State Track Preview

Wichita East High junior Oliver Bradwell burst onto the state’s sprint radar early in the season after starting it out on the junior varsity. Bradwell cemented his status as the area’s top contender in the 6A state 100-meter dash at the Campus Invitational on a windy April 24, beating out Northwest’s Demarcus Robinson by .03 seconds in a time of 10:62. On May 2, Bradwell followed up his performance at Campus with a 10.61-second 100 at the El Dorado Invitational, edging out the City League’s other top sprinter, Justin Moore of Heights, by .06 seconds… Northwest's Robinson will not compete at state due to injury... It doesn’t look like Ethan Ungles’ 100-time of 10.88 seconds at state last spring will get it done in Class 4A this year. Trinity Academy sophomore Morgan Burns ran a 10.42-second 100 on a very windy day in Conway Springs on April 9, which through early May was the state’s best time of the season. He could win all three sprints in Class 4A…Newton’s Grant Loescher, fourth in the 5A 100 last spring, and Nathaniel Martens have run consistently below 10.9 seconds throughout the 2009 season. Both Loescher and Martens also earned points in the 200-meter and 400 relay last year at state. In fifth place at the Kansas Relays in April, Loescher was the top area finisher in the 100.
 

Mike Flores can join the exclusive ranks of those Kansas high school athletes who have won the same state track event three times. Flores, a Maize senior, is the two-time defending champ in the 6A 400-meter dash (2008: 48.71; 2007: 48:94). He'll be deterred by teammate Miles Ukaoma, who beat him at regionals, though neither broke 49 seconds…Andover Central’s Tiffany Bias, the two-time defending champ in the 4A 200-meter and 400-meter dashes, giving her four career gold medals in two seasons, is the favorite to win both races in 5A this year. Under 50 competitors in Kansas girls state track history have won seven or more career gold medals.
 

Kapaun’s Mackenzie Maki has run the gamut of distance races this season. The 5A cross country champ last fall won the 3200-meter run at the Shocker Pre-State Challenge in April and placed second in the 1600. Two weeks later, she placed second in the 800-meter at the Campus Invitational in a time of 2:20.67. She will compete in all three distance races this weekend…Belle Plain's Amanda Callaway also could sweep the distance races in Class 3A... Danielle Walker of Maize High legged out the win in the 800 against Maki at Campus on April 24, with a time of 2:20.27, the state’s fastest through early May. Walker ran a 2:27.9 800 at 6A state last spring and qualified for the state finals in the 400, 800 and 1600…Junior Kurt Pauly of Garden Plain, the defending 3A 400-meter champ, goes for gold in the 200 and 400 at state…Hutchinson senior Blaine Cash, who did not qualify for the state meet last season, won the Elite 400-meter at the Shocker Pre-State Challenge and placed second in the 200.
 

Bishop Carroll’s Kyle Long, fourth at state in the 300-meter hurdles last spring (40.06), has one of the fastest times in the state this season, 39.21 seconds, a vast improvement on last season. In fourth place with a time of 39.53, Long was the area’s top finisher in the 300 at April’s Kansas Relays… Northwest High’s Andrew Etheridge flew to the finish line in front of a strong wind at the Campus Invitational in late April, winning the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 14.09 seconds, by far the state’s best time through early May. Last season’s 6A state champ ran a 14.21. Etheridge ran a 15.26 in the state final last May after running a 14.6 in the preliminaries…Hannah Tjaden of Clearwater, who placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles as a freshman last season, ran a 45.62 earlier this season, .83 seconds faster than her 2008 state time. Douglass High’s Cara Barnes, third in the 4A100 hurdles and sixth in the 300 at state last year, is the favorite in the Class 3A hurdles. Douglass’ Lauren Green, who qualified for state in two relays last season, is a contender in the 3A 100-meter dash…Winfield senior Sarina Proctor placed second in the 5A state 100-meter dash last season.
 

Sophomore Nathan Arnold vaulted 14’6” at state as a freshman to place third. He vaulted 15’3” earlier this season…Andale junior pole vaulter Michael Baalman, second in the event at 4A state last season (14’0”) is a favorite going into state…El Dorado sophomore Jaimie House won the 4A pole vault as a freshman…Alex Roe, a state qualifier in the shot put and discus last season, threw the discus 172’4” earlier this season…Jamillah Bonner of Southeast triple jumped 38’10.75” this season, which would have been good enough to win 6A state last season.
 

