Kansas high school state track: Read about every Wichita-area state champion winner
Having a father who is a two-time All-American pole vaulter and still holds the record at Wichita State, Andover Central junior Ashton Barkdull had always been interested in the event.
But before this season, the Andover Central track and field team had never had a pole vaulter because there was not pole vault pits in its old home track. That changed when the new stadium for Andover Central was built and thanks to boosters and rabid supporters, pole vault pits were included.
In Andover Central’s first season supporting pole vaulters, the team already has a state champion in Ashton Barkdull, who followed in his father’s footsteps and won the Kansas Class 5A state track and field championship in the pole vault by clearing 14 feet at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium on Thursday.
“It’s a funny story because I was at practice on day and practice got over and I saw (the pole vaulters) still practicing and I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to go give it a try,’” Ashton Barkdull said. “Once I did it once, I was addicted. I couldn’t quit. After that, I just kept progressing and progressing.”
Watching his son win a state championship in his event at the same stadium where he became an All-American and still holds a record was a surreal experience for Ryan Barkdull, who was a major advocate for Andover Central installing pole vault pits and became the team’s pole vault coach this season.
“He only started pole vaulting about a month and a half ago, so it’s pretty impressive he’s been able to come into a sport that’s so technical and be able to claw his way to the top that fast,” Ryan Barkdull said. “It was pretty exciting to see him vault on my old turf.”
While Ashton was unable to match his season-best mark of 14-6, which stands as the fourth-best mark in Kansas this season, he was the only vaulter in 5A to clear the bar at 14.
“He’s just a good athlete,” Ryan Barkdull said. “He’s really fast and he’s determined. That helps.”
Ashton’s athleticism was evident by his runner-up finish in the open 400 in a time of 50.11. He also made it to the finals in the 100 and finished seventh in 11.00, while running a 50-second anchor leg on Andover Central’s 4x4 relay team that took fifth.
Once considered just a runner, Ashton said he was happy to add a new event to his repertoire this season — and especially one that has special meaning to him and his family.
“I’m not going to lie, I was hoping to go higher today but the weather was tough today,” Ashton said. “I’m just happy to get the win. I’m glad I walked over there that one day.”
Garden Plain’s Arden Rex wins three golds to lead Owls to team title
It was a gold medal kind of day for Garden Plain senior Arden Rex, who became a first-time state champion in a big way on Saturday.
Rex started his day by winning the 2A boys javelin championship with a throw of 182-8, just ahead of his teammate Will Tice at 176-6.
He then doubled up as a state champion in a thrilling triple jump competition that saw him win his second gold on his final attempt, a 44-4 mark that topped Hillsboro’s Carson Linnens by a half-inch for the 2A title.
In his final race, Rex won the 2A boys 200 title in a time of 22.51. He nearly made it a four-gold day, but finished runner-up in the 400 with a time of 51.91.
Rex was significant in helping the Owls win the 2A team title with a score of 73 points in a runaway victory over second-place KC Christian with 44 points.
Another individual champion on Garden Plain was Jack Haukaup, who won the 2A shot put title by more than five feet with a mark of 52-2.5.
Bishop Carroll’s Hope Jackson wins 5A girls 1600, 3200
Carroll junior Hope Jackson is known more for her distance racing, but she showed she has a golden kick too.
With her lead in the Class 5A girls 1,600 race in question by a charging Zoie Ecord of Maize, Jackson turned on the burners to hold off Ecord to win the title with a time of 5:04.75 to Ecord’s 5:04.98.
“When I got to the 200 mark, I saw her gaining on me because I looked up at the jumbotron and was like, ‘Uh oh,’” Jackson said. “I knew if she passed me, she would get me, so I just had to hang on. She kicked early, so I knew I wanted to be the last one to kick and I just held on as long as I could and kicked at the end to get the win. It was so crazy.”
After winning the 5A cross country title in the fall, Jackson added her first state titles on the track by doubling up in the 1,600 and the 3,200 (10:59.77) with her two-mile time being the fourth-fastest in the state this season.
Maize’s Jacob Hanna wins 5A boys high jump, 300 hurdles
It’s hard for Maize’s Jacob Hanna to think of a better senior year.
