Cuba High School’s boys and girls track and field season officially began on March 20 when the Wildcats traveled to Hermann to compete in the 2026 Hermann Open.

Cuba sophomore Justice Evrard was a standout performer for the Lady Cats, taking first place in multiple events and second place in two events as well. Evrard won the 100 meter dash with a 13.55 time and took first place in the long jump with a 4.45 meter leap. She took second place in the 200 meter dash with a 28.30 time and finished second in triple jump with a 9.43 meter leap.

Evrard wasn’t the only Lady Wildcat to win a race. Sophomore Ella Basham won the 1600 meter race with a 6:36.69 time and junior Teryn Vass took first place in the pole vault with a 2.45 meter leap. Basham also finished fifth in the 400 meter dash and took sixth in the 800 meter run. Vass took second place in the 100 meter dash and third place in the 200 and 400 meter dashes.

Sophomore Katherine Lily Becherer took sixth place in the 100 meter dash with a 15.03 time and was Cuba’s first runner to cross the finish line in 800 meter run with a 3:06.03 time. Sophomore Kendra Humphrey took third place in the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdles. Fellow sophomore Makenlee Lorenz competed in four events, highlighted by a fourth-place finish with a 7.66 meter leap in the triple jump.

Senior Shannon Black put on a strong all-around performance in the field events. Black finished in second place in shot put with a 9.82 meter heave. Black took fifth place in the discus throw with a 25.66 meter throw and also finished in fifth in the javelin throw with a 25.27 meter toss.

On the boys’ side, senior Noah Halbert emerged as a standout runner for the Wildcats. Halbert won first place in the 100 meter and 300 meter hurdle races with a 17.85 time and a 44.16 time, respectively. Halbert took second place in the 100 meter dash with a 11.79 finishing time.

Sophomore Brayden Lewis finished in second place in the 200 meter and 400 meter dash and took fourth place in the 100 meter dash. Lewis also finished in sixth place in the long jump with a 5.15 meter leap.

Freshman Wyatt Littrell took third place in the 400 meter dash with a 59.02 time, finished fifth in the 200 meter dash and took 10th in the long jump with a 4.69 meter jump.

Fellow freshman John Vandergriffe won first place in the discus throw after launching the disc 37.84 meters in his debut event. He also took fourth place in the shot put with a 11.12 meter heave and finished in sixth place in the javelin throw with a 24.58 meter toss. 

Cuba’s junior class had a successful day in multiple events.

Brody Bayless took second place in the 1600 meter race after finishing with a 5:43.30 time. Tandon Baker was Cuba’s top javelin thrower, taking third place after tossing it 28.38 meters. Fellow junior Zane Brown finished in third place in the shot put, after launching it 11.66 meters.

Sophomore Jamison Scott put on a solid performance in the hurdles, taking third place in the 100 meter hurdles with a 22.36 time and fourth place in the 300 meter hurdles with a 53.97 time. Freshman Preston Hulsey took fifth place in the 300 meter hurdles with a 56.49 finish. 

The Wildcats’ boys and girls will travel to New Bloomfield on Friday, March 27, to compete in the New Bloomfield Relays, which will be detailed in next week’s edition. Cuba will then host the Cuba Relays on Monday, March 30, which are scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. at Cuba High School.