Post-season summary📚
from high school to collegiate
The Heartland Distance Summit 📝
The sports of track & field and cross country are constantly changing and advancing. Some say carbon-plated shoes are the impetus for change, while would some argue that it’s the emphasis on recovery. Though both are true, one of the most important factors in the evolution of the sport is the type of training and the coaches that are transforming the way athletes improve. This year, the Heartland Distance Summit is bringing in another incredible year of coaches who are willing to share their expertise and the experiences that have made them some of the best coaches in the region and the country.
Register for the 2023 edition here, and join coaches from all over the country on July 20th and 21st to hear from …
Will & Samantha Palmer (University of Alabama & Florida)
Jesse Coy (Rapid City Stevens High School, South Dakota
Eric Dettman (Lincoln High School, Oregon)
Eric Carroll & Dr. Randy Mijares (Trinity Academy, Kansas)
Local Panel ——————
Kelsey Carbajo (Olathe West)
David Chatlos (Liberty North)
Rikki Hacker (Shawnee Mission East)
Ryan Unruh (Blue Springs South
It was hot in Austin🥵
Two weeks back, at the University of Texas, the conclusion of the collegiate track & field became a reality, with its final stop being Mike A. Myers stadium in Austin, TX. There were a handful of in-state All-Americans, along with a solid number of Kansas alumni, that left Austin with some PR’s and All-American honors.
As I previously mentioned, all three in-state Division I programs were represented, with the Jayhawks leading the way in both qualifiers and All-Americans. The Jayhawks had five All-Americans in total, with pole vaulter Clayton Simms collecting their lone First Team All-American honor. Simms, who is no stranger to both the national meet and All-American finishes, finished 5th for the second straight national championship, with a clearance of 18-4.5 earning him the hardware. For Simms, this is fourth-straight First Team All-American finish. He’ll come back next year as third best vaulter in outdoor, barring any additional years of eligibility for the three seniors ahead of him.
Both Jayhawk women, Rylee Anderson and Lona Latema earned Second Team All-American honors in their respective events, with Anderson finishing twelfth in the high jump (5-11.25), and Latema placing fifteenth in the 3000m steeplechase (9:58.30).
Michael Joseph and A.J. Green left with Second Team honors as well, with Joseph 10th in the 400m (45.19) and Green ending the season in 14th in the 800m (1:49.32).
Kansas State also had a lone First Team All-American, with Emma Robbins taking 4th in the hammer throw. She saved her best for last, throwing a lifetime best of 229-3. Her new PR was an improvement of nearly six feet from her previous best, and was just .11 cm shy of joining the 70m club. Additionally, Robbins was the top non-senior in the field. This was her first time representing the ‘Cats on the big stage and her first since qualifying in 2021 while at LSU.
Urte Bacianskaite was less than one-hundred points away from her first ever First Team All-American finish, totaling 5790 points for a ninth place finish. As a consolation prize for a great competition, Bacianskaite still went back to Manhattan with a shiny new PR and Second Team honors.
The lone Wildcat man in Austin, Kade McCall, earned Second Team honors in the hammer throw, tossing it 225-5 for a 14th place finish.
In addition to our Jayhawk, Wildcat and Shocker athletes, there were ten Kansas alumni, who went from winning state medals in high school, to earning All-American status as collegians.
Emily Venters — Lawrence Free State → Utah🏔️
Venters just wrapped up one of the best seasons in Ute history, finishing runner-up in the 10,000m (32:47.70) and taking 3rd in the 5000m (15:42.40). After the journey she has been on throughout her collegiate career, this was a long time coming and deserved for the former state champion. Her career as a Ute ends with the 6th fastest time in the 10,000m in NCAA history, and four First Team All-American finishes dating back to the fall.
Cailie Logue — Girard → Iowa State🌪️
A Girard legend, Kansas legend, and Iowa State legend walk into a bar. Gotcha! It’s actually just one person, and that is the 13-time state champion! Logue ends her career with her best national meet of her Cyclone career, placing 6th in both the 10,000m (33:06.86) and 5000m (15:49.85). Her time in Ames ends with thirteen Big 12 titles and four First Team All-American honors.
Katelyn Fairchild — Andale → Texas A&M🐕
Fairchild embarked on her Aggie career after taking part in the ongoing Andale dynasty that ruled 4A track & field for a good chunk of time. The nine-time state medalist and two-time state champ threw a lifetime PR on arguably the biggest stage in her career up to this point, and put herself in 3rd with a toss of 190-2, making it a 2-3 finish for her and teammate Lianna Davidson. Fairchild will have even more help next year, as her sister Katelyn is joining her in College Station this fall.
Sam Hankins — Manhattan → Texas A&M🐕
Another star javelin thrower in high school, Hankins collected a pair of state titles in the event, throwing as far as 224-6. This was Hankins second trip to the outdoor championships, and this time he left with a huge PR and a 5th place finish. Hankins’ best throw was 249-11, which was over a fifteen foot improvement from his previous best.
Tyus Wilson — Sterling → Nebraska🌽
While in high school, Wilson was, simply put, a phenom. He cleared 7-3 during his senior season, while also clearing 7-0 on nine out of eleven times. Now a Cornhusker, Wilson is one of the best in the BIG 10, and solidified his elite status with a 7-1 clearance in Austin. That was good enough for a 4th place finish, which he tied for with five other jumpers. Wilson is now 1/1 in All-American finishes at the national meet.
There were five Kansans who earned second-team honors as well. Michael Hoffer (Shawnee Heights) competed with his teammate Wilson in the high jump, finishing 14th with a clearance of 6-11. William Jones (Blue Valley), a true freshman at USC finished 12th in the 400m, running 45.34 in prelims. Molly Born (SM Northwest) ran the 10,000m in her first outdoor championships as a Cowgirl, taking 13th in 33:54.16. Destiny Masters (Bluestem) finished in 16th in the high jump, clearing 5-11.25. Olathe North graduate Dana Baker competed in the javelin, finishing 15th with a best throw of 168-3 in her second trip to NCAA’s representing Duke.
Altitude? No problem🏔️
Pittsburg State🦍
Even when they aren’t at full strength, the Pittsburg State Gorillas are still too much to overcome for the entirety of Division II. For the third straight track & field championship, Kyle Rutledge and his squad came out on top, winning their second straight outdoor national title and fourth national title since 2018. Granted, when you have a guy like Cordell Tinch, it’s definitely an easier task. But nothing is for sure in Division II, and Pittsburg State still had to earn that title.
Like I said, Tinch is practically a cheat code, but different from one like R2, R2, R1, R2, L1, R2, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP, LEFT DOWN, RIGHT, UP. Some of you will know what I mean, and if not, I’m sorry you childhood was mid-tier.
But yeah, he can literally do it all. He can run fast and jump over hurdles, and can also jump really high and really far. He left Pueblo with three national titles to his name, increasing his total to five for the 2023 season. He secured gold in his trademark event, the 110mH, winning in 12.87 (+6.0).
“bUt ThE wInD wAs StRoNg”
It doesn’t matter though, because a strong tailwind is not in your favor as a hurdler. It commonly throws off an athlete’s steps, rhythm, momentum and a multitude of other factors during their race! In spite of that, he still ran the FOURTH FASTEST TIME IN WORLD HISTORY, regardless of conditions.
In his two other events, the long jump and high jump, Tinch leaped 26-9.25 and cleared 7-3 to score thirty points as an individual, becoming the first ever DII athlete to win three individual national titles in one meet.
Along with Tinch, the Gorillas had seven more All-American performers, from the sprints to the multis.
Xavier Carmichael, just a freshman, took 3rd in the 100m, crossing in 10.04 (+5.4), just ahead of an athlete from West Texas A&M, the program that fhas finished runner-up to Pittsburg State in the last two outdoor championships.