After being a star wide receiver for a successful football team, Hanna helped lead the boys basketball team to its first state championship.
And now, Hanna has two more state titles to call his own after winning the Class 5A high jump and the 300 hurdles — both in season-best performances.
“It’s been a great senior year, for sure,” said Hanna, who is signed to play Division II basketball at Illinois-Springfield. “It’s a great way to go out winning a state championship in basketball, now getting two in track.”
Hanna claimed his first in a do-or-die situation in the high jump finals. Based on jumps, Hanna needed to clear his third and final attempt at 6-6 or else he would finish second. Hanna responded with a PR in the clutch situation.
“As an athlete, you love having the pressure-packed situations like that,” Hanna said. “That was great for me to have one last time, one last high school meet to put it all together like that.”
That adrenaline rush might have carried over soon after to his 300 hurdles race, as Hanna blazed to a season-best time of 38.83 for the fastest time in Kansas this season.
Andale’s Ty McPhail, Annabeth Baalman sweep 4A pole vault titles
Pole vaulting has been a staple of Andale’s team success and the Indians added two more state champions on Friday, as senior Ty McPhail won the Class 4A boys title (15-9) and junior Annabeth Baalman won the 4A girls title (11-0).
“Every year we have girls and boys who start out in the program and they see all of those names up there and they want to be up there someday,” Andale pole vault coach Mark Schmidt said. “We always tell them, ‘You can be a state champion too if you put in the work and put in the time.’ And then by the end of their senior year, once they get all of those reps, it usually turns out very well.”
Baalmann was one of those wide-eyed freshmen who saw Jaden Eck win the 4A pole vault title in 2019. Now she’s a champion herself, as she was the only vaulter in the field to clear 11 feet.
“Ever since I saw her win, I wanted to do that too,” Baalmann said. “I just had to put in the work and it paid off in the end.”
Meanwhile, McPhail will go down as the best vaulter in Andale’s storied history. His season-best mark of 16-6.25 is the best in Kansas this season, the best in Andale history and the seventh-best mark in state history.
“It’s pretty cool because I’ve worked really hard for this for the last four years,” McPhail said. “I always pushed hard for it, so it was nice to finally get it.”
Andale’s girls team had a dominant performance, racking up a total of 137.5 points — nearly double of second place Paola with 70. The Indians were boosted by gold medals from two of their relay teams, as the 4x1 squad of Kamryn Winter, Cali Kerschen, Lainee Eck and Elizabeth Reichenberger won the 4A title in 49.89 and the 4x4 team of Eck, Winter, Reichenberger and Madeleine Schrandt won the title in 4:09.45.
Wellington’s Annalisa Cullens sweeps 4A girls hurdles titles
As Wellington sophomore Annalisa Cullens looked up at the jumbotron at Cessna Field on Friday and a season-best time flashed on the screen, she broke out in a wide smile and gave a fist pump.
Not only had she just won the Class 4A championship in the 100 hurdles, but she had shaved more than four-tenths off her PR with a season-best time of 14.39, which tied the fastest time posted in Kansas this season.
“My mom gave me a time at the beginning of the year to get a 14.5, so that’s what has been pushing me all season,” Cullen said.
So what’s the reward?
“I get a steak dinner,” said Cullens, flashing the wide smile again.
Cullens might have earned two steak dinners after her performance on Friday, as she doubled up as a state champion in her first appearance at the state meet by winning the 300 hurdles in a time of 45.05.
“It feels like I’m floating,” Cullens said. “It’s just my happy place going over the hurdles and making sure I hit every single one of them.”
Heights’ Elijah Mosley wins 6A boys 200, 400
It was the final result Heights senior Elijah Mosley wanted, but not the times.
While Thursday’s title-winning times in the 200 (21.68) and 400 (49.12) weren’t the significant season-best performances he was looking for, Mosley was proud to win a pair of individual state championships in Class 6A.
“It means a lot, but it would mean more if I would have run a better time,” said Mosley, who said a hamstring injury limited him. “I know I can run faster, but we got the job done and I’m glad I won.”
Mosley’s career personal-best time of 47.61 in the 400 ranks No. 8 all-time in Kansas, while his season-best time of 48.16 is still the best in Kansas. His 200 PR (21.68) is the second-fastest time in the state this season.
