Whether vaulting, jumping or running, a group of athletes made a big impact at the Annual Dewey Donat Classic indoor track and field meet at the Barnett Center on Monday.

Ipswich’s Jalyssa Hutson cleared bars higher than anyone else in both the girls’ high jump and pole vault.

While one involves a pole and the other does not, the sophomore has no trouble getting off the ground.

“I think they’re quite similar. You jump off the same leg and you drive with the same knee,” Hutson said comparing the two events. “I just probably like pole vault a little bit more, because you can get way higher in the air.”

Both events take some mental toughness and that’s where Hutson’s vault coach Bryce Malsam comes into play.

“A lot goes into trusting and what he tells me to do,” Hutson said.

Hutson said she could do a variety of events if she wanted to.

So what about shot put?

“Probably and discus,” Hutson said. “I have some pretty wide wing span.”

There is one thing she plans to stay away from, however.

“Distance is not for me,” Hutson said.

Warner’s Beckham Cantalope won the 55-meter hurdles and also won his heat in the 200-meter dash.

The eighth-grader is on a mission in the hurdles.

“My dad (Jesse) had the 300-meter hurdle record in Eureka back then at state,” Cantalope said. “I’m motivated to break that at state.”

Cantalope said there is a major difference between the 300 hurdles and the 110-meter high hurdles.

“You have to run a very long distance, 300 meter. You’re very, very tired at the end,” he said. “The 110 is not that bad, because you know how to get over them in three steps and then get over it. But then, like 300 hurdles you never know, you’ve got long steps and stuff. It’s crazy.”

Not to mention a hurdle at the end of that grueling 300 right before the finish line.

“The last hurdle is the worst,” Cantalope said.

He said it’s a very difficult race to compete in.

“I’ll be halfway through the 300-meter hurdles and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so tiring.’ I wanna quit,” Cantalope said, “but you hear your friends cheering you on, it motivates you to keep going.”

Cantalope not only runs the 300 hurdles, he also competes in the 400-meter dash, also one of the toughest races in track.

So what’s up with that?

“It’s not my choice, honestly,” Cantalope said. “It’s terrible.”

Despite all the hard work that he puts in, Cantalope said track and field is fun.

“Yes, I want to be successful in hurdles and all that, but I just like hanging out with my friends, and everyone cheering me on,” Cantalope said. “It’s the best feeling ever. I love it.”

Lindsey Geier’s skill set was also on display on Monday. The North Central junior won the triple jump, finished second in the long jump and was top five in the 200-meter dash.

She said the field events require more mental toughness than running.

“I’d say jumping, because after if you scratch, you can’t just give up,” Geier said. “And then if you think you’re going to scratch again, it doesn’t really help.”

Geier likes the triple jump better than the long jump, despite it being more difficult because she has had more success at it.

“It takes a lot of practice,” Geier said. “You just do the same things over and over, basically.”

She also runs on a relay team and thinks the Thunder will have another good one this spring.

“Last year we had a good one, it just was a lot harder because we were A,” Geier said. “We’re back to B this year.”

That alone should give the runners a boost this spring.

“I think it gives us all a lot more confidence that we’ll do better,” Geier said.

Two-time State B pole vault champion Rasmus Loken of Ipswich was back in familiar territory on Monday, winning that event.

The senior also won his heat in the 400-meter dash, despite being placed in lane one, which meant he was well behind the back on the opening leg.

“That 400, especially when I start in a closer lane here, I prefer it, so I can chase down those people in front of me,” Loken said. “I feel like that gives me the motivation I need so I can go out there and catch them.”

The biggest challenge in that race was not tracking down the competition, it was telling where he was at during the race.

“Personally, I don’t love the indoor track because of how short it is,” Loken said. “It’s really hard to gauge where you’re at. You don’t know when to kick. You don’t know when that last 100 is really. It’s a challenge.”

Loken, who thanked his team and his parents for their support, is off to a good start in the pole vault, and wants to build on that once he gets outdoors.

“I just hope especially for this pole vault, it carries into the outdoor season,” Loken said, “and I keep getting PRs and PRs, and build from here.”

To see complete meet results, click on the following link:

https://live.herostiming.com/meets/42227