Wamego's got next🏆
Drake Relays came and went, and the Red Raiders are looking to take down the champs
Drake Relays 🎽
For years, Benedictine has been a mid-distance power in the KCAC and year after year puts together a 4x800m relay that can compete with the best in the country. Last Thursday, the first day of track events during the cool and chilly Drake Relays, and the men of Benedictine entered the chat for NAIA contenders. At the time, their NAIA A Standard mark of 7:39.54 was the top time this season, but that lasted just a few days. Still, the Ravens are one of only two teams under 7:40 in 2023, joining British Columbia (7:36.47). In a relatively deep field, made up of a lot of NAIA powers, Benedictine was cream of the crop. Led by David Mannella (1:52), followed by Daniel Rogge (1:54), Philip Joseph (1:55), and Thomas Campbell (1:56), the quartet set a new school record, and guaranteed themselves a spot on the line at nationals.
In the Kansas JUCO ranks, Colby stars Sanele Masondo and Ricardo Barbosa threw down times that the NJCAA hadn’t seen since the 1970’s. Barbosa ran the 3000m steeplechase, his marquee event, and crossed the line in 8:42.77, the #3 all-time mark in NJCAA history, and the fastest since 1979. Masondo, who just barely missed going under 14:00, ran 14:01.99 in the 5000m, also the third fastest time in NJCAA history. Obviously, both times lead the NJCAA for each event. Barbosa currently ranks 26th amongst all collegians.
As an NAIA school, one win at the Drake Relays would be a thing to celebrate in itself, but TWO wins and a runner-up finish is even more fun! The Ottawa Braves made the trip to Des Moines, IA, and boy was it worth it.
Starting with the javelin, Laurel Barber showed up on one of the season’s bigger stages, throwing 160-2, which is NAIA A-Standard, and a new PR. It’s also a new program record, which was already Barber’s. In the field of nineteen athletes, made up of athletes from every collegiate level, Barber stepped up when it mattered most, and now leads the NAIA by nearly three meters.
Jacob Ludwick made it a javelin sweep for the Braves, winning by over five feet, taking down a field of seventeen elite athletes, again, made up of athletes from nearly every collegiate level. It wasn’t a PR, but for the conditions, seven shy of your farthest throw is not a bad result by any means. Ludwick currently sits in 8th in the NAIA, but has already punched his ticket to nationals with his performance at the Kansas Relays last month.
Sophomore Hadyn Bieling had himself quite the weekend as well, finishing runner-up in the high jump, with a new PR of 6-10.75. Bieling currently leads the KCAC, and has the second best jump in the NAIA this season, trailing first by a mere one-and-a-half inches.
Another Kansas alumni, who you may be familiar with, added Drake Relays Champion to her already lengthy collegiate resumé. Girard legend and Iowa State star Cailie Logue is ending her collegiate career on top. The super-senior anchored the Cyclone 4x1600m relay, helping her team break the school record, and solidify their twenty-two second win. Logue, one of the most decorated women in program history, has eleven Big 12 titles, with another ten All-Big 12 honors to her name. She also has two All-American honors on the grass, and now has a Drake Relays title to go along with everything else.
I don’t know about you all, but I for one was super excited to see another Haughton v. Shively battle in Des Moines, IA, but unfortunately, Shively woke up on race day feeling less than ideal (According to his Instagram story) and opted to scratch from the race and focus on recovery. Despite Shively being absent, the Lancer duo from Shawnee Mission East was able to take the opportunity for a fast mile, with Haughton running 4:05.99 and Peters stopping the clock in 4:18.53. Haughton now owns the fastest time in the state this year, and the second fastest outdoor performance in state history behind Jim Ryun. Peters bumped himself up to 3rd in 6A, and would love to try and make it a 1-2 finish in the 1600m at Cessna later this month.
Gunnin’ for the champs 🏆
Is it finally safe to say that Wamego is one of the best distance teams in the state this season? In the first month and change of the outdoor season, the Red Raiders continue to give plenty of reasons why they deserve to be included in the conversation.
This track season, Wamego has set the record straight on their talent. After ending Buhler’s state title streak in cross country this past fall, the distance boys and company have kept the momentum going, grabbing 4A by the neck and making it their own. For starters, their 4x400m, which is the third fastest time this season, is made up by the Cutting brothers, Harrison and Jonny, along with Emery Wolfe and Mason Herzog. While these four boys make up one of the best relays in the state, they also dabble in individual events. Ha. Cutting and Wolfe sit 3-4 in the 4A 800m, with distance stud Brady Stegman right behind them in 5th. In the 1600m, Stegman and Wolfe sit 2-5, with Peyton Parker in tenth. Stegman and Parker are also towards the top of 4A in the 3200m, sitting 3-8 with less than a month to go this season. To rub some salt in the wound, J. Cutting also leads 4A in the 400m, with a 49.75 to his name from last weekend.
Additionally, the Red Raiders also have the top 4x800m in both 4A and the state, as the only team under eight minutes this season, running 7:56.40 last week in Topeka.
In the game of hypotheticals, Wamego is set up pretty well as far as their region is concerned. In the 400m, the older of the Cutting brothers, Jon, sits atop the region, with Ha. Cutting not far back in 7th, leaving it open for possibly two Red Raiders on to state in the quarter lap sprint. The 800m looks to be a lot of red, with Ha. Cutting, Wolfe, and Stegman sitting behind Tonganoxie’s Eli Gilmore. In the 1600m, Stegman, Wolfe and Parker sit 2-3-5, while both Stegman and Parker also sit 2-5 in the 3200m. Long story short, the defending 4A cross country champions may be looking to check another box off of their list.
