JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Melissa McGinley didn’t need much time to regain her state-winning status.

Just a leap of 16 feet, 9 1/4 inches.

The Albany senior — who missed last year’s state meet due to injury — captured the first gold medal of the Class 1 Track and Field Championships in the long jump. McGinley’s fifth attempt gave her the win over Andie Young of Bosworth on Friday at Dwight T. Reed Stadium and returned McGinley to the top of the medal podium.

It was McGinley’s eighth medal in her four years and first gold since her 2006 400-meter championship.

“I can’t believe it; I can’t even believe I’m at state right now,” said McGinley, who also helped the Warriors’ 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relays advance through preliminaries to today’s finals.

McGinley set the early lead on her first preliminary jump with a 16-3 effort, only to better that with a 16-6 on her third and final prelim attempt. That distance held up until Young hit a 16-7 1/2 on her fifth attempt with McGinley next in line to jump.

Young’s lead didn’t last past McGinley’s attempt.

With a flare of sand from the south jumping pit, McGinley jumped up and celebrated with an animated fist pump as she ran back up the runway.

“I was determined. There was no way I was going to let her beat me by an inch,” McGinley said. “I knew I had it in me. I just tried to relax, take a deep breath and jump — not think.”

McGinley wasn’t the only Albany success story from the first day.

Albany’s boys find themselves tied for second place as a team after five events, thanks to medal-winning performances from seniors Landon Crawford and Clint Richardson.

Crawford finished fourth in the pole vault for a second straight year, but Richardson’s season-best 155-0 toss in the discus landed him in second place. Richardson set the early mark with his 155-0 in prelims, and although it didn’t hold up, Richardson didn’t mind finishing behind Viburnum’s D.J. Harmon (166-5).

“I’ve been throwing really good in practice, but all the meets I’ve gone to have been rainy or really windy,” Richardson said. “I think that really helped.

“I’m happy with second. He threw it out there, and I wasn’t planning on beating it.”

Polo’s boys, three-time defending state champions, are two points behind Albany and Valle Catholic in a tie for fourth. The Panthers scored 11 points behind the 4x800 relay team of Hollis Fee, Charlie Boruch, Cody Hicks and Spencer Snodgrass’ fifth-place finish. Boruch also placed fourth in the 3,200, while Fee was seventh.

The only points left for Polo could come from Josh Duncan, who qualified for the finals of the 100 and 400 and anchored the 4x400 team to second place in its heat.

A Haer better

Craig junior Will Haer bounded up off the pole vault pit, spread his arms wide and yelled. He had more than one reason to be excited.

After clearing 13-3 for the first time in competition, Haer’s Class 1-winning vault earned the first boys state championship for the tiny school in Holt County since the 4x100 relay won in 1993.

The last boys individual state champion came even further back — Jayson Howard’s 1978 title in the now-retired 120-yard hurdles.

“I’ll be on fire for the next three weeks,” said Haer, who finished third last year.

A quartet of vaulters, including defending state champion Payden Bauman of North Andrew, cleared 12-9, but only Haer and Viburnum’s Dereck Pryor made it over 13-0.

Haer needed only his first try at 13-3 to clear, then watched as Pryor missed his final two attempts. Haer then missed on his three attempts at 13-6, coming closest on his first try.

“I was a little sad with it,” Haer said. “But I can’t complain. I mean, I won, right?”

“I think it means a lot to some of the teachers, even,” Haer said. “They feel like somebody’s taking pride in the school again, and that’s something.

All healed up

Brentlee Thomas nearly scratched himself from the triple jump during last week’s Class 1 sectional.

The Rock Port senior’s right knee started giving him trouble, but a second-place finish in the high jump motivated him to give the triple jump a try. He won that meet, and on Friday at state, he defended his Class 1 state championship in the event with a 44-3.

Thomas said when he needed a little extra, he looked to the memory of his grandmother, who died about three years ago.

“I didn’t think at all it was possible,” Thomas said. “I just prayed and talked to my granny. She came through for me.

“I look to her every time I need help. She always comes through for me. She’s always a big part of my life.”

Thomas made six triple jump attempts Friday, bringing his season total to 11. His first jump of 42-1 set his personal best for this year, but each subsequent jump improved, all the way up to his final attempt.

Still trailing Orrick’s Taylor Eubank by a couple of inches, Thomas hit his 44-3 on the final attempt and a state championship just 10 weeks removed from surgery to repair the meniscus in his injured knee.

“I felt pretty good about it, actually,” said Thomas, who will compete in the high jump today. “It didn’t bother me at all today. No problems with it, still doesn’t bother me.”

Still a chance

Kyleigh Parrish gave Rock Port a second individual title Friday, winning the discus and helping the Blue Jays in their hunt for a state trophy.

Rock Port currently sits in a tie with Wellsville for second at 16 points, trailing first-place Miller by seven. Parrish’s 10 points were the catalyst, after she threw 115-0 in the finals.

Parrish set a mark just over 110 feet during preliminaries, which placed her firmly in the top three. Her second finals attempt produced the winning throw, topping Orrick’s Britnee Nichols by 1 foot, 3 inches.

“I just wanted top three, and that was good enough for me,” said Parrish, who finished fourth at state in the shot put last year but failed to advance past sectionals in that event this year.

“Then I was sitting second, so I thought, OK, I have my top three, now just go out and throw and popped off my 115-0.”

In addition to Parrish, Abbey Lawrence (eighth, 800), Elyssa Ellison (seventh, 1,600) and Leslie Alitz (sixth, 1,600) also scored points for the Blue Jays.

Three-time defending girls state champion Worth County has eight points after Day 1, thanks to Jessica Borey’s second-place showing in the pole vault. Borey won the event last year, but her 9-6 was 3 inches shy of winner Vanessa Langford of Bronaugh.