The West Platte boys track and field team earned the highest finish in nearly seven decades at the MSHSAA Class 2 State Championships on May 23 and 24 at Jefferson City High School.
The Blue Jays brought home a team plaque for the third straight year, but this time it was silver — their highest finish since winning the state title in 1956.
West Platte’s relay teams fueled the historic result. The 4x200-meter team of Jonah McGivern, Alex Kinslow, Brady McMillan and August Hill raced to a state title, and McMillan, Mark Sanders, Kinslow and McGivern closed the meet with a gold medal in the 4x400. The Blue Jays nearly swept the relays but came up just short in the 4x100, finishing second by 0.09 seconds behind Caruthersville.
August Hill racing at the 2025 MSHSAA State Championships in Jefferson City. KESTON OLTMAN / Contributed Photo
Hill and Kinslow also added big individual points. Hill earned silver in the 100 and placed fifth in the 200, while Kinslow claimed second in the 300 hurdles.
The West Platte girls placed in the top 10 as a team, led by four state medals — three coming in relays.
The Blue Jays’ 4x200 team of Katherine Carletti, Hailey Peters, Sophie Grier and Sam Baker claimed a state title, the program’s first in the event since 2019. The same quartet also finished fourth in the 4x100 relay.
Baker was the first individual medalist for West Platte, placing third in the 200 and seventh in the 400. Hana Hoover also earned an eighth-place state medal as a sophomore in the 300 hurdles.
Hana Hoover in her 300-meter hurdles race at the 2025 MSHSAA State Championships. KESTON OLTMAN / Contributed Photo
While North Platte’s girls won the state title, their boys team also made important strides for the program, finishing ninth overall. After having a medalist last year for the first time since 1998, they earned five medals this year.
Seniors Coen Rainsbarger and Caleb Wright returned to Jefferson City and earned all-state medals. The senior duo conclude their senior seasons as two-time state medalists after helping the 4x100 relay team to a seventh-place finish while Rainsbarger medaled after finishing third in pole vault and Wright earned a fifth-place medal in high jump.
Drake Keraus was North Platte’s greatest runner on the track, concluding his junior year with a pair of state medals. He took home a second-place medal in the 3200 and third place in the 1600.
Drake Keraus running for North Platte at the 2025 MSHSAA State Championships. KESTON OLTMAN / Contributed Photo