Trenton Best established himself as one of the state’s best hurdlers while also setting a new school record.
The Houston High School junior earned Class 3 all-state track honors on Saturday by finishing sixth in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2016 Missouri State High School Activities Association track and field championships. His time of 15.43 established a new HHS record.
Abby Casper just missed all-state honors for the second consecutive year by finishing 11th in the 100 and 12th in the 200. The top eight finishers earn the honor.
Best made the cut for the finals by finishing seventh in Friday’s preliminary in 15.44 seconds. The cut was 15.5 seconds.
Best’s time in the finals –– 15.43 –– was the highest of the three juniors in the field. The top five were seniors.
Ronald Smith of John Burroughs won the championship in 14.79 seconds.
Casper, who was sixth in the 100 and seventh in the 200 last year as a sophomore, failed to match those marks despite running fast races.
Casper’s time of 12.76 in the 100 was significantly faster than her 13.09 in 2015. She finished just behind the Nos. 6-9 runners –– with times from 12.54 to 12.57 –– to just miss all-state recognition.
Madison Fuller, a freshman from John Burroughs, won the race in 11.88 seconds.
In the 200, Casper’s time of 26.66 was nearly identical to her 26.65 in 2015. But just like the 100 meters, this year’s field was much faster in the 200. The eighth-place qualifier, Genesis Ewell of Orchard Farm, ran a 25.95.
Fuller also won the 200 in 24.42 seconds.