By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Simon Kenton senior Alexis Howard put a final exclamation mark on her high school career by winning the girls long jump and triple jump at the Class 3A track and field state championship meet on Saturday at the University of Kentucky.
Howard was the only double-winner among local state qualifiers in the large school meet. Her distances in the girls long jump (19 feet, 1.25 inches) and triple jump (39 feet) were the best posted in all three classes during the three-day season finale.
A Bellarmine University recruit, Howard also won the Class 3A long jump and triple jump events at the indoor state championship meet in March.
Last summer, she placed seventh in the long jump at the Junior Olympics national meet.
Dixie Heights junior Ari Carter won her second state title in the discus at Saturday’s meet. Her first state title in that event came in 2024 and she placed third last year.
The gold medal winners in the boys state meet included Cooper senior Paul Van Laningham in the 1600-meter run, Cooper junior Corey Feihofer in the pole vault and the Ryle 4×200 relay team of Bredyn Elder, Nathan Verax, Cruze Sauley and Parker Wilson.
According to statistics posted on the khsaa.org website, Ryle is the first Northern Kentucky team to win the Class 3A boys 4×200 relay since it was added to the state meet in 2000.
Van Laningham also placed second in the 3200 and 800 runs to score a total of 26 points for the Cooper team that placed third in the boys team standings with 45 points. Louisville Male won the team title by a slim 57-51 margin over Louisville Trinity.
Oldham County won an even tighter scoring battle with Woodford County, 59-55, to take the girls team title. Simon Kenton placed 11th with the 22 points scored by Howard, who also placed seventh in the 100 dash.
Other second-place finishers in the Class 3A state meet were Cooper junior Ava Dunn in the girls shot put and Dixie Heights in the boys 4×400 relay.
Complete results from the Class 3A state meet are posted on the khsaa.org website.
Class 3A track and field state champions
BOYS EVENTS
4×200 relay — Ryle (Bredyn Elder, Nathan Verax, Cruze Sauley, Parker Wilson) 1:29.72
1600 run — Paul Van Laningham (Cooper) 4:10.56
Pole vault — Corey Freihofer (Cooper) 14-6
GIRLS EVENTS
Discus — Ari Carter (Dixie Heights) 133-05
Long jump — Alexis Howard (Simon Kenton) 19-01.25
Triple jump — Alexis Howard (Simon Kenton) 39-0