Clearwater brother-sister tandem win 4A 800 titles
The Trotter family had goals of sweeping the 800 races and they made it a reality on Friday.
Hayley Trotter, a sophomore, started things off with a season-best performance of 2:18.84 to win the Class 4A girls 800 title, then Zach Trotter, a senior, finished it off with a dazzling performance of 1:57.27 to win the 4A boys 800 title just minutes later.
“This was our goal, so it’s so cool to watch him win it as a senior,” Hayley Trotter said. “I’m so proud of him to see how much he’s accomplished in such a short amount of time.”
Hayley Trotter said her strategy was to lead the race on the first lap at a fast pace to try to wear down the competition. It worked perfectly, as others faded but she maintained her pace to win the race by more than three seconds.
“I’m super stoked about my time, especially after running the mile,” Hayley said. “To be able to hang on and finish, I’m so excited about it.”
Hayley also finished third in the 1600 and ran a leg on Clearwater’s third-place 4x4 relay team, while Zach was the anchor leg that helped Clearwater finish second in the boys 4x4 relay.
East’s Kennadie Jinkins wins 6A girls 300 hurdles
There’s not too many state champions who run races in Lane 8.
But being a novice to the event, East junior Kennadie Jinkins didn’t think twice about what lane she was in for the Class 6A finals in the 300 hurdles.
Jinkins, who entered with the slowest seed time, stunned the field by shedding nearly two seconds off her personal-best time to win the 6A title in 46.68 from the outside lane.
“I’ve only ran it about half the season, so it was amazing to get the win and to get a PR too,” Jinkins said. “I was just focused on trying to get my steps right and trying to be smooth. Sometimes I try to overthink things, so I just tried to go out there and run smooth and don’t think about it as much.”
Jinkins had a busy day on the track, as she finished runner-up in the 100 hurdles (15.12), took fourth in the 100 (12.38) and placed third in the 200 (25.70).
South boys win 6A 4x4 relay
South entered the Class 6A state meet with the slowest seed time in the boys 4x4 relay.
The Titans threw together a team that ran together for the first time all season and out of the slow heat, they won a state championship.
The team of Dameion Beaver, Shahid Harris, Raziel Patton and Serapis Artis took home gold when their season-best time of 3:28.14 held up by just more than a tenth against the fastest time from the second heat.
“We were all sitting down on the bench and when we saw first place Wichita South, we just looked at each other and jumped for joy,” Artis said. “It feels amazing to be a state champion. Every team came here to try to win and that just pushed us to another level.”
Augusta’s Sawyer Schmidt wins 4A boys 1600, 3200
Augusta’s Sawyer Schmidt put the finishing touches on a breakout junior campaign, as he became a two-time state champion on Friday by winning the 4A titles in the 1600 (4:23.44) and 3200 (9:37.23)
Schmidt’s season-best times of 4:19.10 and 9:17.80 both rank top-10 in the state this season. While his performances on Friday were off those times, Schmidt didn’t receive a push in either race and won both titles comfortably.
North’s Taryn St. Clair wins 6A girls high jump
North sophomore Taryn St. Clair has won a lot of high jump competitions in her career, but never one in front of an audience like her first state meet at Cessna Stadium.
St. Clair shook off the nerves and was the only athlete to clear 5 foot 4 on her first attempt, which gave her the tiebreaker to win the Class 6A state championship.
“At first, it was pretty overwhelming because you see all of those people up in the stands and you don’t know what to expect,” St. Clair said. “But I knew what I needed to do to get the job done and I knew I was capable of winning, I just had to go out there and do it.”
The personal-best mark she set this season at 5 foot 8 still stands as the best mark in Kansas this season.
“This season has been a milestone for me,” St. Clair said. “I feel like I took another step and I showed myself what I was capable of doing and that makes me really proud. It was a great experience and that podium is taller than what you would expect. I hope to be back next season.”
Valley Center’s Jalea Hoddy wins 5A girls 800
After running so many 800s in her life, Valley Center senior Jalea Hoddy feels like she has a pretty good instinct for when to start his kick.
