.

"That was pretty good for this meet," Giblette said. "The last meet I did better but it was my best at this meet."

Though Giblette did not post a best, she did feel that her execution was better at her home meet.

"In my last meet, I was slower and I realized that I had to go faster and had to get more length, so I really thought about it and sprinted it," she said.