SPARKS AND RECREATION: Rams off and running: Maynard, Lykins pick up state indoor track titles

Mar. 12—Raceland got an early start on its track season at the state indoor meet in Louisville on March 5.

Rams coach Randy Helton sent several competitors to the event. All entrants finished strong, but senior Mason Lykins and freshman Sophie Maynard brought gold medals and state championships back home.

The indoor meet is comprised of three classes and holds many similarities to its outdoor counterpart. It doesn't have as many events, but it gives local athletes a taste of competition before the full schedule begins.

"It's basically our first meet," Helton said. "Marshall University holds an indoor meet. It's how they raise money for their track program. We try and take a few kids to that event. I think the kids like it because it gives them a look at quality competition, especially when you talk about the state meet. It's an abbreviated meet. It gives them a look where they are at early in the (track) season."

The event is sponsored by the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Class A division was comprised of 38 high schools and the festivities also included a open and masters division as well.

Maynard ran away with the 60 meter hurdles title. She finished with a time of 9:52. It was a full 36 seconds in front of second-place finisher Natalie Hall of Walton-Verona.

Helton said the freshman's determination and competitive nature makes it hard for opponents to chase her down.

"She works hard at her hurdles, No. 1," Helton said, "but she's also consistent. (Girls track coach Anthony) Frisby and I are working together. We practice together. When she was an eighth-grader, we had to get into her head a little bit because she didn't like losing to anybody. When she lost to runners who were 4 years older than her, it messed with her. She's gotten over that. She's used to competing against high school kids. She has a good outlook on what she does."

Teammate Shaylen Newman finished 13th in the same event.

Lykins cleared the bar at 6 foot, 2 inches to win the high jump competition. The mark tied St. Henry's Al Bessler, but Lykins was successful on his jump is less tries than Bessler therefore awarding the Raceland senior the top prize.

Helton has seen Lykins improve by leaps and bounds since last season.

"Last year, he didn't become eligible until a month into the track season," Helton said of the Russell transfer. "He was behind the eight ball, so to speak. We had to get him in shape for a month. He's light years ahead at this point this year than he was last year. He's actually cleared 6 feet, 3 inches before. Last year, he was clearing 5 foot, 10 inches."

Maynard and Lykins look to be integral parts of the Raceland track team this spring.

Maynard produced top 10 finishes in the 60 and 200 meter races. Freshman Kiley Roark placed ninth in the girls high jump.

Taylor Heath and Brooklyn Campbell tallied a fourth and fifth-place result in the girls pole vault. Cole Conlon and Xander Jenkins had the same result, respectively, on the boys side.

Christian Waugh and Ty Tyson had productive days in the boys 60 and 200 meters. Both finished in the top 15. Evan Borroughs was 16th in the shot put.

Bath County's Jaelyn Gibson and Virginia Armitage finished in third place in the pole vault and shot put, respectively, in Class A. Jaxon Cline was ninth in the boys 60 meters and Nathan Roark was 10th in the pole vault for the Wildcats.

In Class 2A, Ashland's Sadie Chaffins ended her day with a sixth-place finish in the girls 60 meters and a fifth-place finish in the high jump.

Senior Aubree Hay was 10th in the girls 800 meters.

Boyd County's Adam Sworski placed seventh in the boys 60 meter hurdles. Rolen Sanderson was fourth in the 800 meters and eighth in the 400 meters.

Emma Steel was sixth in the girls pole vault.

Fleming County's Kalynn Pease had a successful day. She finished fourth in the girls long jump, fifth in the 60 meters and eighth in the 200 meters. Erin Pease placed third in the 60 meter hurdles.

Rowan County's Autumn Egleston recorded a third-place result in the girls 3,000 meters.

Frisby also competed in the Masters 30 to 39-year-old division and placed first in the 60 meters.

Compete results can be found at live.dcracetiming.com.

S'More Sports

— The 2022-23 Mr. and Miss Basketball winners will be announced on March 19 at the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort.

Rowan County's Haven Ford, the Kentucky Basketball Coaches Association's 16th Region Player of the Year, will arrive knowing that she will claim at least one award that night.

