2026 BOYS TRACK PREVIEW
 

 
CLASS 6A
 
2025 State champion: Olathe West
 
2025 State runner-up: Olathe North
 
2025 Review: After ending Olathe North’s two-year reign in Class 6A in 2024, Olathe West once again topped its district rival Eagles for the team title last year. The Owls’ margin was a bit closer than their 26.5-point win in 2024, but the 19-point gap was still more than a comfortable enough margin that they didn’t have to sweat things out coming down the finish. The leading figure for the Owls was senior speedster Tevyn Gassaway, who just edged Derby’s Davon Morrison by .04 seconds for the title in the 200 after anchoring West’s 400 relay to a gold medal as well. West also got a state title from Cade Zimmerman in the javelin, a runner-up finish from the 3,200 relay and scored in all but one field event, coming away with two top-eight finishers in the javelin, pole vault and triple jump. … Jaalan Watson led the way for North as the Eagles finished as state runners-up for the second straight year. Watson left the field far behind in taking the triple jump title, soaring 47-3.25 to win by nearly two feet over West’s Simba Mundava. Watson also took second in the 100 to Wichita Southeast’s Dejaun Colbert and also led North’s 400 relay to a runner-up spot behind rival West by just .13 seconds and was also one of two Eagle placers in the long jump along with third-place finisher Hamza Lamrani. North also got a third from high jumper Cole Smither. … Mill Valley denied an All-Olathe top three team showing, edging Olathe South by 2.5 points for the third-place trophy. The Jaguars got a 2-3 finish from Carter Cline and Dalamar Reed in the 3,200 to start things off strong and the duo came back to go 3-4 in the 1,600 as well. David Johnson added a pair of top-three finishes in the hurdles, including a second in the 110s, and Braden Peter was runner-up in the long jump. … Olathe South and Olathe Northwest got in on the event title fun to represent the district as well. South’s Peter Mac Swaney and Jeremy Gracia made it an Olathe sweep of the throwing events with Swaney taking the discus title and Gracia the shot put crown. South also got a title from Dylan Plath in the 800 after he was just edged at the finish line by Shawnee Mission South’s Max Larson for the 1,600 title, a mere .01 seconds separating the two. Larson earlier had won the 3,200 title, leading the Raiders to a fifth-place team finish. … Northwest, meanwhile, won the 3,200 relay title. The unquestioned star of the 6A state meet, however was Maize’s Alan Hanna, who closed down Day 1 of the state meet with a record-setting performance in the high jump. Hanna took down the top mark at the state meet with a clearance of 7-3.5, breaking the old 6A meet record of 7-3.25 set by Garden City’s Jason Archibald in 1995. Hanna’s jump was No. 2 all-time in state history behind the 7-4.5 from Wichita East’s Brad Speer in 1984, a mark Hanna nearly bested on his final jumps. … Washburn Rural finished sixth as a team but had three state champions as Isaiah Terry won the 400, Liam Morrison took the 300 hurdles and both led the 1,600 relay to a second straight crown. … Gardner Edgerton dominated the pole vault with Karter Kueser, Mason Hill and Ben Karlin going 1-2-3, respectively. The Trailblazers also had the 110 hurdles champion in Bravin Powell. … Wichita East’s Tristen Cross was the long jump champion.
 
2026 Outlook: There hasn’t been a three-peat for the Class 6A team title since Lawrence won three straight from 1989-91. If Olathe West is to join the Lions in accomplishing that feat, the Owls will have to reload in a big way after graduation claimed 15 members of last year’s title team, including 200-meter champion Tevyn Gasaway and eight other individual placers. Senior Cade Zimmerman returns as the defending champion in the javelin but the only other returning individual event placers are Brayden Shin (tied for fifth in the discus) and Kiernyn Thomas (sixth in the triple jump). Only two members of state-placing relays also return – James Merfen from the runner-up 3,200 relay and Brayden Johnson from the championship 400 relay – giving West plenty of work to do to make the three-peat a reality. … The good news for the Owls is their top challengers from a year ago also took some big hits. Olathe North, runner-up the past two seasons after claiming back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, lost its top point producer with the graduation of Jaalan Watson, who won the triple jump title and was top-two in three other events. The Eagles also graduated three other state medalists, but return a strong sophomore duo in Jackson Parker, who placed fifth in the 110 hurdles as a freshman, and Landon Batten, who was fifth in the javelin as a freshman. … Third-place Mill Valley lost its distance duo of Carter Cline and Dalamar Read to graduation as the duo went 2-3 in the 3,200 and 3-4 in the 1,600. The Jaguars had just six seniors overall, so there are some pieces to build around, namely senior hurdler David Johnson, who was state runner-up in the 110s and third in the 300s. He’s the top returner in the 110s with the graduation of state champion Bravin Powell of Gardner Edgerton, but he’s got plenty of competition in the 300s as state champion Liam Morrison of Washburn Rural and runner-up Elliott Williams of Dodge City both are back. … Olathe South graduated two of its three individual state champions from a year ago – 800 champ Dylan Plath and discus champ Peter Mac Swaney. But Jeremy Gracia is back to defend his shot put title after edging Shawnee Mission South’s Michael Moser by six inches for the crown last year. Moser is gone, as are six of the other top-eight finishers leaving Manhattan’s Evan Middleton as his top challenger after the Indian finished third last year. … No other individual state champion returns as seniors dominated the top of the podium stand a year ago. But Gardner Edgerton’s Mason Hill, runner-up in the pole vault a year ago to teammate Karter Kueser, and classmate Ben Karlin will be worth watching this year with Hill already going a No. 2 all-time mark with a clearance of 17-6.5 this year – second only to Andover Central’s Bryce Barkdull (17-9) in state history.
 

