Till' next year👋
despite unfortunate weather, the Kansas relays had a triumphant return
Top High School Performances of the Kansas Relays🎽
For the first time since 2019, we're looking back on what was the return of one of the most historic meets in the country. The Kansas Relays made their triumphant return after a few years hiatus, celebrating the meet’s resurgence on the 100 year anniversary of the meet’s first edition. Despite some weather that soiled a few of the races during the latter half of the final two days of competition, the meet had quite a few outstanding performances, and even way more that still deserve to be talked about. With credit to SportCenter, it’s time for the “Top 10 Kansas Relays High School Performances” (in my opinion).
Aria Pearce — If you somehow didn’t know her name before this weekend, you certainly need to know it now. The Rock Creek eighth grader gave the crowd everything and more that they could have hoped for, as she tore up the track. One of the fastest middle schoolers in United States’ history left spectators in awe, as she finished runner-up in the WOMEN’s 100m and won the WOMEN’S 200m, taking down athletes that have been competing since before she was in Kindergarten. I have no true evidence of that, but I feel like it’s bound to be true. With the wind at her back, Pearce cruised through the 100m preliminaries in 11.50, then followed that up with an 11.66 in the final. Her mark from prelims sits #2 all-time, all-conditions in state history. With a 23.79 in the 200m prelims and a 24.16 to win finals, Pearce now owns the fastest time in state history, again, in all-conditions.
Isaiah Bates — The Pleasanton senior and Fort Scott Community College signee won the 100m over a deep field, clocking 10.41 in the final, adding yet another accolade to his resumé. The three-time state champion was the second fastest athlete on the track in the opening round, but would circle back to outlast the field, and cross the line a quarter of a second before anyone else. In outdoor, Bates is unbeaten against Kansas competition and is looking in top form with still over a month to go until he’ll take his talents back to Cessna, where he’ll look to defend his pair of state titles from a year ago.
Chesney Peterson — The last time the future Volunteer went head-to-head against the region’s best, she was just a sophomore. That was also the last time she wasn’t the one to stop the clock. This time around, Peterson left no doubt about who she is, not even a little. Her first race of the weekend was the 800m, where she went up against a field full of state champions, future collegiate runners, and simply the best of the best. After one lap, Peterson was leading the charge as the field came through at sixty-eight seconds, with a lot of athletes right on her tail. However, she’d go on to win by four seconds, thanks to a negative split, closing in sixty-four seconds, pulling away from the field in less than ideal conditions. The next day, as if one dominant performance wasn’t enough, Peterson ran her own race in the 1600m, again, pulling away from the field despite a very quick opening pace. Peterson took the field out in a sixty-eight, which, in good conditions, I’d argue is more than doable for her. At the halfway mark she was on pace for 4:48, but a slower third lap accompanied by a strong close brought the ten-time state champion home in 4:56.16, winning by four seconds for her second time of the weekend.
Wyatt Haughton — This weekend was his, and Haughton left no doubt about it! On Friday, Haughton toed the line with fresh legs, going up against some of the best athletes in the region, including one of the best in the country, Wichita-Trinity junior Clay Shively. The pair and a few other runners took it out in a blazing fifty-six second opening lap, before closing in a fifty-four high, as both Shively and Haughton traded off the lead throughout the last two-hundred meters, until Haughton had just enough to outlast the 3A star. Haughton’s official time was 1:51.42, but I’m confident that he would have dipped under 1:50 if the wind had not been as strong as it was. The next day in the 1600m, Haughton made his signature move as the bell rang, opening up a huge lead over the field, ultimately finishing in 4:18.05, thanks to a fifty-six second bell lap.
Wichita-Trinity’s DMR — Just like it did all weekend, the wind was a huge factor in preventing meet records to be broken, especially the boy’s DMR. Set back in 1979 by Shawnee Mission South, the forty-four-year-old record has just been itching to be broken, but it lasts at least one more year. After Sam Ferguson handed off the baton in 4th, even with a strong 1200m split of 3:20, the Knights were still seven seconds back, as Johnston High School had separated themselves from the entire field over the last lap. With a fifty-three second 400m split from sophomore Jesse Njagi, the squad remained in 4th. A gusty 2:06 from Ian Carroll over 800m kept the Knights in contention, giving anchor leg Clay Shively enough time to do his thing. And that’s exactly what he did, as lap by lap, Shively narrowed the gap on Johnston’s anchor leg, ultimately passing him and creating a gap of his own of four seconds. 10:39.28 was Trinity’s official time, which is very impressive especially considering the wind gusts. Fun fact, when Shively got the baton, they were eleven seconds back, but they would end up winning by four. 🤯 Shively split a 4:19, which was the fastest leg of the race by nine seconds.
