Lamb caps week with team title
Cashion track standout signs with OBU, qualifies for state in 4 events
CASHION SENIOR Lauren Lamb, second from left, is pictured last Friday at a ceremony in which she signed to compete in track and field for Oklahoma Baptist University. She is pictured with her mother, Monica; father, Todd; and brother, Griffin. Lamb one da
One day after signing a college scholarship, Lauren Lamb went out and showcased her value.
A senior at Cashion High School, Lamb last Friday signed to compete in track and field for Oklahoma Baptist University.
About 24 hours later, Lamb became a state qualifier in four events after her performance at the Class 2A regional meet at Cherokee High School.
Lamb won a gold medal in the 800 relay, silver medals in the 400 and mile relays and then a bronze in the long jump.
Those finishes automatically qualified her for those events at state, which is Friday and Saturday at Catoosa High School.
Cashion’s strong showing in all four relays as well as a number of individual events also lifted the Lady Wildcats to the team championship at the regional.
That was secured when Lamb was joined by Bella Woody, Abby Hobgood and Reese Williams to take second in the final event of the day, the mile relay.
That was one place ahead of Watonga, which needed to beat Cashion in the race to overcome the Lady Wildcats in the team standings.
However, Lamb closed out the race and Cashion was nearly six seconds faster than Watonga.
That gave Cashion 116 team points to 109 for the Lady Eagles.
The same quartet that finished the meet also won the 800 relay and was second in the 400 relay.
Cashion also got a thirdplace finish in the 3,200 meter relay as Sierra McCracken, Megan Shafer, Lauren Jenkins and Addison McCracken locked up their spot at state.
The top-three finishers in each regional event automatically qualify for state. The next four best times (or heights or distances, depending on the event) from all the combined regionals also qualify.
Hobgood also medaled in four events as the freshman was second in the 200.
Outside of the two-mile relay, the McCrackens also had their share of successes.
Sierra McCracken was the regional champ in the open 800 as she crossed in 2:35.48.
Addison McCracken was second in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600.
Another automatic qualifier for Cashion was Issy Reeves, who locked up second place in the shot put.
Woody and Williams are additional qualifiers in individual events.
Woody was fourth in the 400, but her time qualified her for the state field. Same for Williams, who was fifth in the 100.
Boedy Beutler will be competing in both hurdles events for Cashion at the state meet.
Beutler was an automatic qualifier in the 110 high hurdles when he finished as the regional runner-up.
He was also sixth in the 300 hurdles, but his time was good enough to get him in as one of four additional qualifiers.
Joining him at state will be Gage Bedick, who was the regional champ in the mile run.
Cashion was ninth as a team with 23 points.