PREP BOYS TRACK & FIELD: Shumpert sprints out of nowhere to give Spartans lift
Senior newcomer clocks times among best in state in 400
“You’re not normal,” said McCluer High senior Stephanie Price to Hazelwood East sprinter Don Shumpert as he walked by her bus after Saturday’s Class 4, District 3 Meet at McCluer North.
Considering Price, the North County Journal Female Athlete of the Year, is freakishly good herself on the playing fields (softball and track) it was the ultimate compliment to Shumpert. And those who watched Shumpert during the meet would agree.
He’s not normal.
We already knew he was a gifted athlete. He showed that by helping guide the football Spartans to a Class 5 state tile in 2008, which aided him in getting a full ride scholarship to the University of Iowa, and excelling on his school’s basketball team.
But what he’s doing this spring is lifting him to legend status, which is not easy to attain at Hazelwood East. Despite never running track, Shumpert has developed into one of the top sprinters in the state in a couple of months.
“He’s been unbelievable,” said East coach Darryl Levy. “I can’t imagine how good he could have been if he had been with us since his freshman year.”
He’s plenty good now as he showed Saturday. He pushed Hazelwood Central junior Michael Hester, perhaps the best quarter miler in the state, to the brink in the 400-meter final. Hester clocked a 48.29 to nose out Shumpert’s 48.32.
“That was one of the best races I’ve ever seen,” said McCluer coach Phil Wollbrinck.
“He always pushes me to go harder,” said Shumpert of Hester, who guided East to a Class 4 team title last year before transferring to Hazelwood Central. “I was hoping to get him. I’ve got two more chances.”
Levy recruited Shumpert, who would normally be playing AAU basketball right now but no longer sees hoops in his future, to be a jumper. However, he gave him a chance to run and his jaw hit the ground when he ran a 48.5 split in the 4×400 relay at the Festus Invitational.
“I said, ‘Oh, my God, we’ve got us a 400 runner here,” said Levy.
Shumpert’s not jumping anymore obviously. He’s now running in four sprint events including the 400 and the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 where he serves as the anchor. He helped all three of those relay teams finish third Saturday and qualify for Saturday’s sectional meet at Troy.
Shumpert’s emergence has helped cushion the blow East sustained when Hester and another star runner, Leron Cook, transferred to Hazelwood Central.
After running the outstanding open 400 Saturday, Shumpert, who ran a 48.23 to win that event in the conference meet a week ago Saturday, appeared spent and was carted away to get some attention from a trainer. But he returned to run an incredible last leg of the 4×400 to help his team get through in that event, the most competitive in the meet. He was in seventh place when he got the stick but made up a lot of ground to help get his team through.
Levy said he knew for sure Shumpert could excel in the open 400 when he ran a 48.9 at University City and was barely edged by Kirkwood’s Ronald Dumas, who finished seventh at state in that event last year.
“You could hear the stands buzzing,” said Levy. “It was like, ‘who is this Donald Shumpert?’ ”
He plans to show people how good he can be this week in the sectional meet and, if things go well there, at state the following week.
“I want to try to win the 400 at state,” said Shumpert, who is also taking aim at Scott Starks’ school record of 47.8. “That’s my goal.”
“Most definitely the open 400 (is his best chance to finish high at state),” said Levy. “We’ve got to put some things together and clean up the handoffs and hopefully finish top four in the 4×1, the 4×2 and improve in the 4×4.”
Shumpert is excited about being a sprinter now.
“I already knew I had speed,” he said. “I did surprise myself that I came out and competed with the guys out here and I’m doing just as good as them.”
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