Her gut once again was right on Thursday when she turned on the kick at the right time to win the Class 5A girls 800 race in a season-best time of 2:21.33, edging out Maize’s Zoie Ecord (2:21.40) and Kapaun’s Kelsey Bruening (2:21.58) at the finish line.
“My nerves kind of disappear when I’m in that race because the 800 is my race,” Hoddy said. “It’s all mental and it’s all in my legs. I just know that right around that 200 mark, I just clear my head and let my body do the work. Me and that girl had a battle but I dipped my head at the finish line and got that dub. That was a truly awesome way to end my senior year.”
Andale’s Riley Marx wins 4A boys javelin, discus
Andale sophomore Riley Marx joined rarefied territory in the prestigious Andale program by becoming a dual champion on Friday, winning the boys 4A titles in the javelin (194-7) and discus (150-3).
Andover boys wins 5A 4x8 relay
It’s not often that Andover senior Sam McDavitt gets to chase a pack down.
That’s exactly why he was the Trojans’ anchor leg on their 3200-meter relay team. McDavitt was fourth when he took the baton, but passed all three runners during his 1:54 split to win the Class 5A championship in a time of 8:05.27 for the sixth-best time in Kansas this season.
“I love chasing people,” McDavitt said. “Chasing people gives you a whole other perspective to the running game. When I get to chase people, I have one goal in mind and it’s, ‘I’m going to catch you.’”
Andover was as far behind as eight seconds from the leader during the race, but surged back into the mix thanks to the third leg of Kaden Hauck, who had a split of 1:58, and the closing stretch from McDavitt. The first two legs were run by John Hippisley and Carter Champlin.
“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and I’m so proud of this team,” McDavitt said. “This shows how great Andover can be when we come together.”
McDavitt had a busy day, as he placed second in the the open 800 (1:57.62) and took fifth in the 1600 (4:26.24). He also ran a sub-50-second anchor leg on Andover’s 4x4 relay team, which took fourth.
Goddard’s Malachi Mullens wins 5A boys triple jump
Goddard senior Malachi Mullens was feeling the pressure when Bonner Springs’ Cortland Hervey opened the Class 5A boys triple jump competition with a mark of 46-6.75.
Mullens was still chasing Hervey after the preliminaries, but the Goddard senior found the winning jump of 46-7.5 on his first attempt of finals to win the title by less than an inch.
“I was a little surprised because I haven’t been feeling the best all week,” Mullens said. “I just had to go hard and hoped for the best and it all worked out.”
Mullens’ season-best mark of 46-10.25 still ranks as the third-best in Kansas this season.
“It feels great to be a state champion,” Mullens said. “It makes all of the hard work worth it. Once you come here and get to this place and you get up on that podium, it’s all worth it.”
East boys win 6A 4x1 relay
East senior Adama Faye wanted to pull out of running on the team’s 4x1 relay after finishing dead last in the preliminaries of the open 100 in a race where he had one of the highest seeds entering.
“I’m sick as a dog today,” Faye said. “I wasn’t even going to run another race, but my teammates convinced me to come back out.”
That turned out to be the right call, as Faye looked back in form for the second leg of the relay race and helped East win the Class 6A state championship in a time of 42.74.
Faye was joined on the title-winning relay by Justin Bell, Tobi Osunsanmi and Travon Manuel.
“These are my guys,” Faye said. “I’ve been here for two years and I love them more than anything. They’re brothers to me. First place at state with these guys is just crazy.”
Belle Peters leads Smoky Valley girls to 3A team title
The Smoky Valley won its third girls state track and field championship and first since 1993 in a dominant performance, nearly doubling the 3A field with 85 team points for the title.
The star of the day was senior Belle Peters, who won three state titles on Friday.
It was no surprise Peters won the pole vault title with an 11-6 clearance for her second straight title in the event. Her season-best mark of 13-3 was the top clearance in Kansas this season and the second-best vault in Kansas history.
“It was really nice to get the first place and the points for my team,” Peters said. “I didn’t jump like I wanted to, but it’s not always about the mark, it’s about coming out and having fun.”
