The Warrenton boys track team finished fifth in Friday’s Fort Zumwalt North Invitational, finishing with 95 points.

Head Coach Steven McDowell said the meet — which featured a handful of Class 5 schools — was a nice change of pace for his team.

“Points-wise, I thought it was a good meet for us,” McDowell said. “We competed against some big schools, so I wasn’t disappointed.”

Northwest won the event with 152 points overall.

Senior Jacob Crump led the Warriors with a first-place finish in the 300-meter hurdles.

He set a personal best with his time of  39.96 seconds.

“I think he’s got a golden opportunity to be able to make it to Jeff City this year, barring any unforeseen circumstances,” McDowell said.

Crump was second in the 200 (22.82) and helped the 800 relay team finish second with a time of 1:33.14.

Crump was joined by Braydan Chmiel, Dylan Chandler and Keegan Michelson.

The 3,200 relay team of Chandler, Isaac Frederick, James Goetz and Matt Hackmann finished third in 9:01.28, which was 14 seconds off its best time of the season.

“I talked to them and told them we’ll have to take that down a notch or two to get through our district and into sectionals,” McDowell said. “We’ve got some more training to do, and it will be nice to have a couple days to train.”

The Warriors picked up points in 12 events at Zumwalt North, and McDowell said balance has been key for his team this season.

Facing tougher competition was an added bonus, as well.

“Our times were comparable to what we had been running,” McDowell said. “And some times were boosted as guys rose to the occasion.”

With over a month of meets in the book, McDowell said the coaching staff has begun monitoring times among Warrenton’s district and sectional opponents.

Crump is currently second in the Class 4, District 4 ranking in the 300 hurdles, and third in the 200.

Chmiel, a senior, is in fifth in the high jump at 5 feet, 11 inches, one inch off the leaders.

The top four finishers in the district meet advance to sectionals.

“We’re starting to see the numbers,” McDowell said. “Looking around the state early on can be a little misleading, but right now we’re starting to get a decent idea.”

The Warrenton girls finished sixth at Zumwalt North, picking up 69 points to beat out Gateway Athletic Conference North rival St. Charles West.

Zumwalt North won the event with 145 points.

Senior Lalita Andrews cleared 5 feet to finish second in the high jump, while sophomore Kayla Nelson’s final toss of 33-9 earned her a second-place finish in the shot put.

Courtney Richardson joined the duo with her second-place run in the 100 hurdles, finishing in 17.78 seconds.

Sophomore Rylie Cox picked up points with her jump of 31-5 in the triple jump, good enough for third place.

Cox, along with Andrews, Emma Housewright and Dajah Ray, helped the 400 relay team finish third in 55.45 seconds.

Both teams return to the track Friday to host the Warrenton Invitational.

“We’re all excited,” McDowell said. “It’s a big meet and there’s always good competition.”