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Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Her
Ottawa High School freshman Dylan Hoyt throws the discus during track practice Wednesday at Ottawa High School. The OHS boys and girls track teams are expected to be strong in the throwing events this season. Ottawa opens the season 3:30 p.m. Friday in the Ottawa Relays at Ottawa University’s new track at Peoples Bank Field.
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Meet returns home
OHS relays moved to new OU track
By GREG MAST, Herald Sports Editor
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The Ottawa Relays event is heading back to its roots — Ottawa University.
This year’s running of the long-time opening track meet of the season will be 3:30 p.m. Friday at the new OU track at the Peoples Bank Field where football games also are played.
Renovations to the Ottawa High School track facility are not complete.
OHS track coach Mark Laws said it is nice of OU to offer the track for the meet, otherwise, it could not be held.
“That would have been sad,” he said.
The Ottawa Relays were at OU until the early 1970s when the event moved to OHS.
“For the old people, it brings back memories,” Laws said. “The Ottawa Relays at that time was the top meet in the state of Kansas. They came from all over. We had top-notch athletes.
“Times change.”
And do they ever. Girls sports were introduced at the prep level since the last Relays at OU.
This year the meet will be the first meet on the new track that was finished this past summer.
The field events begin at 3:30 p.m. Ottawa returns four state-qualifying shot put and discus throwers. Kearston Peoples, Kara McFarland, Sam Blecha and Brandon Turner are expected to be among the top throwers in those events.
The track preliminaries begin at 4:30 p.m. with the track finals beginning 30 minutes after the completion of the prelims.
The field consists of six schools: Blue Valley, Olathe Northwest, Mill Valley, Paola, St. James and Ottawa.
Laws said St. James is a new program, but the other four have been strong track teams in the past.
For Ottawa, the athletes are ready for the season to begin.
Laws said practice is good and necessary, but it is the competition where coaches see how an athlete is progressing.
“Once you get into competition, things change,” he said. “We need a good test to see where we are right now.
“We will get better as the season progresses.”
Greg Mast can be reached at sports@ottawaherald.com.
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