By Kyle Roberts

Ruston High’s indoor track team made a great showing at the LSU High School Qualifier this weekend in Baton Rouge, La. with first-place finishes in multiple events.

“There were a lot of great takeaways from our first trip down to LSU this indoor season,” Ruston head coach Trey Smith said. “I was really proud of how the team responded to the inclement weather conditions throughout the day. They prepared themselves well during warmups in the cold and rainy conditions and were rewarded with some great race experiences. For many of our athletes this was their first taste of indoor competition on LSU’s track as well, and I feel they are learning very quickly what it takes to be successful this indoor season.

“I was very encouraged to see how well the team put together a multitude of top 4 placings highlighted by our relay squads (4×2,4×4,4×8) and 3200m performances. The kids have been putting in a lot of hard work this winter and it is showing. I’m very excited to see how we progress in the following weeks leading up to the Indoor state championships on February 18th.”

The Boys 4x800m relay team of Andrew McKaskle, Liam Low, Taylor Roller and Bryar Madden placed first with a time of 8 minutes, 12.44 seconds, and are ranked first in Division 1 overall.

Ranking No. 2 in Division 1, Thomas Rogers placed first overall in the Boys 3200-meter at 9:41.13., while Division 1 No. 3 ranked Parker Nations took third place at 11:37.26 in the Girls 3200-meter.

Zoie Holstead, Lily Garrett, Sara Naff and Sydney Owens finished first overall in the Girls 4x800m relay at 10:00.58 and are ranked third in Division 1.

Also ranked third, the Boys 4x400m of Madden, Jordan McWain, Kendrick Jones and Dylar Richmond took fourth place overall with a time of 3:31.85, while McWain, Jones, Richmond and Darius James took fourth in the 4x200m at 1:33.56.

Full meet results can be found here.

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