Skyler Still's path goes from javelin novice to champ to Redhawk

BENTON — Kelly senior Skyler Still recently joined a growing list of local Southeast Missouri athletes who gave track and field a try late in their high school career and found themselves as a member of the Redhawks.

Still was honored during senior night Monday, Feb. 17. After the Hawks' 74-61 win over Kennett, he donned his red Southeast Missouri State hoodie while meeting with family. A lot has happened between him winning the state championship in the javelin and signing a national letter of intent.

Still originally had no interest in throwing the javelin or even joining the track and field team when he was an underclassman. He was content with playing football and basketball and had to be talked into it by Kelly track coach Jackson Rushin. As he learned the parallels between throwing the javelin and throwing the football as a quarterback, it became natural to him.

"As soon as I started getting a little bit better at javelin, I had a lot of fun with it. (I) started looking into the future, and it sounded very good," Still said.

Still wasn't just chasing a state championship in the javelin, he also was pursuing a future as a college athlete. SEMO, a Division I track program known for being welcoming to local athletes, offered Still a certain mark to hit before recruiting him.

"They said I had to hit a certain mark by the end of the season, and I hit that mark at state," Still said. "So that's the time they started talking to me."

Still officially signed with SEMO on Jan. 31, but he knew his college future was secured as soon as he was awarded a gold medal for winning the Class 3 state championship. Over the summer and fall, he prepared in the weight room to build himself into more than just a quarterback on the gridiron or a big man on the basketball court.

"I've been in the weight room a lot trying to get bigger for track and trying to get better for track," Still said.

Still was never without confidence. He correctly predicted his place on the state medal stand before the start of last spring and is undoubtedly expecting a repeat in his final high school track season.

Before Still became a Redhawk, there were John Hartmann and Jackson Witvoet, who took the track for the first time a year ago as high school seniors and are now teammates as college freshmen. Hartmann set a new personal record last weekend when he cleared a height of 6' 7.5" for second place at the Don DeNoon Invite in Carbondale, Illinois.

Hartmann gave the high jump a try after spending four years as a basketball player at Saxony Lutheran High School and went on to win a state championship.

SEMO junior Anna Thomason spent the entire indoor track season breaking the school pentathlon record. This year, she's Hartmann's teammate but, last year, she was his coach and knew firsthand his potential.

"I knew after his first (high school) meet, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, yes!' He can compete at this level," Thompson said Jan. 11. "That would be so cool to see him in a red jersey with me, and it's been really fun. I'm really proud of how far he's come. He is a great teammate. He's just an all-around great person. So it's really great to see him here. It's great to see him competing well and thriving."

Witvoet is nursing injuries during the indoor season with hopes of making his debut during the outdoor season. He played baseball for four years at Cape Central High School, but his senior year was the first time he tried to balance that with track. He realized his potential as a sprinter and gave up baseball after his senior day performance to focus more on track. He finished in the state meet in multiple events.

With winter sports coming to a close and spring just around the corner, keep an eye on the next upperclassman hitting the track for the first time and finding fast success.