TJ Caldwell and Daylin Williams finished 4-7 in the 110mH, running 13.66 and 14.56. Their 4x100m placed 5th in 39.49, with Tevin Wright-Rose, Dre’shaun Sanders, Makai Blades and Carmichael making up the quartet. L.J. Kiner, made it a 1-3 finish in the long jump, jumping 26-1.75 to pick up sixteen total points in the event for Pittsburg State. Javelin thrower Caleb Calvin finished 6th with a best throw of 221-6, while Hunter Jones took care of business in the decathlon, finishing 3rd with 7394 points, setting personal bests in the 400m, discus, and javelin.
Overall, the Gorillas held off West Texas A&M 62-47, handily defending their 2022 title.
On the women’s side, both Auna Childress and Kyla Davis finished on top, with Childress sweeping the triple jump this season, winning the outdoor title in addition to her indoor title. Childress set a new PR in the event as well, jumping 43-10.5 to win by just under three inches. Davis won her second national title as well, as she cleared 13-9.25, winning by two inches.
In addition to their pair of champs, they had five more All-American finishes. Taniya Looney finished 6th and 8th in the 100m and 200m, running 11.22 and 23.50. Looney was also one of just five women to place in the top eight in both sprint finals. Erica Schamel finished 6th in the high jump, clearing 5-7.25. In the javelin, Madison Reese claimed the last All-American spot, with a best throw of 151-7. Mattie Flanagan had her second All-American performance in the multis, finishing 5th in the heptathlon, scoring 5398 points in the process.
As a team, the Gorilla women finished 7th, scoring 34 points and were just three points out of fifth.
Fort Hays State🐯
The Tigers of Fort Hays State were the next highest team finishers from Kansas, as the men placed 26th with 11.5 points, with the women tallying 12 points and finishing in 23rd.
In the 200m, Wichita South graduate and former state champion Phillip Landrum took 4th in the 200m, running 20.57 for his first-ever individual All-American honor. Landrum had a heck of a career in Hays, leaving his mark with two school records.
Ryan Stanley, two-time national champion and five-time All-American, concluded his Tiger career the only way he knew how with another All-American finish. Stanley cleared 17-2.75, and finished 5th in the pole vault. Nolan Churchman had a successful championship weekend, setting a new PR in the decathlon with 7221 points, which broke the school record and put him in 6th place.
The women of Fort Hays State had four All-Americans of their own, led by Mattie Rossi, who finished 3rd in the 400mH, and 6th in the heptathlon. Rossi ran 58.97 in the 400mH final, and put up 5326 points over both days, setting a new school record in the process. Taylor Savolt finished 8th in the 400mH, running 59.84 for 8th place. Addie Berens competed in the javelin, finishing in 7th with a best throw of 152-7.
Washburn🎩
Braden Rose was the lone Ichabod All-American, finishing 6th in the discus. Rose earned a new PR in the event, throwing 177-4, improving his previous best by over a foot. He also set a new PR in the hammer, improving to 202-1, finishing in 9th.
Emporia State🐝
Travis Morrison was one of two All-Americans for the Hornets, throwing 57-4.75 to finish in 8th in the shot put. This was Morrison’s second straight All-American finish, as he finished 7th in the same event at the indoor championship.
Alyssa Conway was also an All-American, but doing so in the hammer, throwing 190-1 to finish 8th. This was Conway’s first-ever All-American finish.
JUCO T&F goes through Kansas🛣️
Yes yes, I know that these championships happened over a month ago, but please forgive me and my lack of punctuality.
As always, Kansas JUCO’s are among the nation’s best, with the men collecting 34% of the possible All-American honors (60), and the women earning 32.9% of possible honors (58). The men also won 9 national titles, with the women winning 7 as well. All-in-all, 36% of the national titles in New Mexico were won by in-state athletes, which isn’t too shabby if I do say so myself.
Before he trots off to Iowa State, Colby’s Sanele Masondo wanted to win a few more races before he traded his navy blue for crimson and gold. Masondo won his 4th and 5th national title on the track (6th overall), sweeping the two distance events just like he did during the indoor season. Masondo won the 10,000m in 30:26.35, and the 5000m in 14:28.80. He won the twenty-five lap grinder by twenty-two seconds, and the lesser distance by nine seconds.