Area Returning State Track Champions

Jake Wike, Senior, Derby (6A)

3200 meter, 9:35.42
 

Robbie Garcia, Junior, Northwest (6A)

1600 meter, 4:24.56
 

Mike Flores, Senior, Maize (6A)

400 meter, :48.71
 

Austin Bahner, Senior, Heights (6A)

Triple Jump, 45-4.25
 

Tom O’Connell, Senior, Andover (4A)

3200 meter, 9:39.66
 

Tiffany Bias, Junior, Andover Central (5A)

400 meter, :57.39

200 meter, :25.79
 

J’Lynn Ledesma, Senior, Wellington (4A)

High Jump, 5-6
 

Tanya Friesen, Senior, Buhler (4A)

Long Jump, 18-3
 

Jaimie House, Sophomore, El Dorado (4A)

Pole Vault, 11-6
 

Ben Horsch, Junior, Andale (4A)

Pole Vault, 14-6
 

Kurt Pauly, Junior, Garden Plain (3A)

400 meter, :50.68
 

Bryon Bridges, Senior, Halstead (3A)

Pole Vault, 14-0
 

Jenny Welker, Senior, Pretty Prairie (1A)

100 hurdles, :15.83
 

Keith Zerger, Senior, Pretty Prairie (1A)

Pole Vault, 13-6


Events of Interest for greater Wichita area

FRIDAY

Byron Bridges, Halstead, 3A

Fri 11:30a Pole Vault South

 

Alex Gardinier, Circle, 4A

Fri 3p Javelin (Throwing Area SW outside Stadium)

 

Garcia, Newton; Greathouse, Kapaun; Lacoste, Newton, 5A

Fri 3p High Jump (South End of Stadium)

 

Ethan Fulghum, Andover Central; Evan Kaufman, Newton, 5A

Fri 3p Shot Put (South End of Stadium)

 

Alex Roe, Maize, 6A

Fri 3p Discus (Throwing Area SW outside Stadium)

 

J'Lynn Ledesma, Wellington, Tanya Friesen, Buhler, 4A

Fri 4:45p Triple Jump

 

Jamillah Bonner, Southeast, 6A

Fri 6:30p Triple Jump

 

Nathan Arnold, Carroll, 5A

Fri 6:30p Pole Vault South

 

Matt Byers, East, 6A

Fri 6:30p Javelin (Throwing Area SW Outside Stadium)

 

 

For track finals in each race, girls precede boys, and classifications run in this order: 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A. I list each competitor in that order.

 

SATURDAY

100 Hurdles Girls, 9:30a

Jenny Welker, Pretty Prairie, 2A

Cara Barnes, Douglass, 3A

Lacey McFadden, Remington

Hannah Tjaden, Clearwater

 

Andrew Etheridge, Northwest, 6A

Sat 9:50a 110 hurdles

 

Nick Johansen, Carroll, 5A

Sat 9:45a Triple Jump

 

100 Meter Dash Girls, 12:30p

Green, Douglass, 3A

Morgan Armbruster, Buhler, 4A

Bailee Clifton, Andover, 4A

 

100 Meter Dash Boys, 12:45p

Three Cunningham Boys, 1A

Tyler Armendariz, Halstead, 3A

Oliver Bradwell, East, 6A

 

1600 Meter Run Girls, 1:20p

Amanda Callaway, Belle Plaine, 3A

Mackenzie Maki, Kapaun, 5A

 

1600 Meter Run Boys, 1:50p

Tom O'Connell, Andover, 4A

Robbie Garcia, Northwest, 6A

 

Tiffany Bias, Andover Central, 4A

Sat 3:10p 400 meter

 

400 Meter Dash Boys, 3:25p

Kurt Pauly, Garden Plain, 3A

Blaine Hays, Hutch, 5A

Mike Flores, Miles Ukaoma, Garrett Hoch, Maize, 6A

 

Deidra Anthony, South, 6A

Sat 3:45p 300 hurdles

 

Kyle Long, Carroll, 5A

Sat 4p 300 Hurdles

 

800 Meter Run Girls, 4:20p

Misty Teague, Central Burden; Carley Dunham, Flinthills; Julie Penner, Berean, 2A

Molly Milbourn, El Dorado, 4A

Molly Nebel, Hesston, 4A

Danielle Walker, Maize, 6A

 

Travis McDaniel, Sedgwick, 3A

Sat 4:35p 800 Meter

 

Morgan Burns, Trinity Acad., 4A

Sat 5:05p 200 Meter