I know that hypotheticals are hypothetical for a reason, but when based on data, it’s hard not to analyze. In the virtual meet function on MileSplit, the projected 4A score has Wamego winning it all, over Louisburg and defending champs Andale. It’ll be a true battle between the three programs. Wamego will rely primarily on distance, relays and sprints, with Louisburg spreading out their points across the board. Andale relies very heavily on their throws, but that’s not a bad thing when you have some of the best in the state, and the county.
Anything is possible on meet day, so these stats are officially irrelevant once state starts the morning of the 27th.
More middle school phenoms??💨🔥
As the weeks pass, it seems more and more middle schoolers around the state are getting faster and stronger, matching performances from high schoolers four times their age. Aria Pearce has been doing that for over a year in the sprints, easily beating college and high school competition wherever she goes. However, there are two distance runners who are already making noise at the high school level, despite their age.
You may know the name Katelyn Rupe, Salina Central’s star sophomore who already has three state titles to her name. But do you know the girl who broke all three of Rupe’s records at Lakewood Middle School in Salina? Kaylie Shultz. The eighth grader didn’t even let the records sit for a full two years, breaking the 800m, 1600m and 3200m this season. In the 800m, Shultz ran 2:25.36 earlier this year, the same day she dropped 5:12.77 for 1600m. For some context, Rupe did not break 5:30 in middle school, and Shultz didn’t just break it, she shattered it. However, her most impressive event? The 3200m. Last Thursday, Shultz ran the two-mile at the Hays MS Invite, winning in 11:01.25. That converts to a 10:57.41, since the race is eighteen meters farther than the 3200m. That would rank her fifth in all-classes, just behind her future teammate Rupe. This fall, we’ll get to see two of the most talented distance athletes in the state train, compete, and most likely go 1-2 in a lot of races, and I for one can’t contain my excitement.
On the boys’ side, a guy with a very familiar last name, will look to follow in his brother’s footsteps and become a state champion at the 4A level. Gavin Lindahl, the youngest in a long, talented line of Lindahls is next up for Buhler, just like Shultz, Lindahl had fantastic middle school career, and is in a world of his own in terms of speed for his age. Also an eighth grader, Lindahl has impressive range, running 2:02.83 for 800m and 10:40.01 for 3200m. Throw his 4:41.29 1600m in there, and you’ve got a dangerous runner who hasn’t even tapped into his potential yet. With a good amount of top 4A runners set to graduate in a few weeks, next year’s title race is looking a little more open than it has been in recent memory. Maybe something to keep a lookout for.
Sunflower State Highlights🌻
Shawnee Mission Northwest star and future Pittsburg State Gorilla Paige Mullen closed the gap on Stanton County’s Chesney Peterson in the 3200m, running 10:30.55 at the Seaman Relays in Topeka on Friday. She sits atop 6A, and is second overall in the state.
Mill Valley sophomore Charlotte Caldwell has been performing on all cylinders this season, taking down experienced and talented competition simultaneously. She ran 5:03.55 to win the 1600m at Gardner-Edgerton’s meet on Friday, just a few weeks after she ran 2:26.74 in Lawrence.
Olathe West junior Bree Newport continues to flex her range, this time doubling in the 1600m and 800m at Gardner-Edgerton, winning the 800m in 2:16.03 and finishing runner-up in the 1600m in 5:03.68. Both were new school records, as Newport continues to cement herself as one of the best in the state.
Meade junior Logan Keith lowered his own school record in the 800m last week, running 1:56.19 to become the 47th boy to break two minutes this season. Keith’s time leads 2A by over three seconds, as he’ll look to add another 800m state title to his accolades, this time at the 2A level.
Eli Gilmore continues to assert his dominance on not only 4A, but also on all classes, winning double gold at the DeSoto Invitational, winning the 800m in 1:55.07 and the 1600m in 4:21.49. He currently leads 4A in all three distance events.
Matthew Heckman is the new state leader in the high jump, surpassing Basehor-Linwood’s Tyson Rudd by a quarter of an inch. Heckman cleared 6-10 in Topeka, a four-inch PR. Heckman is both the 1A and state leader, and is on pace to improve upon his runner-up finish from a year ago.
Olathe North superstar sprinter KaLiyah Jordan is back on top of 6A, running 24.49 at the Seaman Relays, putting up a little distance between her and the rest of the state. She also put up 11.92 in the 100m, good enough for second in 6A.
The people’s champ Lenny Njoroge doubled at the Seaman Relays as well, winning both the 1600m and 3200m over a lot of good competition. Njoroge won the 1600m in 4:17.71, a shiny new PR by seven seconds, along with a new PR of 9:20.08 in the 3200m, a three second PR. Both are 5A leads, and as state inches closer and closer, the chances for a Njoroge state title become more and more possible.
As you probably know, the Shawnee Mission North Relays are this Friday, and they’re going to be riddled with superb talent and even better competition. This year, they are also introducing an elite mile, where current and former collegiate studs and many Kansas alumni will be striving for a sub-four outdoor mile on Kansas soil. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students,, and the race will be streamed on Spectrum Sports (Ch 223) starting at 5:35pm.
Field events start at 2:00pm, and running event preliminaries start at 3:00pm. Finals will begin 5:35pm, but the elite mile will take place before then.
If you like track & field, even just a little bit, I highly recommend you find yourself in a seat at Shawnee Mission North this Friday, or else you’ll probably be missing out on history being made.
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