Park Hill junior Colton Hardy led Park Hill’s distance team while Park Hill South seniors Grant Windmeyer and David Meyer were among the Panthers’ leaders in the 800.
Track and field teams from Park Hill and Park Hill South were among the best at the 2026 Greater KC Suburban Red Conference Championships held on May 6 at the North Kansas City School District Activities Complex.
The Park Hill boys repeated their conference title, tallying 165 points, while the Park Hill South boys finished runners-up after overtaking Liberty 116-100. Park Hill controlled the meet on the track with five individual event champions and two more in the field.
Sophomore standout Sheldon Smith continued his breakout season by leading the charge with a dominant sprint double, winning the 100-meter in 10.80 seconds and the 200 in 22.39. He was hardly alone, as senior Damariyn Ford (second) and sophomore Corbin Filion (fifth) added all-conference finishes in the 100, while junior Braeden Wilburn (second) and freshman Nicholas Carlgren (fifth) provided more support in the 200.
The Trojans’ sprint depth carried over into relays, where Smith, Wilburn, Ford and senior Damari Johnson combined to win the 4x100 relay in 42.32. Park Hill also closed the meet in style, repeating their 4x400 conference relay title behind Kaiden Leonard, Kennan Beatty, Colton Hardy and Dontae Bronson Jr.
Dontae Bronson Jr. set a new PR in the 400, capturing a conference title in 49.19 seconds.
Bronson added an individual conference championship in the 400, running a personal-best 49.19, while Hardy contributed a runner-up finish in the 800 and a fourth-place medal in the 1600 to bolster the Trojans’ distance scoring. Leonard also played a key role in both hurdle events, finishing second in both the 110 and 300 hurdle races, with Marvin Nguyen earning fifth in the 300 hurdles.
In field events, senior Jonah Were delivered another conference title for Park Hill, winning the shot put with a throw of 14.45 meters, followed by a third-place toss from junior Bryson Jones.
Park Hill sophomore Malakot Middleton-Lewis cleared 1.87 meters to win the high jump conference title, followed by a fifth-place medal for Andrew Minder.
Park Hill South showcased its marquee distance strength led by senior Thomas Garrett, who swept the 1600 and 3200. Garrett ran 4:23.83 to repeat his title in the 1600 before claiming the 3200 title in 9:33.91.
Simon Ketter added to that success with a second-place finish in the 1600 and another runner-up showing in the 400, while David Meyer (third) and Grant Windmeyer (fourth) joined a heavy Panther contingent in earning all-conference medals in the 800. That same quartet of Garrett, Meyer, Windmeyer and Ketter combined to repeat their 4x800 relay title in 7:57.84, giving Park Hill South another conference championship.
In the field events, senior Logan Hild cleared 4.11 meters to repeat his conference title in the pole vault, while Asa Edwards added a second-place finish. Sophomore Elijah Goodfriend earned all-conference in shot put with a fifth-place finish, while freshman Finn Gabrick and junior Aiden Ellison tied for sixth in the high jump as junior Chase Stewart finished sixth in javelin.
The Panthers also picked up points in the hurdles from Jonah Hicks, who placed third in the 110 hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles, while Bennett Terwilleger placed fifth in 110 hurdles.
On the girls side, Park Hill South edged Park Hill for second place in the team standings, finishing with 114 points to the Trojans’ 112, behind team champion Liberty.
Zoe Flook receives encouragement from members of the Park Hill South coaching staff during the 3200.
Park Hill South freshman Lynnae Warfield emerged as a key contributor, placing third in the 100 meters and fifth in the 200 while finishing as the runner-up in high jump. In the middle-distance events, Madilynn Conklin led the way with a third-place finish in the 1600 and fourth in the 800, while Zoe Flook added a runner-up finish in the 3200.
The Park Hill girls were elite in the field, where they won five of six individual conference titles.
The sophomore trio of Elliott Harris (shot put), Amaya Akinmoladun (discus) and Nikyah Chappell (triple jump) joined juniors Emma Richei (pole vault) and Mandia Bock (javelin) in winning conference championships.
Chappell also finished second in the 400 while Gabrielle Allen placed second in both the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles. Park Hill’s sprint contributions came from Annalise Agbor (fourth) and Jae Bell in the 200, with Caroline Schaag finishing sixth in the 100.
The Trojans also medaled as runner-up in the 4x100 and 4x200 relays, finishing behind Liberty in both races.
With conference titles secured, Park Hill and Park Hill South will turn their attention toward the Class 5 District 8 meet, slated for May 16 at Liberty North High School.