Lida Padgett — Around the state, there aren’t too many non-collegiate track & field facilities that include a water jump pit for the steeplechase, and with the event not held at the state championship, it’s not a common event that high schoolers get to partake in. However, select meets during the season give the opportunity to athletes around the state, with the Kansas Relays being one of them. With the opportunity presented to her on a silver platter, Padgett decided she might as well set the state record if she’s going to run it. Padgett was pretty even with the field through the first three laps, but while the field slowed down on the fourth one, Padgett held her foot on the gas and stayed right on pace. The dagger was for sure her eighty-three second final lap, which was the fastest lap anyone ran the entire race, and the fastest final lap of the field by ten seconds. Padgett crossed the line in 7:26.25, and was overcome with emotion, as she celebrated her historic performance with her teammates.
Pierson Carlisle — What’s better? Winning the Kansas Relays or setting a new PR? Carlisle obviously couldn’t decide, so he took both just to play it safe. The new co-leader in 6A had never cleared fifteen feet before the week prior, and nearly jumped into the 16’s on Friday. In what turned into a jump-off between Carlisle, Bryce Barkdull (Andover Central), Andrew Kirby (Olathe East), and Grayson Smith (Webb City), all three in-state competitors cleared the 15-11 height, after all three missed their first attempt. Carlisle separated himself from the field after clearing it on his second attempt, as Barkdull and Kirby cleared the height on their third and final attempt. Smith failed to clear the bar, finishing in 4th on the day. The sudden emergence of Carlisle has just made the 6A pole vault even more interesting, as both Kirby and Carlisle are tied for the best mark in 6A this season.
Josh & Jason Parrish — “Prepare for trouble, and make it double!” - Probably said by track coaches whenever they’re competing against the Parrish brothers. The Parrish family of Olathe North, is simply put, one of the most athletic and talented families we’ve seen in track & field history. After the graduation of their older brother Jacob, who was getting playing time as a freshman at Kansas State, the younger Parrish twins are continuing the dominance from just a year prior. In Friday’s 300mH, the pair went 1-2, with Jason running 38.18 and Josh right behind him in 38.26. On Saturday in the 110mH finals, it was another back-to-back finish, but this time the brothers finished 2-3 and in reverse order, running 14.20 and 14.69 in the process. As of now, Josh leads the state in the 110mH, with Jason atop the pack in the 300mH.
Grant Pierce — Now this guy right here is nothing short of inspirational. “Everyone has an opinion on what you can do, and I live to break that opinion.” Pierce, who has made a name for himself over the last two track seasons, finally had the chance to prove to everybody that he deserves to be treated as an equal. If you were able to catch it, the side of his wheel reads “Am I equal?”, which after his showing in Lawrence, KS, I would hope he is given the credit and recognition that he deserves. In the 3200m on Friday, Grant went up against some of the best runners in Kansas and surrounding states, as he went on to win the race in a time of 9:17.23, in part due to a sixty-two second closing lap. You can learn more about Grant’s story here, thanks to great coverage from my guy Max Dutton of KWCH 12.
AnnaLisa Cullens — The best hurdler in the state over both distances was back in action again this past weekend, winning the 100mH and taking 3rd in the 300mH. Cullens, who has swept the hurdle state titles at the 4A level the past two years, made the jump to 6A after transferring to Hutchinson, and hasn’t let up. Cullens won both the prelims and the finals of the 100mH, clocking 14.24 and 14.26, along with a 46.08 in the 300mH. Though she didn’t win the 300mH, Cullens was the top Kansas finisher by nearly a second. Just after finishing the 100mH final, Cullens seemingly looked like she was trying to stop herself, leading her to fall and suffer what looked to be a rolled ankle. Whatever the official ruling was, here’s to a quick turnaround and recovery for the state’s premier hurdler.
Sunflower State Highlights🌻
Former Northwest Kansas Technical College and Oklahoma City star Zouhair Talbi🇲🇦 finished 5th in Monday’s Boston Marathon. The seven-time NAIA national champion was making his debut at the distance, as he had covered the first half-marathon in 1:02.20 and went on to finish in 2:08.35, obviously a PR. Talbi went out with the big dogs, it paid off as he was in a great position when the leaders pulled away from the chase pack. The cherry on top? Talbi finished one place ahead of the greatest marathon runner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge, who missed his last bottle and faded to 6th in the latter stages of the race. Congratulations Zouhair! Learn more about his journey into distance running and his story in this interview we had with him last winter!
Make it two NCAA Division II records for Pittsburg State star Cordell Tinch, who had a busy weekend, breaking the year-old 110mH record, setting a new one in 13.32 at the Cal State LA Twilight meet in California, and then followed it up by running an all-divisions best of 13.22 (+2.2w) at the Mt. Sac Relays. Though his career in crimson and gold started just a few months ago, Tinch has already collected two DII records and two national championships. Don’t worry though, he’ll give me more to write about before the end of the season.
Photo: Kansas Athletics Kansas thrower Dimitrios Pavlidis🇬🇷 set a new Greece national record in the men’s discus, tossing it 212-11, which is also a new Kansas program record. This was Pavlidis’ first ever throw that broke the two-hundred feet mark, and roughly a seventeen foot PR. He currently sits third in the NCAA, and is looking in good shape heading towards the NCAA postseason.
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