Kansas high school state track: Clearwater duo finish as champions
Madison Williams had lofty goals and senior year of track and field was on pace to be the best yet for a multi-time state champion.
And then, in the first meet of the season, the Clearwater star hurdler suffered a hamstring injury that put her entire senior season in jeopardy.
“There were times when I told people that I wish I didn’t care so much, but I really do care so deeply about track,” Williams said. “It was definitely hardest mentally, not knowing where I was going to be at the end of the season. There were so many goals that I wanted to reach this year, but I couldn’t.”
Williams dedicated herself to rehabilitating the partial tear, logging work at home and at school and even driving 30 minutes to receive treatment from Landon Langston at Optimal Performance in Wichita.
All of the hard work away from the track helped Williams return to the track in less than a month, as the Pittsburg State signee steadily worked her way back up to a full slate of work by the postseason.
And when the Kansas state high school track and field meet rolled around, Williams successfully defended her Class 4A championships in the 100-meter hurdles (14.93 seconds) and 300-meter hurdles (44.48 seconds). Not only that, but her teammate, Kenzy McArtor, was right behind her for the second year in a row to give Clearwater a 1-2 finish in both hurdles races.
“I was really hoping to defend my state titles again, so that meant a lot to me,” Williams said. “It also means a lot to accomplish it for my school and to go 1-2 the last two years with my teammate. That’s super special and something I will hold close to me for a long time.”
On top of their success in the hurdles, Williams and McArtor, an Oklahoma Christian signee, also helped Clearwater win its second straight 4A title in the 400 relay. This time the duo teamed up with Graysea Gardenhire and Callie Noland to win the race in 48.10 seconds, a school record time that also broke the 4A meet record by more than two tenths of a second.
The record time was a surprise to the girls because they honestly did not know what to expect with so few repetitions together due to Williams’ injury.
“They’re pretty special athletes,” Clearwater coach Jeff Cornwell said. “They show up every day with a good attitude and it’s really cool to watch them go to work. They’re all happy for each other and what they accomplish.
Williams ended her career sweeping the 4A titles in the hurdles her last three years, while McArtor was a 14-time state medalist.
It’s not a coincidence that the arrival of the duo has correlated with Clearwater coming away with four straight team trophies from the state meet: second in 2023 and third in 2022, 2024 and 2025. Those were the first team trophies for Clearwater from the state meet in 15 years.
“It’s been so awesome to be able to be teammates with (Williams) the last four years,” McArtor said. “I get to train like a champion. She pushes herself like no other person I’ve ever met. Getting to watch her compete is inspiring and it’s helped push me to become better. I think we both push each other all of the time and I’m just very blessed to have her as a teammate.”
Andover Central hurdler Allison Saunders wins 5A gold medal
In a photo finish, Andover Central junior Allison Saunders (43.70) prevailed over Bishop Carroll sophomore Lauren DeGroot (43.76) at the finish line to capture the 5A title in the 300 hurdles.
It was a major improvement for both runners in the event, as Saunders shaved more than five tenths off her previous best time. They were also the only two hurdlers who broke 44 seconds in the event in any classification at the state meet.
“I just saw the shadow of her foot after the last hurdle, so I kept pushing myself,” Saunders said. “The whole entire time in my head, I knew that I needed to do it for myself because this was the last race of the year, so I just had to go all out.”
It was a superb state meet for Saunders, who also placed second in the 100 hurdles (14.96) and second in the high jump (5-2). She has placed in the 300 hurdles all three years at the state meet.
“It’s such a special moment to be able to get up on that podium and stand on top,” Saunders said. “Just to know all of my hard work has paid off and looking out into the stands, it was a surreal moment.”
Wichita East’s Tristen Cross claims 6A long jump title
After a pair of top-3 finishes at the state meet last season, East’s Tristen Cross finally ascended to the top of the podium in his senior year.
Cross was the only competitor in the 6A long jump field to clear 22 feet, as his mark of 22-4 won the gold medal. He is a 4-time state qualifier in the event and steadily improved at every state meet.
“He’s just a competitive young man who cares about and loves track and field,” East coach Darham Rogers said. “He works harder than anybody and that work ethic has really paid off over the last few years. He works so hard every single day to get to this point and I’m so happy to see him get rewarded like that.”
After qualifying in the long jump and triple jump last season, Cross added to his repertoire this year with the 100. He picked up a state medal in all three of his individual events, as he also placed fourth in the open 100 (10.78) and took seventh in the triple jump (44-2.25).
Wichita Independent’s Aaron Shadid overcomes injury to become champion
Last year’s state meet was brutal for Wichita Independent’s Aaron Shadid, a promising sprinter who was unable to qualify due to a hamstring injury.
“It was devastating to watch everyone else compete at state last year, watching my friends and my opponents do great things,” Shadid said. “And then after I was all the way back, I tore my same hamstring right before my senior year.”
Shadid had to work even harder to rehabilitate in time to return for the postseason. The hard work paid off with a big state meet, as the Independent senior won the Class 1A title in the 200 in a photo finish with a winning time of 22.23 and also took second in the 100 in a time of 10.87.
His time of 22.09 in the 200 prelims actually matched the meet record that had been held solely by Waverly’s Joseph Herron (22.09) since 1995.
“I was actually losing going into the last 100 meters and I was like, ‘I’ve come way too far to lose when it matters the most,’” Shadid said. “So I just dug deep and took it back at the very end. After missing out on last year, I felt like this was a revenge arc for me to come back from a torn hamstring and become a state champion. It feels amazing.”
Newton’s Mackenzie Sauerwein sweeps the 5A girls sprints
It wasn’t that long ago when Newton’s Mackenzie Sauerwein was battling just to make the 100 finals at the 5A state meet.
In a testament to her senior-year improvement, Sauerwein ended her career as a double gold medalist after winning the 100 (12.32) and 200 (25.23).
“I’ve been coming here for four years and I’ve improved every year,” Sauerwein said. “To be able to get two state championships my last year, I’m super excited. I’m so thankful for my amazing coaches and amazing teammates around me.”
Both races were close, as Sauerwein barely edged out St. James Academy senior Beatrice Wiley in the 100 (12.32 to 12.35) and the 200 (25.23 to 25.24).
The Newton champion placed eighth in the 100 and fourth in the 200 last season, while she did not qualify for the finals of either race in her first two years at the state meet.
Remington hurdler Emily O’Brien scores redemption gold medal
After her championship dreams were shattered with a false start at regionals last year, Remington junior Emily O’Brien would not be denied this season.
She came back with a vengeance in the 100 hurdles, culminating with a career-best time of 15.20 to win the 2A title this season.
“I was so angry after false-starting last year in prelims, so I called this my revenge year,” O’Brien said. “To be able to come back and prove that I am worthy of it, it’s just an amazing feeling. I’m just beyond grateful for the ability to even run and compete in this sport.”
O’Brien later added a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles, again with a major improvement with a personal-best time of 45.95.
Moundridge’s Kaden Elmore grabs one more 2A state title
The decorated career of Moundridge’s Kaden Elmore added another individual gold medal in his last year.
The senior won the 2A title in the 400 with a time of 49.27, barely edging out Eureka’s Peyton Hare (49.31) and Cair Paravel’s Ben Roeder (49.37) at the finish line.
Elmore finished his career as a 4-time individual state champion, including three golds in the 400 race. His performance at the state meet this season was the first time he had cracked 50 seconds in the quarter-mile race.
“It means a lot to me to go out and finish strong and be on top of the podium one last time,” Elmore said. “That one felt really good.”
Elmore logged a total of 11 top-4 finishes in the 2A sprints, including the 2023 title in the 100 and three runner-up finishes in the 200. He capped off his senior year with a third-place finish in both the 100 and 200 to go along with his gold in the 400.
Other Wichita-area boys state track and field champions
Andover junior Shal Ruud was the only competitor in the 5A high jump field to clear 6-6, which gave him the first state title of his career.
Trinity Academy senior Caleb Tofteland collected the second gold medal of the weekend by winning the 3A title in the 1600 with a personal-best time of 4:12.77. Tofteland, who also won the 3200, is the third straight runner for Trinity to win the 1600 title in 3A.
For the second straight year, Cunningham senior Will Wegerer won the 1A pole vault title. This time he did it with a personal-best clearance of 16-1 to win the competition by 19 inches.
The Berean Academy 1600 relay team of Randall Thiessen, Aiden Fasnacht, Titus Veer and Ryley Busenitz won the 2A title in a wire-to-wire performance with a season-best time of 3:25.85.
Little River senior Jay Smith won both of the all-class wheelchair races with a winning time in the 100 of 22.29 and a winning time in the 400 of 1:46.50.
Other Wichita-area girls state track and field champions
Trinity Academy junior Emily Hein, who also won the 3200, added to her gold-medal collection with another 3A title in the 1600 with a personal-best time of 5:07.16.
Sterling junior Julia Kilgore successfully won her third straight 2A title in the 400, cracking 57 seconds for the first time at the state meet with a personal-best time of 56.40 to win the race by more than a second.
The Collegiate 3200 relay team of Savannah Vess, Alegra Fazio, Macy Beran and Ellie Howell shaved more than nine seconds off their season-best time to win the 3A title in 9:46.49. Howell, the anchor, closed with a 2:22 split to help take the Spartans from second to first on the final leg.
Hutchinson senior KeiRre Martinez won the 5A long jump title on her second-to-last jump with a winning mark of 17-6.5.
The Arkansas City 400 relay team of Khalyiah Evans, Kierslynn Waggoner, Saliyah Johnson and Kinzie Perdue won the 5A title in a time of 48.72.
In a record-setting time, Andover Central sophomore Annaliese Vitosh won the all-class wheelchair 100 with a time of 22.61.
Wichita Heights junior Isabel Einwich became a 2-time gold medalist by winning the all-class wheelchair 400 race with a time of 1:22.89 and prevailing in the mixed wheelchair 1600 with a winning time of 5:37.03.
The Moundridge 1600 relay team of Avery Schrag, Cammi Unruh, Baylee Schriner and Halle Hecox won the 2A title by more than four seconds with a season-best time of 4:05.25.
The Inman 400 relay team of Katie Nichols, Brooklyn Black, Leah Black and Olivia Brunk won the 2A title in a season-best time of 50.03.
Little River junior Havana Olander delivered the winning mark on her first attempt, claiming the 1A triple jump title with a personal-best mark of 37-9.5.
This story was originally published June 16, 2025 at 7:01 AM.
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