Through one event after another on Saturday, Kerri Cunningham consistently found herself among the top four finishers. Her performance during the Class 3 sectional meet at Mexico was dominant enough that it had competitors from opposing schools buzzing about her ability. The Warrenton senior qualified for the MSHSAA championships in four separate events, using her exceptional finishing ability to pass runners on the final leg. Cunningham's accomplishments are unparalleled by any other track athlete in school history. Coach Mike Spoede says he conferred with past track coaches who confirmed no one in school history had previously advanced to state in four different events. "The Kerri Cunninghams don't come along but maybe once in a coaching career," said Spoede. Her achievements came on both an individual and team level. She helped keep the state-qualifying tradition of the 4x800 team alive, serving as anchor to make up ground on the final leg. Cunningham also qualified in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races. "Earlier in the season, I didn't think I was going to be able to make it through to state this year," said Cunningham. The 4x800 team finished third, clocking a time of 9:50.9, which was 17 seconds better than its mark from districts a week earlier. "It stands for the hard work these girls have put in," said Spoede. "It says good things about the distance program." Cunningham says the progression of three newcomers has been astonishing. Entering the season, she was the only returning member and wasn't certain the team would be able to rebuild in time to make its third straight state appearance. But sophomore Emily Mauch stepped in and freshmen Hannah Keene and Melora Broker joined the mix to provide a swiftly progressing team. "Each of them kind of remind me of the girls we had last year," said Cunningham. "Each of them have their own spot, and they all do a really good job of fitting in. They adapted really well to running the 4x800." Mauch says the team was never too sure about its chances of qualifying until Saturday. "We'd been doing pretty well all year, but we never had the kind of competition we were going to have at districts and sectionals," said Mauch. "So, we really didn't know what to expect until we got there." Based on seeding times, Warrenton wasn't even favored to advance past districts. "Last week (at districts), we were ranked sixth, and we dropped 17 seconds," said Cunningham. "I'm hoping that's not just a one-day thing. I'm hoping we can do it again next week." The experience is particularly new for Broker, who had never before been in track prior to high school. "This is all new to me, but it's really exciting," said Broker. She actually began the season as a sprinter but shifted to distance races where she enjoyed increased success. "I started off as a sprinter and now I'm doing the mile and 800," quipped Broker. Keene says there are jitters before each race, and the freshmen are still learning the mental aspect of running the relay. "I had never run the 800, so I didn't know what to expect," said Keene. "I was really nervous the first time we ran it." The goals are varied - from garnering experience to building on a seventh-place finish from last year. "We want to try to get that 9:50 again or better," said Cunningham. "We've medaled in seventh place the past two years, so hopefully we can do better than that." "It's always exciting to watch the team run at state," added Spoede. "But it's nothing like taking a freshman to state. Their eyes are huge when they see the 6 or 7,000 people in the stands." Cunningham's success in the short sprints is made more intriguing by the fact that she hadn't run those events in the past. Entering her senior season she had been more of a mid-distance specialist, strongest in the 400- and 800-meter distances. But Spoede had an inkling her competitive edge might be enough for her to excel in the shorter races. He was right. She exploded to a third-place finish in the 100-meter race on Saturday, clocking a 12.51. Cunningham claimed first in the 400-meter, finishing in 58.19. Her time of 26.41 was good enough for third in the 200-meter dash. Always a strong finisher, she has turned her focus to the first few steps of each race. "I owe it to my block holder, Alex Butkovich," quipped Cunningham. "Coach always says I can maintain the speed with the girls, but my thing is I'm always a step slower than the other girls getting out of the blocks." Cunningham had actually also medaled in the long jump during the regular season, but she dropped the event to concentrate on her running.