10 CLASS 4A BOYS TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2024
 

JUDAH BOWELL, ABILENE

Bowell emerged as one of the top hurdlers in the state last year after a solid sophomore season saw him place fifth at the Class 4A state meet in the 110 hurdles. Bowell moved up to a third-place finish at state last year in the 110s and had a season-best of 14.62, just shy of the school record. He’s also right on the cusp of the school record in the 300 hurdles after posting a season-best 39.02 and finishing sixth at state. Bowell swept the hurdle titles at the North Central Kansas League meet last year and also was third at league in the long jump. He also was on Abilene’s state-qualifying 400 and 1,600 relays with the latter placing sixth.
 

DANTE BOYKINS, COFFEYVILLE
 
Boykins had not competed in a jump event for five years before joining the Field Kindley track and field team as a junior last season. He would go on to win the state title in the triple jump with a mark of 45 feet, 8.25 inches. It was just his third time competing in the event last season, all first-place finishes in the postseason. Boykins also was state runner-up in the long jump with a mark of 22 feet, 2.25 inches. In that event, Boykins set his PR with a mark of 23 feet, 10.75 inches to win the SEK League title in that event, one of his eight wins in the long jump leading into state.
 

CADEN CAPLINGER, LOUISBURG
 
Caplinger will look to defend his crown as two-time state champion in the pole vault. He won his second state title in the event last year by clearing 15 feet, which was six inches better than his teammate Cooper Wingfield as the state runner-up. Caplinger set his PR last year by clearing 15 feet, 3 inches at Wellsville’s Red Bud Classic. He won eight of nine events last year, with the lone outlier being a seventh-place finish at the KU Relays.
 

HARRISON CUTTING, WAMEGO

Wamego’s boys spent the bulk of last season re-writing much of the school records on the track, and Cutting had a major hand in those records. He broke Wamego’s school mark in the 800 with a 1:55.71 and wound up as the Class 4A state runner-up in the event behind Tonganoxie’s Eli Gilmore, who became the first boy in state history to sweep the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200. Cutting also was a member of Wamego’s state champion 3,200 relay that set a school record and the state runner-up 1,600 relay that also set a school record. The bulk of his record-setting teammates have graduated, including older brother Johnny, but Harrison enters the season as the state favorite in the 800.
 

BLAKE LOGAN, CIRCLE
 
As Tonganoxie’s Eli Gilmore made state meet history last season with a sweep of the Class 4A 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 titles, Logan had a prime view for two of the victories, finishing second in the 1,600 (4:19.96) and 3,200 (9:36.87). With Gilmore off to Pittsburg State, perhaps it’s Logan turn to harvest some gold. Logan, a senior who also finished sixth at state in the 800 (1:59.85), is coming off a third-place finish last fall at the 4A state cross country meet – a showing preceded by his Wichita East regional victory. The Thunderbird standout also finished seventh in the 2022 4A cross country meet and seventh in the 4A 1,600 as a sophomore.
 

LAMAR LYNCH, BISHOP MIEGE
 
Lynch won the 200-meter dash at state as a junior last season. After setting his PR with a time of 22.19 during the Topeka West Invitational on March 23 of that year, Lynch spent the rest of the season trying to replicate and/or surpass that mark. His closest attempt was actually at regionals, finishing with a 22.21 in that finals race. His time of 22.81 at state was still a strong win over the next best as Coffeyville’s Aaron Tunstall was state runner-up at 23.05. Lynch also finished 11th in the long jump.
 

KOLE MANLEY, EUDORA
 
Manley earned his third top-four finish in the pole vault as a junior last season. After starting his career with a fourth-place finish as a freshman, Manley returned the next year to take state runner-up in the pole vault behind Louisburg’s Caden Caplinger. He dropped a couple spots in the events last year to take fourth once again, this time with a mark of 14 feet. Manley set his PR at regionals by clearing 15 feet, 1 inches, which tied Caplinger and fellow Louisburg competitor Cooper Wingfield, who finished as the state runner-up. Manley was able to deliver a third-place finish in the javelin, a two-spot improvement on his finish in that event as a sophomore.
 

COOPER MARX, ANDALE
 
Marx, a junior, will try to carry the torch for Andale’s legion of standout throwers after his older brother, Riley, last year’s 4A javelin champion, state javelin runner-up Jonah Meyer and state shot put champion Jack Kraus all graduated. A shoulder injury could limit Marx in the javelin this spring, but he returns as a state placer in three events. Marx finished fourth behind his brother and Meyer in the javelin with a throw of 186 feet, 4 inches. His discus throw of 149-8 also yielded a fourth-place finish and he took seventh in the shot at 48-6.25. Marx, whose sister, Samantha, throws at Wichita State and first cousins Kate and McKenzie Fairchild do the same at Texas A&M, also excels in the hammer throw.
 

CAMDEN VULGAMORE, SCOTT CITY

The versatile Vulgamore has excelled in multiple events for Scott City. He was the 3A runner-up in pole vault last year as a junior, clearing 14 feet. On the track, he took third in the 400 (50.28), sixth in the 800 (1:57.83) and ran a leg on Scott City’s first-place 1,600 relay team that finished in 3:23.94. Vulgamore won two meets in the 400 last year, two meets in the 800 and one meet in pole vault. As a freshman in 2022, he qualified for state in four different events, taking third in the 3,200 relay and fourth in pole vault. Scott City moved up to Class 4A this year.
 

COOPER WINGFIELD, LOUISBURG

Wingfield took state runner-up in the pole vault as a sophomore last year, finishing behind only his teammate Caden Caplinger. He cleared 14 feet, 6 inches at state, a mark he had finished with three other times earlier in the season. Wingfield set his PR of 15 feet, 1 inches during regionals. Wingfield and Caplinger, who has won the 4A pole vault state title each of the previous two years, will both be back to give the Wildcats a one-two punch in this event.