Bradley, Warner narrowly miss on qualifying for state track meet

Nevada High School seniors Reagan Bradley and Carsten Warner fell just short of qualifying for the Missouri Class 4 track-and-field state championship meet.

Competing at Saturday's Class 4 Section 3 track-and-field meet at Bolivar High School, Bradley and Warner needed top four finishes in their respective events to qualify for state.

Bradley and Warner however, were edged out of fourth-place finishes. With a time of 12.88 in the 100-meter dash, Bradley placed fifth, as Helias Catholic sophomore Anna Vollett secured the fourth-place spot in a near photo finish with Bradley, as Vollett clocked a time of 12.81 (or 7/100th's of a second faster than Bradley).

NHS assistant track-and-field coach Marsha Hooper said Bradley's 12.88 was one of the top times of her prep career.

"She had a great start out of the blocks," Hooper said.

Meanwhile, competing in the long jump, Warner came up a half-inch shy of qualifying for the state. Warner's jump of 16'3" was good for fifth-place, while Carthage freshman Sierrah Negrette slotted into fourth-place with a jump of 16'3.5".

"It's kind of tough to take, especially when it's two good seniors," Hooper said, "but I'm proud of their performances."

While their track-and-field careers may have come to a close, both Bradley and Warner will be taking their talents to the collegiate-level. Warner has signed to play softball with Missouri State University, a Division I school in Springfield, while Bradley will continue her softball career with Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo.