WICHITA – Signs pointed toward a 16-year-old state meet record being in serious jeopardy with the spring that Wichita Collegiate sophomore Timmy Ritchie had put together.
 
Ritchie not only claimed the Class 3A meet record with his victory in the 400 meters. He climbed a spot on the list of Kansas’ all-time fastest in the event.
 
The Spartan standout highlighted a four-medal performance at the State Outdoor Track and Field Championships by winning his first individual state title in a time of 47.00. That was 1.32 seconds ahead of the previous 3A meet mark set by Garden Plain’s Kurt Pauly in 2009.
 
It also moved Ritchie to No. 6 all-time among Kansas boys and was the fastest in all classes this spring.
 
“I’m really happy about it,” said Ritchie, who entered the season as the 3A favorite in the event after he finished second last year to Hayden’s Jensen Schrickel, a 4A competitor this spring. “I’ve been running really good this season and did indoor for the first time.
 
“I’ve been running mid-47s and I was hoping the energy here would help me go lower, and it did. It was great.”
 
If not for Burlington’s senior speedster Brody Anderson, Ritchie’s spotlight would have been much brighter.
 
Ritchie, part of a 3A meet record-setting, 400-meter relay team in his state debut last year, also posted personal bests in the 100 meters (10.50) and 200 (21.46) on the final day of this year’s meet. But Anderson ran 10.49 to win the 100 – after he and Ritchie eclipsed former Riley County standout and Kansas State football star Jordy Nelson’s 22-year-old mark of 10.63 in both the preliminaries and finals.
 

Then Anderson ran a sizzling 21.18 to defeat Ritchie in the 200, also claiming a 3A meet record.
 
“I went in not having high hopes for the (100) and (200) just because Brody’s crazy,” Ritchie said. “He’s a really good sprinter. But I did a lot better than I thought I was going to do in the (100). I couldn’t really move in the (200), but it was still a great time.”
 
Ritchie’s 400 ended up being his lone gold at state. He also finished second in the 400 relay with senior Cooper Arneson and juniors Julian Johnson and AJ Batiste, as the Spartans’ time of 42.54 was .06 behind champion Bishop Ward.
 
Still, Ritchie made considerable improvement in all of his individual events from the 2024 postseason. And with Anderson leaving Ritchie with times to chase, he vowed to enter the second half of his high school career highly motivated.
 
“Being that close to him, I’m going to go for his times next year,” Ritchie said “It’s given me extra hunger, wanting to drive more in practice and push more.”
 

KAPAUN’S DANIEL COMES UP CLUTCH TO WIN WILD 5A JAVELIN COMPETITION
 
Jackson Daniel wasn’t exactly being conservative when he put out a guess as what it would take to win the Class 5A javelin title this year.
 
“I honestly figured coming in that it would take a 195 to win it,” the Kapaun Mt. Carmel senior said.
 
For all intents and purposes, that was a pretty good number for Daniel to land on with his guess. Each of the past two seasons, St. Thomas Aquinas’ Joe Loughman won the 5A title with throws either right on or right around that number and last time it took more than that distance to win the 5A title was in 2017 when Eisenhower’s Matthew Pile threw 199-11.
 
And as the only 5A thrower to top that 195-foot mark this season, Daniel had to feel pretty comfortable that if he hit his mark, he’d win the title.
 
Before he even took his first attempt, however, Daniel had to shift gears on what that winning mark would be. Piper’s Max Clark kicked off what wound up being a wild competition for the title when he threw 199-10 on his first attempt.
 
“He pops that 199 and I’m telling Dalton (Meyers of Hays) and Niko (Ramos of Newton), ‘We’ve got to (step) up. It’s time to go,’” Daniel said. “He wants to show up, we need to show up.”
 
Show up all three did and when he needed it the most, Daniel showed out the most. On a day that saw the top-four throwers all hit personal bests and top 192 feet, Daniel came through in the clutch with a monstrous throw of 207-1 on his final attempt to capture the state title.
 
“It was the best competition I’ve seen all year, and I was excited for it,” said Daniel, who finished third at state a year ago. “But honestly, this was crazier than I thought it would be.”
 
Going into state with a 5A-best 196-8 this season, Daniel figured his toughest competition might come from Meyers, who was the only other thrower over 190 feet with a season best of 191-4. Ramos and Clark were just lurking under the 190 mark with top throws of 188-10 and 188-9 respectively.
 
Once Clark opened with his 11-foot PR, it was game on.
 
Daniel immediately answered with a 193-6 on his first throw and Ramos joined the 190 club on his second attempt, going 192-2. The Newton senior then overtook Daniel for second on his first throw of finals with a 199-7, his PR by nearly 11 feet as well.
 
After his opening throw, Daniel hadn’t gotten one out further than 189-3 but on his fifth attempt, he nailed a 198-3 that still left him in third place. And when Clark immediately followed with a throw of 201-6 to extend his lead, Daniel was up against it.
 
“I was still pretty confident in myself,” Daniel said. “On my 198 throw, I scratched the bottom of the javelin on the runway. So I knew I had more on that. I just believed in myself and my coaches believed in me all the way and they helped with my confidence.”
 
Meyers got his PR with a 192-0 on his final throw while Ramos fouled his last attempt. That left Daniel as the only one capable of topping Clark. And as soon as he let go of his final attempt, Daniel knew it had a chance and he raised both arms in triumph.
 

 
“Jav throwers know; you can just feel it,” he said. “It was the feeling that I knew I’d done it.”
 
When the mark came in at 207-1, Daniel erupted in celebration. But he still had to sweat out a final throw by Clark, who had already PRed by nearly 13 feet. Clark made a strong bid, but his final attempt went just 190-6 and the title belonged to Daniel.
 
If winning the state title was a dream come true, winning it in the manner in which he did was beyond Daniel’s wildest dreams.
 
“It means a lot more to me to have all these guys out here pushing me,” Daniel said. “We got around to all the meets and can win meets throwing mediocre. But when we all get together and go against each other, we show out.”
 

 
ELL-SALINE’S ROWLEY PUT FRUSTRATING YEAR ASIDE, RETURNS TO TOP OF 2A HIGH JUMP
 
The frustrations Brogan Rowley carried with him into the Class 2A high jump competition at state this year not only had encompassed a complete calendar year, but were two-fold.

For starters, they began at last year’s state meet. Going in as one of only two high jumpers in the state to go over 7 feet last spring along with Maize’s Alan Hanna, Rowley not only didn’t hit that height at state, he didn’t even come close with a top clearance of just 6-6.
 
Nor did the Ell-Saline standout win his third straight state title, losing out to Jefferson County North’s Isaac Kane who had a clean sheet through 6-6 to take the title on fewer misses.
 
“It was a huge disappointment,” Rowley said. “It motivated me for sure, working out, getting strong, trying to go higher.”
 
Poised to make the most of his senior season this spring, Rowley suffered a setback that’s been just as aggravating as his missed title a year ago. Early in the spring suffered a bone bruise on the L5 vertebrae in his back.
 
“I have no idea how it happened,” Rowley said. “Expectations were super high for me this spring and being hurt just means I haven’t been able to meet them. I had a great basketball season and was jacked up for the season.”
 
Unable to hit his high standards, Rowley still persevered and came away with his third state championship. Hitting a season-best 6-8 at regionals, Rowley got over that height again at state and fought off a strong bid from Moundridge’s Heath Churchill.
 
Given the past year, the title maybe meant the most of any of the three he won in his career.
 
“It’s amazing to battle through the injury I’ve had,” Rowley said. “Tough times, not competing and to be able to come here and compete, it means a lot.”
 
The injury popped up during the first week of practice and though Rowley tried to compete through it early in the season, he was a shadow of his usual self. He cleared just 6-4 at the Cardinals’ first meet and then 6-6 at the next one, winning both meets and not pushing the bar higher.
 
At that point, he knew he had to make the tough choice and take a break to try and give his back time to recover for the postseason. So he took nearly a month off, returning for a cameo appearance at the Beloit Relays on May 2, where he only went 6-2 for the victory.
 
“I did my best,” Rowley said. “It was a lot of mixed practices and missed time. I did a lot of stretching and strengthening of my back trying to get back to this.”
 
Even at full health, Churchill was going to be a formidable foe for this year’s 2A title. The Wildcat also was in the mix a year ago, taking third on misses after matching Kane and Rowley at 6-6. This season, he’d also gone 6-8 to share the 2A lead with Rowley and Hutchinson Trinity’s Isaac Hammersmith.
 
Throughout the competition, Churchill looked like the one to beat as he joined the competition at 6-0 – same as Rowley – and had a clean sheet with first-attempt clearances at 6-0, 6-2, 6-4 and 6-6.
 
Rowley, meanwhile, was laboring to keep up. After making 6-0 and 6-2 on his first attempts, he didn’t get over at 6-4 until his third try and then didn’t make 6-6 until his third attempt as well.
 
At 6-8, however, Churchill finally flinched. He missed all three attempts and when Rowley cleared on his final try, the title was his once again.
 
“I wasn’t confident at all,” Rowley said of getting his crown back. “Heath and Isaac Hammersmith both had cleared 6-8 and that’s all I’d done this season. So it could have gone either way. My back felt good while jumping, but after my jumps I was hurting.
 
“To be able to win is amazing. It would have been nice to go 7 foot, but you take what you can get.”
 

OTHER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS BOYS CHAMPIONS
 

• After two agonizingly close runner-up finishes in the Class 6A 100 meters, Wichita Southeast senior Dejuan Colbert got his first state title, winning the 100 in 10.52, .18 ahead of runner-up Jaalan Watson of Olathe North. Colbert took second at state to Wichita Northwest’s Jalil Cooper as a junior, finishing .02 behind, and was .01 behind Blue Valley North’s Alonzo Morgan as a sophomore.

 

• Wichita Independent senior Aaron Shadid edged Kiowa County’s Brock Deterding for the Class 1A 200-meter title. Both were timed in 22.23, but Shadid, also a runner-up in the 100, got the 200 victory by .006.

 

 

• Wichita Trinity senior Caleb Tofteland ended his high school career with double gold, winning the Class 3A 1,600 and 3,200 titles. Tofteland’s time of 9:09.62 was less than a second off the 3A meet record. His time of 4:12.77 was a personal best.

 

• Moundridge senior Kaden Elmore won his third Class 2A 400-meter title, running a personal-best 49.27 to hold off Eureka junior Peyton Hare (49.31) and Cair Paravel senior Ben Roeder (49.37). Elmore, who won a gold medal in each of his four state meet appearances, added a trio of thirds in his final meet (100, 200, 400 relay).

 

• McPherson junior Caleb Muehler highlighted a busy state meet with a victory in the Class 4A 3,200 meters, running 9:39.26, almost 3 seconds ahead of runner-up Peyton Parker of Wamego. Muehler also earned a second-place medal with Ethan Elder, Kayden Friesen and Tripp Pelzel in the 3,200 relay, and took third in the 1,600 and eighth in the 800.

 

• Andale senior Harrison Potucek highlighted the Indians’ fourth consecutive Class 4A team title with a victory in the 110-meter hurdles. Potucek ran a wind-aided personal best of 14.59, .23 ahead of runner-up Zach Friesen of Buhler. Potucek also finished second to Coffeyville’s Jake Horner in the 300 hurdles.

 

 

• Bennington junior Manny McVay tumbled at the finish and broke his wrist, but the effort helped the Bulldogs edge Eureka by .01 for the Class 2A 400-meter relay title. McVay ran the anchor leg behind Isaiah Garrett, Payge Rodenbeek and Ayden Levendofsky, bringing Bennington across the line in 43.58.

 

• Berean Academy’s 1,600 relay of seniors Randall Thiessen, Aiden Fasnacht and Titus Veer, and sophomore Ryley Busenitz posted a time of 3:25.85 to fend off Smith Center for the Class 2A title in the meet’s final event. The Warriors’ winning margin was .86.

 

 

• Pratt’s quartet of Arley Morrell, Blake Winsor, Cade Liggett and Carlito Lara won the Class 4A 1,600 relay, finishing in 3:21.85. The Greenbacks finished almost 2 seconds ahead of runner-up Chanute.

 

 

• Little River senior Jay Smith won the 100-meter and 400-meter dashes in the all-class wheelchair events. Smith took the 100 in a time of 22.29, almost 4 seconds over Valley Center senior Tanner Johnson, who finished in 26.09. Smith’s time of 1:46.50 in the 400 outpaced Johnson, who took second in 1:55.74.

 

 

• Hutchinson Central Christian senior Jayden Linscheid’s first-attempt clearance at 6 feet, 4 inches gave him the Class 1A high jump title over Axtell’s Logan Sandmann, who cleared 6-4 on his second try.

 

• Andover junior Shal Ruud cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win the Class 5A high jump title. Ruud, making his third state appearance in the event, broke away from Bonner Springs’ duo of junior Corey Rolfe and freshman Jaiden Jones. Both cleared 6-4 after Ruud made it on his first attempt, but bowed out at 6-6.
   

 

• After finishing 11^th as a freshman, fifth as a sophomore and third as a junior, Wichita East’s Tristen Cross won his first Class 6A long jump title with a best of 22 feet, 4 inches. Cross’s winning jump came on his third attempt and was 4.5 inches clear of runner-up Braden Peter of Mill Valley, who moved into second on his final attempt.

 

 

• Moundridge senior Henry Hecox unleashed a personal-best javelin throw of 190 feet, 7 inches on his first attempt to win the Class 2A title by more than 5 feet over Phillipsburg’s Kayden Hudson, who threw a best of 185-9 on his first try. Hecox, who was sixth at the 2024 state meet, added 3 feet on to his season-best effort.

 

• After throwing a personal-best 191 feet, 8 inches to win the Andale regional, Winfield junior Kellen Gibson followed it with a throw of 187-11 to win the Class 4A javelin title. Gibson had three throws over 185 feet. Chanute senior Owen Luttrell threw 184-2 on his final attempt to earn second.

 

• Wichita Central Christian senior Cooper Pendergrass threw a personal-best 55 feet, 2 inches to win the Class 2A shot put title by more than 5 feet over runner-up Victor Ruiz-Torres of Ell-Saline. Pendergrass had five throws over 50 feet. He also finished sixth in the discus with a throw of 148-2, 9 inches short of his PR in a Marion regional victory.