From relays to field events, Louisiana state-bound in big numbers

Published 5:13 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2026

LOUISIANA, Mo. — The Louisiana High School track team will be well represented this weekend when they compete at the MSHSAA Class 2 Track and Field State Championships in Jefferson City. They are led by a strong contingent of relay teams.
Louisiana will take four relays to the state meet. Karishma Clark, Trinity Chatman, Michela Lesley, and Alaysia Gschwender will run the 4×100 which won their district race. Clark, Chatman, Gschwender, and Reece Wommack will run the 4×200 and Wommack, Sophie Griffin, Mayiera Hutt, and Scarlett Fite-Karmel will run the 4×800.
Gschwender is also running the 300-meter hurdles. The freshman currently ranks outside the top ten in Class 2 but a good race on the track could put her in line for an All-State finish.
Alivia Perrine is back at state again in the throws for the Lady Bulldogs. The senior threw the Discus as a junior and Javelin as a freshman at the state level. This year, Perrine qualified for the discus once again and will look to land on the podium for the first time in her career.
Payten Anderson rounds out the qualifiers for the Lady Bulldogs as she will throw javelin for the second year in a row. Last year, Anderson finished as an All-Stater with an eighth place finish. The junior has already surpassed her previous personal best multiple times this year and will look to do it once more and move up higher on the podium at the state meet.
The men’s team will also be well represented for Louisiana as they will compete in three events.
The 4×100 relay team of Javon Ries, Troy McDaniel, Tyler Norvell, and Donnell Griffith will run Friday in the semi-finals. Braden Taylor will compete in a loaded 800-meter race as the freshman looks to make his mark on the state field. Rounding out the Louisiana participants is AJ Gschwender who will compete in the high jump.