Platte County-area track and field teams tested their best against some of the best competition in the area at the 2026 Ken Peek Invitational held on April 24 at Liberty North High School.

The annual event provided a high-level, late-season test for Platte County, Park Hill, Park Hill South and North Platte, with athletes turning in podium finishes and personal bests as the postseason draws closer.

Platte County faced the strong competition head-on, as the Pirates’ returning state runner-up 4x100 relay team adjusted with a new addition. With Braiden Stevens out injured, Jackson Goodale stepped in, again, and hasn’t missed a beat to capitalize on the opening speed of Adam Gisler, Ty Christopher and Adeboye Akande.

Platte County senior Jackson Goodale crosses the finish line first to win the 4x100 relay for the Pirates.

Goodale was initially thrown into the fire at the Kearney Invitational earlier this month, where he took over the anchor leg to help with a time of 42 seconds. While it was a season-low for the Pirates’ top 4x100 team, dropping from 41.45 and 41.70 times earlier in the season, it was still plenty for a first-place finish.

Returning to the anchor position at the Ken Peek Invitational, Goodale helped set Missouri’s season-best time. Gisler got the Pirates off before Christopher put the Pirates in the lead after the first exchange, a lead they would never give up as they ran away with the title in 40.93 seconds.

The 4x100 team showcased their speed outside of the relay as well. The 100-meter dash saw two Pirates battling for a spot on the podium, but Akande (10.74) finished simultaneously with Basehor-Linwood’s Ty Darting to edge out Gisler (10.75) for a second-place tie by the thinnest of margins.

Another gold medal came to conclude the night from the Pirates’ 4x400 team, which consisted of Christopher, senior Elijah Jackson, sophomore Cassius Guillory and Goodale in the quartet’s first event together. They finished in 3:19.40, more than two seconds before runner-up Blue Springs.

Platte County, middle, and Park Hill, left, put on stunning performances in the boys 4x100 relay at the Ken Peek Invitational.

Platte County’s top hurdle event came from 110 meters. Zaden Mathurin narrowly missed out on a medal, settling for fourth in 15.28, while Zaden Batey finished eighth.

From distance, senior Blake Herron (1600; sixth; 4:22.52) and sophomore Tate Stone (3200; 10th; 9:59.74) added top-10 finishes. Senior Cale Buntz was Platte County’s lone field medalist of the day, finishing third in javelin with a score of 52.01 meters.

On the girls side, senior Adi Benninghoff was first to the medal stand with a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.63 seconds. Junior Maggie Wagner added a top-10 finish in the 300 hurdles, finishing ninth with a personal best time of 48.17 seconds. On the sprint side, Vanessa Sarpong also ran a personal-best 12.82 in the 100.

Field events provided another boost for the Platte County girls, led by senior Adilynn Kern’s third-place medal in pole vault (2.90 meters). Senior Rylee Carr posted a personal best long jump with a 5.02-meter leap to finish eighth.

The Pirates posted three more top-10 performances in throwing, where sophomore Millie Parker tossed a career-best shot put effort of 10.68 meters for a seventh-place finish. They had two top-10 finishes in the javelin, with Kelly Bullano (35.57) taking seventh and senior Malin Cole (33.98) taking 10th with a personal best.

Park Hill’s biggest successes also came in the field, where they landed both of the podium finishes on the girls team.

Mandia Bock provided the Trojans’ top finish, placing second in the javelin (42.07 meters). For the third time this season, the junior posted a career-best score, this time surpassing 40 meters for the first time in her career.

Elliott Harris was Park Hill’s other podium representative, stepping up for a third-place finish in shot put. The sophomore measured at 12.14, among three of the 48 participants to reach 12 meters.

Park Hill junior Emma Richei finished fourth in pole vault.

The final field event finisher was Emma Richei, who narrowly missed out on a medal with a fourth-place finish in pole vault. The junior tied a personal best score of 2.74 meters, the same score she logged on April 18.

On the track, Park Hill was led in hurdles by sophomore Gabrielle Allen, who recorded personal bests in both hurdle races. She placed seventh in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.37 and followed with a sixth-place finish in the 300 hurdles in 47.93.

Park Hill’s most impressive performance came from the boys 4x100 relay, which set a new school record. The team of Sheldon Smith, Braeden Wilburn, Damariyn Ford and Corbin Filion, making their debut together, finished third overall in 42.02 seconds.

The Trojans’ 4x100 throwers relay of Carter Cooper-Prohaska, Bradley Epps, Ja’Mare Bell and Jonah Were also relished their opportunity on the track, finishing as runner-up with a time of 49.16.

Kaiden Leonard was among the top hurdlers on the track by setting a pair of personal records, finishing third in the 300 (39.62) and ninth in the 110 (15.62). Smith also posted a top-10 finish on the track, finishing eighth in 10.77 seconds.

In the field, the Trojans had two top-10 performers, including sophomore Malakot Middleton-Lewis, who set a personal record with a 1.93 high jump for a fourth-place finish. Senior Raquan Clark took sixth in triple jump (13.07).

The Park Hill South boys had three top-10 finishes, including a third-place medal in the 4x100 throwers’ relay. The team of Chase Stewart, Oliver Moreland, Elijah Goodfriend and Clarence Clemons finished a lap around the track in 50.12 seconds, less than a second behind Park Hill.

Park Hill South senior Madilynn Conklin had a season-best 1600 time of 5:06.04 for a top-five finish on April 24.

The senior trio of David Meyer (2:01.12), Grant Windmeyer (2:00.52) and Cole James (2:01.17) each posted personal bests in the 800, with Meyer posting a top-10 score in the 1600 in 4:28.13. In the field, Logan Hild cleared 3.81 meters in the pole vault for another top-10 finish.

On the girls side, Madilynn Conklin delivered one of the top performances among the four local teams, placing third in the 800 meters with a personal-best 2:17.44. She returned later to take fifth in the 1,600 meters (5:06.04).

Renae Masson added a key performance in the 300 hurdles, placing fourth in 47.58, another personal best. South rounded out the night with a 4x100 throwers title as Zairi Martin, Chikako Kotani, Izzy Fargas Reyes and Devlynn Winishut were the only team to complete the race in under a minute, finishing in 58.31.

Field events brought more success for the lady Panthers, led by a medal in the high jump. Freshman Lynnae Warfield finished runner-up with a 1.64 meters, followed by a ninth-place finish from Keity Murray-Moa (1.54).

South also placed inside the top-10 with Haley Gabriel in pole vault (2.44) and Zari Martin in discus (34.29). Winishut also placed in discus (32.41), while also finishing fourth in shot put (11.6).

North Platte continued to trend upward despite being the smallest school at the Ken Peek Invitational.

North Platte junior James Speight Jr. set a new shot put personal record with a toss of 11.78 meters, the best score for the Panthers this season.

Junior Cooper Cummings was among the standout performers, finishing with personal-best scores in the 100 (11.21) and 200 (22.85). Senior Cameron Wortham was the only Panther boy to post a top-10 score, finishing 10th of 62 with a 44.02-meter toss in the discus.

For the girls, Farrah Williams delivered for the Panthers, breaking the one-minute barrier for the first time with a 59.84, good for seventh place in the 400.

In the distance events, Chloe Heckman turned in a strong effort in the 3,200 meters, placing 12th in 11:58.37. The Panthers’ 4x400 relay team also impressed with an eighth-place finish in 4:11.39.