Teammate Ricardo Barbosa won his second 3000m steeplechase national title, cruising to a victory in 9:08.70. He also doubled back later to finish 8th in the 5000m in 14:54.68.
In the 4x100m, Butler did exactly what we thought they would do, and smoked everybody, and some. Shawn Brown, Andre Morrison, Javari Thomas and Nazzio John won by eight-tenths of a second over New Mexico JC, 38.89-39.70.
In the long jump, Coffeyville’s Anthony Woods claimed his first national title as a Red Raven, jumping 25-9.5 (+3.2) to win by less than an inch.
In the four throwing events, Kansas JUCOs won all four national titles, and made up 56% of the possible All-Americans. Barton County’s Christopher Young led Kansas to a 1-2-3 finish, with teammate Christopher Crawford finishing runner-up and Coffeyville’s Trevor Gunzell taking 3rd. The trio threw 61-1.5, 60-4.5, and 58-0.25 to sweep the podium. In the discus, Barton’s Brandon Lloyd won another Cougar national title with a throw of 214-4, while Gunzell (200-11) and Young (195-10) took 2nd and 3rd, again, sweeping the podium. This time in the hammer, you guessed it, three Kansas athletes made up the top three, this time with Treavor Green and Jaden Schneeberger of Cowley College going 1-2, while Young took 3rd. They threw 193-11, 187-0 and 183-4 respectively. In the javelin, Young won his second title of the weekend, throwing 209-10 to win, while Cowley’s Lance Blubaugh took 2nd in 206-7. In case you’re wondering, yes, Christopher Young finished 1st, 3rd, 3rd and 1st in the four throwing events, which is not too common at the collegiate level.
On the women’s side, Lucy Ndungu of Cloud County also swept the 10,000m and 5000m, winning in times of 17:59.69 and 38:12.10. Ndungu had come close to national titles many times before, finishing in the top five on five different occasions. Patience is most definitely a virtue, and Ndungu built a legacy during her time as a Thunderbird.
Similar to Ndungu, a national title was the one thing that had evaded Cloud’s Miracle Thompson during her junior college career, but finally, her dreams became reality as she won her first national title in the 100mH, running 13.31 for the dub.
In the women’s 4x100m, Barton County kept the party going, with Antiana Walsh, Oarabile Tshosa, Danae Nembhard and Naiya Morgan winning the title over South Plains 44.15-44.44.
The pole vault crown was placed on Jasmine Sakaguchi’s head, as the Thunderbird won with a clearance of 12-0.5 on her second attempt at the height. The runner-up failed to clear the bar until her third attempt, all but securing Sakaguchi’s title after both women failed to clear the next bar.
In the shot put, Kelsie Murrell-Ross threw 50-10 to claim her fifth throwing national title, as she heads to Athens, GA, with a lot of hardware in her carry-on.
Vanessa Mercera left Cloud County a national champion, winning the heptathlon by just thirty-nine points, doing so in the 800m, the last event of the competition. Mercera tallied 5260 points, a shiny new PR that pairs nicely with a national title. She was also runner-up in the high jump and helped the 4x400m to a 3rd place finish.
On the men’s side, Barton County took 3rd behind New Mexico JC and South Plains who each tied for 1st with 100 points, while the Cougars by themselves ended with 79.5. On the women’s side, Cloud County and Barton County finished 2nd and 3rd behind New Mexico JC (130.5), scoring 101 and 92.5 respectively.
Finally made it out of the swamp🐊
For the first time in a long time, the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships were not held in a swamp, and I can imagine people were pretty relieved. I think Kansas athletes were so relieved, they wanted as many All-American plaques as they could get their hands on! Fifteen athletes and two relays put up a grand total of nineteen All-American performances, across thirteen different events.
We’ll highlight many different in-state athletes that showed up and showed out for their six programs around the state.
