Knights Track and Field had busy week in the Metro East
By Ray Popkess
Two large school meets for the Triad Boys took place in the last week of April, the first being the Madison County Meet hosted in Alton on Tuesday, April 28 followed by the 2026 Knight Invite hosted by Triad on Friday, May 1. The girls also competed in the Madison County Meet, as well as the 2026 Lady Kahok Invite in Collinsville on May 1, a meet that featured some of the state’s top 4x100m relay teams.
Madison County Meet
Triad had two Illinois High School Association (IHSA) qualifying attempts in the pole vault. Zane Meier took second place at the meet clearing 4.07m (13’ 4.25”) in his best attempt. Henry Parker set a new personal best, clearing 3.92m (12’ 10.25”).
Bryce Van Tiegham took fourth place in the shot put with a best-attempt of 15.31m (50’ 2.75”). This throw would also qualify him for the IHSA State meet if performed at the Sectional. Drayke Williams-Reynolds finished just behind Van Tiegham in fifth place with a throw of 14.25m (46’ 9”), a new personal best.
Williams-Reynolds also set a new personal best in discus, finishing sixth overall with a throw of 39.02m (128’ 0”). Gavin Dobbs took ninth in the same event with a best throw of 33.07m (108’ 6”).
Jayden Rodgers was the best Knight in the long jump, leaping 6.06m (19’ 10.75”) to claim fourth place.
Colin Baka leaped the furthest for Triad in the triple jump, finishing fifth with an attempt 11.15m (36’ 7”). Jackson Darche rounded out the medalists in the event with an eighth place finish, jumping 10.72m (35’ 2”) into the sand pit.
Mac Musgrave earned gold in the high jump, clearing 2.00m (6’ 6.75”). Jacob Naylor finished seventh for the Knights, clearing 1.79m (5’ 7”).
Onto the track, Brody Mriscin and Jayden Howell were the two sprinters competing in the 100m for the Knights. Mriscin took fourth with a time of 11.42s and Howell finished sixth with a time of 11.48s.
In the 200m, Jacob Odle finished in fourth place with a time of 22.91s. Dawson Crist took ninth with a time of 24.57s.
Zakyree Nickerson rounded out the top-10 in the 400m with a time of 56.07s and was the only athlete from Triad competing in the event.
Beau Kitzmiller and Tucker Kruse each set new personal records in the 800m. Kitzmiller crossed the finish in 10th place with a time of 2:24.53s. Kruse was right on his coattails in 11th with a time of 2:24.82s.
Zane Meier clears the bar during one of his attempts at pole vault, an event he took second place in on Friday, May 1. (Ray Popkess photo)
Caden Meier set a new personal best and climbed the fresh/soph all-time leaderboards at Triad in the 1600m. He finished fourth with a time of 4:43.43s. Grant Jaros took seventh in the same event with a time of 5:05.15s.
Carter Rich and Will Kosmopolis also set new personal bests competing in the 3200m. Rich took fourth with a time of 10:59.82s, while Kosmopolis finished in sixth with a time of 11:56.09s.
Triad’s 4x100m relay team of Andrew Myers, Crist, Ryan Colona and Rodgers took third place and set the fourth best time in Triad fresh/soph record books, crossing the finish at 44.90s.
The 4x200m relay team of Myers, Ron O’Toole, Parker and Meier took silver with a combined time of 1:34.58s.
Triad had the fastest 4x400m relay team at the invite. Brock O’Toole, Cody Bagwell, Camden Geiler and Silas Thomason combined for a time of 3:27.54s, earning gold for the Knights and setting a new best time among the four.
Lastly, Triad’s 4x800m relay team of Sam Skirball, Ben Neuner, John Montgomery and Alex Moore finished in fourth overall with a time of 8:52.84s.
The girls’ track team set new school records in both the 4x100m relay and the 4x200m relay. The 4x100m team of Ava Gallia, Addie Field, Izzy Stein and Sophia Schardan took gold in the event with a time of 47.19s, while the 4x200m team of Gallia, Stein, Reyna Rehg and field took silver with a time of 1:42.04s.
‘26 Knight Invite
On Friday, May 1, a picturesque day for track and field took place at Triad High School.
Zane Meier took silver and tied for the highest attempt in pole vault, clearing 4.55m (14’ 11”) after a couple failed attempts that placed him second to Edwardsville’s Parker Owens.
Mac Musgrave leaps over the high jump bar set at 1.95m (6’ 4.75”) before later clearing his personal best, 2.05m (6’ 8.75”), to take silver on Friday, May 1. (Ray Popkess photo)
Mac Musgrave reset his school record in the high jump, clearing 2.05m (6’ 8.75”) and breaking his previous record of 2.01m (6’ 7”). He took second overall at the event on Friday and is now the top ranked high jumper in Illinois Class 2A.
In the long jump, freshman Jayden Rodgers medaled in eighth place with an attempt of 6.28m (20’ 7.25”) and jumped for the furthest of all freshmen competing in the event.
Jacob Odle took fourth in the 200m with a time of 22.77s and Jayden Howell took seventh with a time of 22.89s. Both sprinters were within a half second of the first place finisher from Bartonville (Limestone).
Cody Bagwell took 10th in the 400m with a time of 52.75s.
Caden Meier earned a medal in the 3200m, finishing in seventh and nearly beating his personal best with a time of 10:00.98s, falling short by a second.
Triad’s varsity 4x100m relay team of Brody Mriscin, Brock O’Toole, Jayden Howell and Silas Thomason finished fourth overall with a time of 42.34s. The group of four has not had a relay time in the 4x100m slower than 42.3s all season.
The varsity 4x200m relay team of Jacob Odle, O’Toole, Howell and Thomason took silver with a time of 1:29.12s.
The 4x400m relay team also took home a medal. The team of O’Toole, Bagwell, Camden Geiler and Thomason finished seventh with a time of 3:31.76s.
‘26 Lady Kahok Invite
Wrapping up Friday’s events was the action in Collinsville, where seven different Lady Knights set new personal bests in six separate events.
Grace Parker took fourth in the discus with a furthest throw of 31.77m (104’ 2.75”).
Sophia Schardan was the fastest Lady Knight in the 100m with a time of 12.28s, claiming fifth place overall. Izzy Stein finished just behind her in seventh with a time of 12.45s.
Addie Field set a new personal best in the 400m with a time of 58.11s, finishing in fourth place.
Ava Gallia takes her first step out of her blocks during the 4x100m relay on Friday, May 1. Triad took third in the event. (Ray Popkess photo)
Emmy Goins also set a new personal best competing in the 3200m. Her time of 12:31.22s earned her a seventh place finish.
Gallia took fifth in the 300m hurdles with a time of 47.31s.
Among some of the top relay teams in the state, Triad’s 4x100m team of Gallia, Field, Stein and Schardan finished third overall with a time of 48.27s.
Their 4x200m relay team took 10th overall. The team of Reyna Rehg, Maddie Schram, Mady Norder and Gabby Sanchez crossed the finish line with a time of 1:51.90s.
Triad’s 4x400m team of Gallia, Rehg, Stein and Field finished fourth with a time of 4:05.79s.
The 4x800m team of Morgan Mason, Alivia Phillips, Alyssa McCalla and Cameron Powers finished in the top-10 with a time of 11:12.90s, placing 10th overall.
Coming up…
The girls head to Mascoutah on Thursday, May 7 for the final MVC Championship meet, with field events scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.
The boys will compete in one more invitational before their conference championship meet, as they travel to Collinsville on Saturday, May 9 before hosting the MVC Championships at Triad on Wednesday, May 13.
