Blu-Jay sprinter claims two titles, vaulter medals at state

When you know, you know. Pleasanton senior Ashton Gratton smiles after finishing the 100-meter dash in first place. Gratton is state 2A champ in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. (Photos by Billy Roudybush / Special to the Journal)

By Roger Sims with reporting by Billy Roudybush

Blu-Jay Sprinter Ashton Gratton last week cashed in on his speed and hours of practice, earning two gold medals at state and setting a new Class 2A meet record in the 100-meter dash.

Gratton, a senior, was the headliner of a talented Pleasanton High School team that saw its athletes take the medals podium three times over the course of the two-day State Track and Field Championships meet at Wichita on Friday and Saturday, May 30-31.

Gratton did what he has been doing all year: unleashing his speed in a burst of energy off the starting blocks. Gratton turned in the top time of 10.85 seconds in the 100-meter preliminaries, 0.12 seconds faster than the second fastest time.

Ashley George brushes the crossbar in one of her vaults. She would end up with a best vault of 9' 0", good enough for a sixth-place state medal.

In the final he shaved of 0.06 seconds to win the 2A championship with a 0.14 second lead over the second place finisher.

In the 200-meter dash preliminaries, Gratton turned in a time of 21.84, a 10th of a second faster than the second fastest time. In the 200-meter finals he had a time of 21.68 seconds, nearly 2/10ths of second ahead of second place..

Junior Ashlan George was the other Blu-Jay medal winner at the state meet, her 9-0 vault placing her in a two-way tie for sixth place in the pole vault. The vault also fulfilled her wish to make the podium after setting the school record. Top honors in the girls vault went to a sophomore from Syracuse with a vault of 10-6.

Makaila Thomas brings the baton down the home stretch in the 4x100-meter relay.

The Blu-Jays took a good-sized team into the state track meet. Both the girls and boys 4x100-meter relay teams qualified for the state meet.

The girls team of George, Makya Neal-Cox, Maria Neal-Cox and Makaila Thomas placed 14th with a time of 52.76 seconds.

The boys team of Aiden Patrick, Gage McGinnis, Mario Davis and Gratton on the anchor place 12th with a time of 45.35.

Patrick and Davis placed 10th and 11th respectively in the high jump. Patrick had a leap of 6-0, and Davis cleared the bar at 5-10.

Maria Neal-Cox turned in a time of 1:08.57 in the 400-meter dash for a 16th-place finish.

Blu-Jay sprinter and high jumper comes out of the blocks in the 4x100-meter boys relay.

Maria Neal-Cox jumps off the blocks in her quest for a 400-meter dash medal.

George comes out at the gun in the first leg of the Blu-Jays 4x100 meter race.