Platte County seniors Sisely Mitchell and Carmen Gentilia turned a full focus to distance running at different points in their careers but have become a top tandem in their final go-rounds.
On Saturday, both set personal-bests and finished back-to-back in fifth and sixth place in the 3,200-meter race during the Bill Summa Invitational at William Chrisman High School in Independence. The elite field gave an early look at some of the postseason competition, and Mitchell came in at 11 minutes, 28.93 seconds. She has gone under 12 minutes in both races this season with the best two times of her decorated career after only running this distance once as a junior.
While Mitchell has gone to the Class 5 MSHSAA Track and Field Championships in both the 1,600 and 3,200, Gentilia gave up soccer in the middle of her junior season and ran a leg on the state-qualifying 4×800 relay. She has already made strides in her individual events this year, going sub-12 for the first time in each of her 3,200s and crossing the line in 11:33.59 at the Bill Summa Invitational. That bettered the PR she set earlier this season (11:57.00) by more than 23 seconds.
In addition, Gentilia ran a personal-best 5:34.35 in the 1,600, giving Platte County two potential individual state qualifiers in distance events plus the key pieces of a 4×800 likely to excel again with junior Madison Palmer and sophomore Addie Ayers back from last year’s state unit and more pushing for consideration.
Kearney Classic Invitational
Platte County placed second behind the hosts thanks to a diverse group of contributors Friday night at Kearney High School.
Mitchell and Gentilia only ran in the 4×800 and teamed with Ayers and Palmer to post a season-best of 9:51.07 while finishing first, beating Kearney to the line by almost 7 seconds. That accounted for one of four total victories for the Pirates.
Platte County junior Alexia Myer, a first-year transfer, also continued to show her potential to contribute across multiple events and set a PR in the 400, winning the one-lap race in 1:02.81. She previously ran 1:03.94 in her only other start and has been on multiple relays.
In the 300 hurdles, Platte County senior Ava Filger turned in a memorable performance and book 48 seconds for the first time in her career. She posted a 47.89 and won by nearly 2 seconds. That came after placing fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.59), while sophomore teammate Adi Benninghoff came up with her own breakthrough effort at a career-best 15.71 to finish second. She had previously not gone faster than 16.49, a mark set in the Liberty North preseason time trials this year after going 16.50 as a freshman.
Platte County freshman Adilynn Kern ran the 200 for just the second time this season and placed fourth in 27.63, knocking more than a second off her previous effort.
While continuing to tinker with lineups, Platte County also place third in the 4×400 (4:25.88) with a quartet of Myer, Filger, Ayers and Palmer. That came after Ayers posted a season-best of 2:34.34 in the 800 to place fourth in her only individual race.
Platte County’s third individual victory came from junior Addy Schlake in the discus, throwing 33.97 meters. That’s still a ways off her career-best form, hit during last year’s postseason (career-best 36.8 meters at Class 5 Sectional 4 to qualify for state). She added a season-best height of 1.50 meters in the high jump, an event that featured a six-way tie for first.
Schlake ended up tied for second after tiebreakers were applied.
Platte County sophomore Rylee Carr finished third in the long jump (4.45 meters), while junior Karlee Riggs placed fourth in the triple jump (9.74 meters). In addition to fourth place in the 200, Kern added a fourth in the pole vault at 2.59 meters.
Three days after the invitational, Platte County returned for the Kearney Thrower’s Meet on Monday that included only shot put, discus and javelin. Schlake placed third in the discus (34.26 meters, bettering the season-best from the invitational) and set a personal-best in the shot put at 10.35 meters, good enough to tie for fourth. She placed second at the same meet last year in the event at 10.31 meters.