Peters added to her gold-medal collection with wins in the 100 hurdles and 200, then finished third place in the 100. The 100 hurdles race was particularly exciting, as Peters went over the final hurdle at the same time as Anderson County’s Abi Reid and won on her lean across the line in a time of 14.78 to Reid’s 14.80. Peters won the 200 in a season-best 25.94
Smoky Valley’s other individual champion was junior Elizabeth Lambert, who won the 800 with a time of 2:18.75. She was also a leg on Smoky Valley’s gold medal-winning 4x4 and 4x8 relay teams, as the team of Lambert, Abby Rose, Keira Mullen and Kajsa Peterson won the 4x4 title in 4:03.72 and the team of Lambert, McKinley Johnson, Mullen and Rose won the 4x8 title in 9:48.99.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel girls win 5A 4x8 relay
The Kapaun girls 3200-meter relay team shaved more than 20 seconds off their season-best time to win the Class 5A title in a time of 9:38.37, which is the fifth-best time in Kansas this season.
The relay team consisted of Julia Berends, Mason Bina, Kelsey Bruening and Addie Curtis.
“We’ve been training really hard together this whole season and to win it together was a really great moment,” Curtis said.
Circle’s Kimalee Cook wins 4A girls 100
Circle senior Kimalee Cook got back on top of the podium in her final track meet, winning the 4A title in the 100 with a season-best time of 12.33 in the finals.
It was the second straight 100 title for Cook, who also won the 4A race in 2019. Cook, who added a runner-up finish in the 200 on Friday, concluded her career as a three-time state champion.
Campus’ Garrett Denning wins 6A boys 300 hurdles
Campus junior Garrett Denning pulled away from the pack down the stretch to claim the Class 6A boys 300 hurdles championship in a time of 40.26.
“I just ran my tail off,” Denning said. “The last 50 meters, I just kept thinking, ‘You’re almost there, you’re almost there.’ My legs were hurting, so I just had to dig deep for it.
“It felt really good to win because it takes a little stress off my shoulders about winning it next year now.”
Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Sophia Gimino wins 5A girls javelin
Entering her final throw in the javelin finals, Kapaun sophomore Sophia Gimino needed to tack on more than six feet to her best throw to win the state title.
She added more than nine feet instead, as Gimino’s final throw of 128-5 was good enough to vault her to the gold medal for the 5A javelin.
“There was a lot of pressure, but I tend to thrive on pressure situations,” Gimino said. “It gets my adrenaline going and it gets me excited. I wanted to do well not just for myself, but for my team. So I just relaxed and really turned my hips and let it fly.”
Gimino’s vaulting up to first place also helped Kapaun win a second-place team trophy
Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s William Doolittle wins 5A boys discus
Kapaun junior William Doolittle had two throws that would have won the Class 5A boys discus championship, as he delivered a personal-best of 179-8 to win in a loaded field that saw four throwers clear 170.
Doolittle tacked on more than nine feet to his personal-best throw to end the season with the fourth-best mark in Kansas.
“It means a lot to be able to do it my junior year, so now I can come back next year and defend it,” Doolittle said. “It feels really good. Hard work pays off.”
Wellington’s Kenny Fehrman wins 4A boys shot put
It was an entertaining end to the Class 4A boys shot put competition, as the final three throwers all one-upped each other with Wellington senior Kenny Fehrman emerging victorious with a season-best mark of 54-2.5.
Andale’s Beau Kerschen briefly took the lead with his final throw of 52-1.75, then teammate Jackson Kraus overtook him with his final throw of 52-5.75. That set up Fehrman, who needed to throw a season PR to win and did just that by tacking on more than three feet to its previous best.
El Dorado’s Tylen Ashihi wins 4A boys 400
After entering with nearly identical season-best times, El Dorado junior Tylen Ashihi won a showdown with Chanute’s Rawley Chard in the 400 finals.
In a race that came down to the final 10 meters, it was Ashihi (49.59) who had the better kick with Chard (49.64) just behind him.
Nickerson’s Ava Jones wins 4A girls high jump
Known as a star basketball player during the fall, Ava Jones added a state championship to her name in the spring.
The Nickerson sophomore won the Class 4A girls high jump on Friday, matching her season-best mark of 5-4 to win a tiebreaker.
