Wichita Collegiate sprinter wins track gold with state-meet record time
When Wichita Collegiate sophomore Timmy Ritchie crossed the finish line, he knew he had just posted a good time in the 400-meter dash.
But 47 seconds — flat? Now that was a surprise.
Ritchie capped a superb weekend at the Kansas high school state track and field meet by winning his first individual state title, claiming the Class 3A championship with a time of 47.00 in the 400. That shattered the state-meet record, which had been held since 2009 by Garden Plain’s Kurt Pauly (48.32).
It was also the fifth-fastest 400 time recorded in Kansas high school state history.
“I couldn’t believe I really just ran a 47 flat,” Ritchie said. “I was aiming for somewhere around there and I had really high hopes coming in, but it was still surprising. I felt really good about that one.”
It was the crowning achievement of a standout weekend by Ritchie, who added runner-up finishes in the 100, 200 and 400 relay.
While he only came away with one gold medal — still nothing to sneeze at — Ritchie arguably delivered one of the best all-around performances of any athlete in the entire meet.
Not only did Ritchie record the fastest 400 time of any champion at the state meet, he also ran the second-fastest time in any class in the 100 and 200. It just so happened he was in the same race as Burlington’s Brody Anderson, who took the gold with the fastest state-wide times in the 100 and 200. Ritchie’s runner-up time of 10.50 in the 100 also broke the previous state-meet record held by former NFL player Jordy Nelson set in 2003 at Riley County.
“It was a really exciting weekend,” Ritchie said. “It made me think about why I’m doing track and made me love the sport even more.”
Ritchie’s breakthrough in the quarter mile came as the result of learning from past experience at a big meet. Back in April, Ritchie started out fast — too fast — in the 400 finals at the Kansas Relays and faded down the stretch to take fourth in a time of 48.50.
A more controlled start was the key to his record-breaking time last weekend at University Stadium in front of a state-wide crowd.
“I was really looking to go out pretty smooth, not too fast,” Ritchie said. “I did that at KU and I paid the price at the end. So I’ve really been focused on that last 200 and that really helped me.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 2:31 PM.
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