Ottawa speedster Jaylan Washington is indeed one of the fastest guys not only in the state, but the country. Washington took 8th in the 100m in 10.54m, after running 10.26 in prelims. This is the fourth All-American result for Washington, and ends his 2023 campaign with a pair of plaques, one of them reading “3rd Place: Men’s 60m.” Teammate Jacob Ludwick threw the javelin quite far, with his best throw measuring at 199-9, his second straight outdoor All-American finish. JayOnna Perry saw success during her stint in Marion, IN as well, taking 6th in 1:02.30. Just a freshman, Perry will surely be back and ready to get even faster over the next few years.
As they always do, and most likely always will, the St. Mary Spire’s distance squad left their mark on another national championship meet. Emad Bashir-Mohammed opened the weekend with a gutsy yet heartbreaking finish in the 10,000m, taking 2nd in 30:16.97, less than two seconds back of gold. This was the second year in a row a Spire has finished runner-up in the 10,000m, after Johnathan Bowen came up short by roughly three seconds. However, Bashir-Mohammed wasn’t letting that happen a second time, as he won the 5000m final with a strong kick down the homestretch, winning by less than half of a second in 14:33.76. Bashir-Mohammed raced 20,000m over the span of a few days, and to end it with a national title is something to brag about. The Spire 4x800m of Luis Perez, Kaden Cooley, Liam Neidig, and Elvis Rojas-King dropped a blistering 7:38.59 in prelims, securing themselves the title of “All-American”. They took 8th in the final, running 7:48.13.
I don’t know what’s in the water in Leavenworth, but I want whatever they’ve got, because both Riley Hiebert and Reagan Hiebert, along with Alyssa Armendariz and the 4x800m, all left as All-Americans, having just run the races of their lives. Ri. Hiebert and Armendariz made their way to the 3000m steeplechase final, where they put together a 4-6 finish, as they were one of two pairs of teammates to finish in the top eight of the final. Armendariz clocked a 10:37.32, with Hiebert crossing in 10:52.49. The icing on the cake for Hiebert was the PR that came with the plaque, a double-win for the Eudora graduate. Her sister Reagan had an incredible 5000m herself, taking 4th in a quick final in 17:20.93. The 4x800m, comprised of Maddy Walter-Sheretts, Armendariz, Re. Hiebert, and Carlie Gregg, finished 6th in 9:13.52, after running a school record 9:04.59 in prelims.
Benedictine had a trio of All-Americans themselves, as Alison Ambuul, Caroline Cobo and Madison Sutton each added to their legacy that they’ve made in Atchison. Ambuul competed in her trademark event, the 400mH, earning her fourth overall All-American honor, running 1:02.69 for 7th. Cobo, who has as wide a range anyone could ask for, ran the 1500m, finishing in 4:33.69 for 5th. Cobo also 2:11.77 in the prelims in the 800m, which in case you didn’t know, is fast. Cobo’s finish in the ran1500m secured her 7th All-American honor of her career, spanning across relays and cross country as well. Sutton had double-duty over the weekend, throwing both the hammer and discus, doing well in both. A PR in the hammer (176-6) was good enough for 7th, while her best throw of 150-4 in discus put her in 3rd at the end of the event. Sutton has now finished in the top three at the national meet four out of eight times, with one of those being a discus national title from a year ago.
The Falcon racewalking trio of Pablo Sanz-Rillo, Gage Carr, and Jadon Davis put on a clinic, going 3-4-8, and were the only team to have multiple All-Americans in the event. Sanz-Rillo crossed in 23:19.40, while Carr and Davis walked 23:54.63 and 25:41.51.This was the fourth All-American finish in the event for both Sanz-Rillo and Carr, and the third for Davis. At this point, just call them ‘Racewalking U’.
Both Vance Shewey (Tabor) and Eryk Kyser (Kansas Wesleyan) were the lone All-Americans for their program, as Shewey was the national runner-up in the high jump. Shewey cleared 6-11, helping him earn his third straight top-three finish, and second straight runner-up finish. Kyser was also a national runner-up, jumping 24-7 to edge out third by two inches. Both will be back next year to move up a spot and claim NAIA gold.
