The Warrenton girls track team battled tough competition and stiff winds at Saturday’s Wentzville Holt Invitational, finishing eighth overall with 32 points.

Lalita Andrews led the Warriors with a second-place finish in the high jump, clearing 5 feet.

“I was really impressed with Lalita all day,” Warrenton Head Coach Steve Wurtzel said. “She did a great job, especially considering the weather they had to deal with.”

With winds howling around the track, Wurtzel said he wasn’t sure what to expect of his athletes.

“Racing against that wind will only make us faster going forward,” he said.

Courtney Richardson had the best individual finish among Warrenton runners, finishing sixth in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles in 18.7 seconds and 52.79 seconds, respectively.

The 400 relay team of Rylie Cox, Emma Housewright, Dajah Ray and Andrews, which came into the season with high expectations, finished fifth with a time of 55.36.

Allison Tonioli took Ray’s place in the 4X200 to help the Warriors finish sixth (1:57.81).

“I was really pleased with our relay teams,” Wurtzel said. “Coming into Saturday, we hadn’t had a lot of practice with our handoffs, so I’m certainly happy with how we did there.”

Cahokia won both relay races — and the overall meet — comfortably, finishing with 162.5 points.

Columbia Rock Bridge finished second with 124 points.

“Cahokia and Columbia Rock Bridge really blew everyone else out of the water,” Wurtzel said. “Holt, Hazelwood West and Troy had a high turnout, too, so I’m happy with how we finished.”

Kayla Nelson beat out 21 discus throwers and finished fifth overall after posting a final distance of 88 feet, 2 inches.

“She has been really consistent in the discus and had some great throws Saturday,” Wurtzel said. “So that has been really promising. I think she’s really starting to get back in her groove as the season gets going.”

Nelson’s shot put distance of 33-8.5 was good enough for a sixth-place finish.

“We had a decent amount of fifth- and sixth-place finishes, so it’s hard to be disappointed with that considering our competition,” Wurtzel said. “I think we’ll be able to build on that in the near future.”

The Warriors will compete in the Crusader Invitational at St. Dominic Friday afternoon, and Wurtzel hopes Saturday’s challenges help his team compete in a more manageable field.

“We had some opportunities to score points Saturday, and we did that,” Wurtzel said. “Now we have a good chance Friday to see where we stand early in the season.”