Ford will receive the 2023 Donna LJ Murphy Award. The prestigious recognition honors a standout female basketball player who exemplifies the meaning of a great student-athlete.

"Each year I am reminded of the great talent that Kentucky has in our girls' basketball programs," Murphy said in a press release. "So many of the ladies who were nominated have had some great accomplishments in their high school basketball career and this decision is always very difficult."

Murphy was the recipient of the first Miss Basketball award in 1976. She played in the first sanctioned girls Sweet Sixteen since 1932 in the previous season. She scored 42 points and grabbed 23 rebounds to lead Newport to a win over Russell in the opening round.

She averaged 35 points, 20 rebounds and six assists as senior. Murphy went on to have an outstanding career at Morehead State, scoring 2,059 points. She was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player and Athlete of the Year in 1980.

Ford is Rowan County's all-time leader in points, assists and steals. She's scored over 3,000 points for the Vikings and will continue her basketball career at Murray State in the fall.

Lawrence County's Kensley Feltner was named the KABC 15th Region Player of the Year and will be in attendance as a Miss Basketball candidate.

Bath County's Zack Otis received 16th Region Player of the year and will be vying for the Mr. Basketball award.

— Former Boyd County guard and Miss Basketball Savannah Wheeler will get to experience a first in her stellar basketball career this week.

Top-seeded Middle Tennessee won the women's Conference USA Tournament, defeating Western Kentucky, 82-70, in the championship game to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

It marked the 17th conference title, fourth in C-USA, for the Blue Raiders. It is the first time in her college career that Wheeler will play in the Big Dance after playing her first two seasons at Marshall.

"When (CBS) did the interview with me at the end of the first quarter, I could hear (assistant coach) Matt (Insell) back behind me," coach Rick Insell said on the school's website. "He was so loud and upset at the way we were playing. I went back and said 'Hey, you need to calm down a little bit.' He said, 'I am calm!' I said, 'Really?'"

Middle Tennessee (28-4) used a big second quarter to gain separation from the Hilltoppers.

"I looked over at the scoresheet at halftime, and we scored 32 points in that quarter to their 16, so that was a big, big quarter for us," Rick Insell said. "And he got their attention. We went out and started executing our offense. We started hitting the open man and we hit some open shots.

"Very proud of our young ladies. They've been under the gun all year long and now we don't get to prove that we had an at-large bid. (We are) proud to represent Middle Tennessee State University."

Wheeler leads the Blue Raiders in scoring average (15.3 ppg), 3-point percentage (33.6%) and assists (84) this season. The junior tallied 11 points in the title game and was 9 of 9 from the free throw line.

Middle Tennessee will play Colorado in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Durham, North Carolina.

The Blue Raiders will enter the event as an 11 seed in the Seattle Regional.

— Former Ashland guard Colin Porter shined in the ASUN Conference Tournament for Liberty. The freshman produced a career-high 25 points in the Flames' semifinal win over Eastern Kentucky.

Porter started to heat up early and finished with five 3-pointers and didn't commit a turnovers to help guide Liberty into the championship game with No. 1 seed Kennesaw State on March 5.

Unfortunately for the Flames, the team had to travel to the Owls' home floor. For reasons that seem unfeasible, the ASUN likes the top seed to host in each round when the quarterfinals start.

Liberty fell one point short of an NCAA Tournament bid after Kennesaw State outlasted their opponent, 67-66. Porter posted eight points, six rebounds and four assists in the title game.

Porter was named to the ASUN All-Freshman team.

— The Eastern Kentucky Conference awards banquet will commence tonight at Carter Caves in Olive Hill.

On the girls side, Russell's Mandy Layne was named Coach of the Year. Rowan County's Haven Ford was the Player of the Year.

Russell coach Derek Cooksey and senior Damon Charles received the boys Coach and Player of the Year honors, respectively.

The full story from the ceremony will be in Thursday's paper.

Reach MATTHEW SPARKS at msparks@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654. Follow @SparksWillFly35 on Twitter.