The Wright City track and field teams return a host of key contributors and a strong number of newcomers as they look to build on last season’s success.

The Wright City track and field teams return multiple conference champions and state medalist Elizabeth Riggs from last year’s squad. Wright City’s roster size increased to 54 this year. They had around 42 athletes on the roster last season. 

“We’re a little bit bigger, which is good,” Wright City track and field coach Fred Ross said. “The majority of the kids have been working really hard. We lost a couple kids like you do the first couple weeks of practice. But usually, after you make it through the first two weeks of conditioning, they figure out they’re going to stick it out.”

Wright City brings back conference champions on both the boys and girls teams this season. Riggs placed third in the 300-meter hurdle competition at the Class 3 state track and field meet last season. She also won the event at the Eastern Missouri Conference meet. She also teamed up with Hailey Henson, Lindsay Pettus and Lydia Clubb to win 4x400-meter relay at the EMO meet. Pettus and Clubb return to the team this season. 

With no seniors on the girls track team, Ross is counting on Riggs and other juniors to fill leadership roles. 

“We expect her to be our leading girl,” Ross said. “We don’t have any senior girls. So we expect her to kind of be the leader.”

Ross also anticipates Pettus and Teagan Riley stepping up as leaders for the Lady Wildcats this season. 

Jeremiah Davis headlines a list of strong returning runners for the Wildcat boys track and field squad. Davis finished first at the conference meet in three events. Ross is counting on Davis to be a leader for the Wildcats on the track this season. 

"The boys are probably led by Jeremiah,” Ross said. “Conference champion in the 100 and 200 (meter dash). We look for him to be the leader on the field and off the field as well.”

Individually, Davis won the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash at the EMO conference meet last season. He also placed first in a group relay. Davis, Devin Myers, Demetrice LeNoir and Jacob Smith placed first at the conference meet in the 4x200-meter relay. Myers and LeNoir are returning members of the 4x200-meter relay team that placed first at conference and district competitions. 

Ross thinks having three runners returning on relays for both the boys and girls teams will be beneficial. 

“We’re going to have to put in one person to maybe step in,” Ross said. “We’re looking for that fourth person to fill in those relays. So you’ve got three legs which really helps the continuity of running those type of things.” 

With a good number of new athletes, Ross anticipates using the first two meets to figure out which events to place different athletes going forward. The new athletes were thrown into multiple events early in practice to find out their strongest events. 

“We’re exposing them to everything,” Ross said. “They’re doing hurdles. They’re doing long and triple. They’re doing all three throws. They’re doing high jump. A couple of them are even doing pole vault. They haven’t done anything. We’ve got some that just have never done track before. So you really have to figure out what they can do.”