St. Mary had the best team finish on both sides, with the men taking 16th with 19 points, and the women scoring 16 points, to also finish in 16th.
Too many national championship meets🏆
For as long as I can remember, the term ‘national championship’ really has no true owner when it pertains to high school track and field. Year after year, more and more meets come out of the woodwork, calling themselves ‘nationals’ or a ‘national championship’. Don’t believe me?
Nike Outdoor Nationals
New Balance Outdoor Nationals
adidas Outdoor Nationals
USATF Outdoor Youth National Championship
AAU Junior Olympic Games
USATF Junior Olympic Championship
RunningLane Track Championships
Brooks PR Invitational
Yes, not ALL of them have the word ‘national’ in them, but you get the idea. Before any of you say “Well Maxx, Brooks PR is not a national championship”, I know. But it is a meet following the post-season that consistently draws a lot of the nation’s fastest. Regardless, the bulk of these came and went over the weekend, and to my knowledge, Kansas had athletes at Brooks PR, New Balance and Nike Outdoor. I could be missing some, but don’t blame me, I just write the newsletter.
Starting chronologically, we’ll take Brooks PR, which saw Wichita-Trinity’s Clay Shively conclude his junior campaign in another fast mile field. Less than two weeks following his 4:01 in St. Louis, Shively toed the line once more in hopes of becoming the first Kansas high schooler since the 1960’s to stop the clock before 4:00. After shouldering a brunt of the work, Shively avoided the contact with 150m to go, finishing in 5th in 4:07.17.
** Yes, I talked about Clay’s race last week as well, but I wanted to put all recaps in one place.**
Out East in the City of Brotherly Love, Olathe Northwest’s Val Galligan, ended her junior season with a third place finish in the Girl’s Championship Javelin, throwing 145-9, her third best throw of the season. Two state titles and 3rd at a prestigious meet such as New Balance isn’t too shabby, and sets Galligan up for a great senior year.
In the land of rain, fog and cloudy skies, the nation’s capital of track & field, Eugene, OR, played host to Nike Outdoor Nationals. The popular meet came and went over the weekend, with a handful of Kansas high schoolers wrapping up their seasons in one of the most beautiful track venues in the world.
If there was an MVP to hand out, it would most definitely go to Andover Central junior Bryce Barkdull who ended his historic season on top. Barkdull, currently on a seven-meet win streak, cleared 16-11.5 which won the competition by over three feet. Barkdull just wrapped up the greatest vaulting season in state history, which included a state record (17-6.25) a state meet record (17-1), and the victory at Nike Outdoor. Barkdull is also one of just three boys in the country to clear seventeen feet on multiple occasions, and will be the nation’s top returner next spring.
Another star in the making, Aria Pearce (though she really already is), brought the broom out over the weekend, sweeping the Emerging Elite 100m and 200m, in 11.76 and 23.95. The 8th grader successfully defended both of her 2022 titles, and again, won with a comfortable gap between her and the runner-up. The soon-to-be Rock Creek freshman is already one of the fastest athletes in the state’s history, and has still yet to run in an in-state high school competition (KSHSAA rules), but starting this fall, will have the opportunity to do so if she pleases.
Other notable performances over the weekend came from a strong group of Lancers from Shawnee Mission East. Seniors Caden Peters and Blair Ptacek ended their high school careers at Hayward, with the pair running 15:20.28 and 15:21.93, which was over a twenty second improvement for Ptacek. 6A legend and Provo bound senior Wyatt Haughton ran 1:51.75 in the 800m, which was his third sub-1:52 effort of his senior campaign. Lida Padgett ran another superb steeplechase, finishing in 7:30.37, giving her the first and third fastest marks for this event in state history.
Thank you for reading and supporting this! If you aren’t already, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and let any track & field fan know about this so they can stay up to date on Kansas athletics! If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to reach out to us through our email ksxcountrytandf@gmail.com