8
The number of Republic athletes who qualified for the state track meet on Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City. Keiran Govan will compete in both the high jump and the triple jump. Gracie Troester will compete in the 800m, the 1600m, the 3200m, and the 4x800m relay. She’ll be joined on the relay by Josie Stalzer, Zoey Johns, and Brylie Harris. Sienna Blankenship will compete in pole vault. Reese Finley will run in the 400m dash. Kaleb Norman will throw the javelin.
5
The number of state track and field medals won by Gracie Troester heading into this week’s state championship. That’s one short of the all-time record for a Lady Tiger, held by Sherri Dunn, who earned six track and field medals. (She also, like Troester, had one cross country medal.) Kenneth Bowling earned seven track & field medals for Republic boys track. Troester qualified for state in four events: the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and 4x800m relay.
2
The number of times Keiran Govan broke Republic’s 31-year-old triple jump record during the sectional track meet at Waynesville on Saturday. Govan first broke Sean Brewer’s 1991 mark on his third attempt of the day. He broke it again on the fourth and final jump, reaching a distance of 14.07 meters. He’s more than 11 inches further than the previous record.
5
The number of consecutive years that Republic has sent a 4×800 meter relay team to the state track meet. The Lady Tigers have raced at state in the 4×800 every year since 2021, when Kristin Probst, Jasmyn Douglas, and Misora and Miha Nambara broke a school record and finished ninth. Gracie Troester, Gracie Woods, Cali Thompson, and Reese Finley were part of the previous qualifiers. This year’s qualifying team included Josie Stalzer, Zoey Johns, Brylie Harris, and Troester.
4
The number of consecutive years in which the Republic boys have sent a high jumper to the state meet. The Tigers have won medals in three straight seasons, starting with Devon McMillin’s seventh-place finish in 2022. Zion Allen finished fourth and fifth in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Keiran Govan’s qualification as a high jumper in 2025 runs the streak to four years.
