Peyton Chaney threw two fingers in the air.
Colleen Quigley gently caressed the wood and gold bauble.
The only two competitors to score a point for Nerinx Hall at the Class 4 state championship track and field meet at Dwight T. Reed Stadium managed to do the unthinkable.
They brought home a trophy.
Shocked. Stunned. Surprised. Pick one, pick them all. No one, not even Chaney or Quigley, saw this coming.
"Look at it, it's beautiful," Chaney said with a laugh. "I never thought this would happen."
Nerinx Hall scored 42 points, one more than fourth place Hazelwood East. Lee's Summit North won the meet with 58 and Lee's Summit West was the runner-up with 47.
Though they were a duo, they were, pardon the cliché, dynamic.
Quigley doubled up in the distance races with state titles in the 3,200 and 1,600. She finally reached the top of the podium. The state championship has eluded her throughout her career. Quigley thought the state cross country title could be hers but she took third behind Blue Springs South's Samantha Nightingale and Neosho's Jessica Jackson.
Reaching the top of the podium with the 3,200-meter championship medal hanging around her neck Friday was something of a redemptive moment.
"It was nice to beat the girls that beat me in cross country," Quigley, 18, said. "I'm just so happy."
Getting that state championship was Quigley's focus throughout her senior season. Falling short of that gold medal would have been heartbreaking.
"It's amazing what a difference it is to be one step down on the podium," she said.
After cruising to a personal record time of 10 minutes and 27 seconds, the third fastest time in Class 4 history and a mere three seconds shy of Parkway Central dynamo Emily Sisson's record time set in 2009, Quigley rolled out and brought home the 1,600 title on Saturday.
This time she cruised to gold in four minutes and 52 seconds, another personal record.
For someone who has been a part of so many big meets and been a part of so many moments, Quigley admits she still gets those butterflies in her belly. After winning at the Kansas Relays earlier this year and being one of the best distance runners in the state her entire prep career, she still was nervous as could be as she stepped to the line as the favorite.
"I was still really nervous going in," she said. "It's the state meet! It's such a relief."
Chaney, 16, won her share of medals last year at this meet. This time, though, she too captured a championship.
The tiny yet mighty Chaney eked out a win in the 200 in 24.54 seconds, just a nose ahead of Hazelwood East's Tianna Valentine.
"I felt her," Chaney said. "I just tried to stay relaxed."
After winning three state medals last year as a sophomore, Chaney wanted a gold in the worst way. She was second in the 100, just behind Valentine, and was fifth in the 400.
But she wanted that 200. It's her favorite race. As she came off the podium after finishing as the runner-up in the 100 she reaffirmed her intentions.
"I'm going to go for that 200," she said. "I want it."
Standing there atop the medal stand Chaney looked out into the full bleachers and smiled. She tried to savor the view she worked so hard to achieve.
"It's beautiful," she said. "I can see all my family and friends. I was a little mad when I was second in the 100. When you're on top, it's a whole different thing."
Cradling the third-place trophy, Quigley and Chaney posed for photos with whoever wanted a shot. They passed their phones around and asked for pictures with their newest prize. With medals clinking against their chests, Quigley and Chaney lit up the overcast day with their bright smiles.
After so much sweat, agony and pain, they were rewarded with a splendid view of the stadium and a trophy that will leave their mark at Nerinx Hall.