Andover’s Tayton Klein wins 5A boys long jump
Down to his final attempt in the Class 5A boys long jump, Andover junior Tayton Klein produced the gold-medal winning mark of 21-8.5 in a pressure-packed situation.
Klein was in fifth place entering his final attempt, but tacked on more than nine inches to his best mark to vault to first place.
Nickerson’s Brayden Millers, Phillippe Manga win 4A boys high jump, long jump
A pair of Nickerson senior teammates came away as first-time state champions on Friday.
Brayden Miller matched his season-best mark of 6-6 to claim the 4A high jump title, as he was the only jumper in the field to clear past 6-2. Meanwhile, Phillippe Manga won the 4A long jump title on his final attempt, a 21-11.25 mark that won him the title by two inches.
Newton’s Kenyon Forest wins 5A boys javelin
Newton junior Kenyon Forest won the Class 5A boys javelin championship with a season-best throw of 175-5.
Forest produced the winning throw on his first attempt of finals, edging out second place by 13 inches.
Hesston’s Caryn Yoder wins 3A girls 100
Hesston junior Caryn Yoder claimed the title as fastest girl in 3A with a title-winning time and season-best performance of 12.32 in the 100 finals.
Douglass’ Karsen Dunham wins 3A girls triple jump
All five of the attempts by Douglass senior Karsen Dunham were good enough to win the Class 3A girls triple jump championship.
While no one else could clear 35-1, Dunham did that all five times and won with a personal-best mark of 36-9.75. It completed a significant improvement for Dunham, who finished 15th in the 3A triple jump at the 2019 state meet.
Chaparral’s Matte Swartz wins 3A girls high jump
Chaparral junior Matte Swartz won her second straight Class 3A girls high jump championship, as she was the only jumper to clear 5-6 on Friday.
Swartz’s season-best mark of 5-7 still stands as the second-best jump in Kansas this season.
Buhler’s boys win 4A 4x8 relay
The Buhler 3200-meter relay squad of Brayden Dressman, Spencer Hines, Tanner Lindahl and Hayden Keller crushed their season-best time in a title-winning performance of 8:16.29 to win the 4A title.
Bluestem’s Torrance Lovesee wins 2A girls triple jump
After four medals in her career, Bluestem senior Torrance Lovesee finally broke through to win her first career state title by winning the 2A girls triple jump with a mark of 36-2.75.
Remington’s Asher Brown wins 2A boys 3200
In a three-way thriller, Remington senior Asher Brown won at the finish line with a lean to capture the 2A boys 3200 title in a time of 9:50.13, barely edging Hoxie’s Gabriel Friess (9:50.29) and Stanton County’s Kamryn Golub (9:50.35).
Madison’s Casey Helm wins 1A boys discus, shot put
Madison junior Casey Helm won the 1A boys discus title with his first throw of the day with a mark of 164-10.
He doubled up later in the day with a 1A shot put title, as his final throw of 55-4.5 won the competition by more than three feet.
Hillsboro’s Nate Hein wins 2A boys pole vault
Hillsboro junior Nate Hein won the 2A boys pole vault title on Saturday with a clearance of 13-6, winning the tiebreaker on jumps. It is the second straight pole vault title for Hein.
Norwich boys win 1A 4x1 relay
The Norwich 400 relay team of Braden Voyles, Bradey McIntire, Tray Schroeder and David Bushey won the boys 1A title with a time of 44.18.
Moundridge boys win 2A 4x1 relay
The Moundridge 400 relay team of Corbin Unruh, Garrett Doherty, Landon Kaufman and MacKaleb Unruh teamed up to win the boys 2A title in a time of 44.22.
Berean Academy boys win 2A 4x8 relay
The Berean Academy 3200 relay team of Andrew Janzen, Chase Wiebe, Gavin Tucker, Trey Topham won the boys 2A title with a time of 8:18.13 to win the race by more than three seconds.
Attica’s Tamara Lozoya wins 1A girls pole vault
In a jump-off for the Class 1A girls pole vault title, Attica junior Tamara Lozoya won by clearing 10 feet even for her first state title.
Madison’s Bryson Turner wins 1A boys 100
In her first appearance at the state meet, Madison sophomore Bryson Turner won the 1A boys 100 title with a time of 11.44.
This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
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