Makayla Witthaus ended her high school track with a few tears, but also a smile on Saturday.
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Makayla Witthaus ended her high school track with a few tears, but also a smile on Saturday.
Competing at the Class 4 Sectional 2 meet at Orchard Farm, Witthaus narrowly missed making the state final cut in the shot put, as her opening throw of 35 feet, 9.25 inches was just under two feet less than the state qualifying distance.
Still, taking up the mantle for a competitor like Avery Shaw, who graduated last year, put a nice bow on an athletics career that began with a trip to the MSHSAA state softball tournament and continued with basketball, meant the world to Witthaus.
“It’s meant a lot, coming in my freshman year, playing varsity (softball), going to state and just being able to represent Warrenton, it’s meant so much to me over the last four years,” Witthaus said. “Being able to represent Warrenton throwing over the last four years after what it’s been, I tried to fill Avery’s shoes. I competed in her events. Being able to make it here meant a lot to me.”
Witthaus’s 35-9.25 came on her opening throw and was the best of the eight competitors after the opening round.
The senior said, for as happy as she was with the first toss, she just couldn’t find that extra gear over the remainder of her throws on Saturday.
“I was feeling good,” Witthaus said. “I knew there was more in me, and I just had to get my foot under me. It just didn’t happen for me today.”
While her time as a high school athlete has come to an end, Witthaus said she’s excited for what’s next.
She’s going to miss her school and teammates, but she’s definitely ready to take on college softball at Maryville University, Witthaus said.
“It’s hard to think about being done,” Witthaus said. “Knowing that I get to continue playing softball the next four years. I’m ready for the next chapter now.”
Witthaus wasn’t the only member of the Warrenton track team to have a near miss in terms of advancing to the Class 4 state meet.
The 4x400-meter relay team finished fifth in a time of 3 minutes, 27.91 seconds to put the team 77-hundredths of a second away from qualifying for state.
The 4x200 team (1:31.55) finished just under a second away from qualification.
While Witthaus and the relays narrowly missed making it to state, Wright City junior Ada Ferrell, senior Sadie Sehnert and freshman Victoria Riggs all ran at the Class 3 state championships on May 22 at Adkins Stadium in Jefferson City.
Ferrell was 13th in the 100 hurdles (16.20), Riggs (5:45.51) was 15th in the 1,600 and Sehnert (109-04) was 13th in the javelin.
Ferrell said she was still proud of her finish.
“I had a little bit of a rough start and I got into my head again,” Ferrell said. “I PR’ed because I overcame. I really just need to focus and keep doing what I’m doing.”