 
CLASS 5A
 
2025 State champion: Kapaun Mt. Carmel
 
2025 State runner-up: St. Thomas Aquinas
 
2025 Review: To steal terminology from a different spring sport, Kapaun Mt. Carmel had pretty much all the bases covered as it looked to defend the Class 5A team championship it won in 2024. Short distances? Jack Guthridge took care of business in impressive fashion. After turning in the state’s all-time fastest 100-meter time earlier in the spring with a 10.23 before going on to sweep the 100, 200 and 400 titles at the State Outdoors. Long distances? Daniel Enriquez had that covered, sweeping state titles in the 1,600 and 3,200, demolishing the 5A state meet record in the 1,600 by more than eight seconds with his winning time of 4:06.58. Hurdles? Dawson Grabendike delivered there, sweeping the 110s and 300s at state? Field event? Jackson Daniel won an epic javelin competition that saw four throwers go over 190 feet at state, Daniel winning with a final toss of 207-1. Toss in a winning relay and Kapaun collected nine of the 18 gold medals handed out at state in 5A last year, adding up to a runaway second straight state championship. The Crusaders finished with 114 points, more than double the 55 posted by runner-up St. Thomas Aquinas. … Aquinas’ runner-up finish was led by its throwers as Joey Goodenow successfully defended his state titles from 2024 in both the shot put and discus. Goodenow went 1-2 in the shot put with teammate K’lyn Curtis and the same duo finished 1-3 in the discus. The Saints picked up 40 of their 55 points from the field events. … Piper was a close third in the team standings, finishing with 50 points. While the Pirates didn’t win an individual event, they got strong showings in the hurdles from the tandem of Shinji Pollard and Carsen Avery with Pollard taking second in the 110s and Avery fourth in the 300s. Skyler Little added thirds in the 100 and 200 and Max Clark and Kole Schaunaman finished 2-5 in the javelin. … While distance runners did the heavy lifting for Blue Valley Southwest in its fourth-place finish with Alex Roberts and Elijah Chavez finishing 2-3 in the 3,200 and Canyon Buehler and Chavez going 2-3 in the 1,600, it was Dylan Cross who came away with the Timberwolves’ lone gold medal, taking the pole vault title with a clearance of 16-3 to win by over a foot. Teammate Gabe Heck added a third in the event as well. … Great Bend’s Cooper Ohnmacht won his second straight triple jump title, getting him halfway to a four-year sweep of the event. … Sumner Academy’s Sommyr Moore won a tight competition in the long jump that saw the top-six placers finish within 6.5 inches of each other with Moore winning by an inch of Andover Central’s Ethan Armendariz. … Andover’s Shai Ruud out-jumped the Bonner Springs duo of Corey Rolfe and Jaiden Jones for the high jump crown while Spring Hill’s Jack Janovick won the 800 by a half-second over St. James Academy’s Noah Schowengardt, who led the Thunder’s 3,200 relay to victory. … De Soto took the 400 relay title.
 
2026 Outlook: While all the pieces were in place for Kapaun Mt. Carmel to completely run away with last year’s state titles, the pieces will have to come together for the Crusaders to harbor visions of pulling off a three-peat. A cornerstone for the reload is in place with Daniel Enriquez returning for his senior year after a stellar junior season in which he was one of the top distance runners in the state in any classification. Enriquez shattered the Class 5A state meet record in the 1,600 with his winning time of 4:06.58 knocking more than eight seconds off the mark of 4:15.03 set by former Crusader Luke Brock just two years ago. Enriquez had already won the 3,200 by less than a second with a 9:06.33 and he fell short of the distance triple crown, taking fifth in the 800 after expending a bulk of his energy in taking down the 1,600 mark. He’s the lone returning state placer in an individual event for Kapaun, though Lucian Winters returns from the state champion 1,600 relay and Eli Koster is back from the state-placing 3,200 relay. The Crusaders will sorely miss the duo of Jack Guthridge and Dawson Grabendike, who combined for five individual golds and led the winning 1,600 relay. … Kapaun’s losses could lead to a wide-open race for this year’s state title and last year’s fourth-place finisher Blue Valley Southwest very well could emerge as the favorite. The Timberwolves have the defending state champion in the pole vault with Dylan Cross winning by more than a foot last year and the heavy favorite to repeat this year. He won’t be backed by Gabe Heck, who graduated after placing third last year. The Timberwolves’ stout distance corps lost two-event placer Elijah Chavez and 1,600 runner-up Canyon Buehler, but returns Alex Roberts, who was runner-up in the 3,200 and depth beyond him in sophomore Andrew Claar and senior Cameron Paschke, who went 3-4 in state cross country in the fall behind Roberts’ runner-up finish to Kapaun’s Enriquez. … Don’t overlook Piper, either. The Pirates have one of the state’s premier hurdlers in Shinji Pollard, who was runner-up in the 110s and placed in the 300s last year and could be the heir apparent to Kapaun’s Grabendike. Double-hurdle placer Carson Avery graduated, as did double-sprints placer Skyler Little. But the Pirates could rack up big points in the javelin with Max Clark coming off a runner-up finish and the top returner in the even this year and fellow placer Kole Schaunaman also back after taking fifth. Piper only graduated three members of last year’s 18-person state squad. … St. Thomas Aquinas was runner-up to Kapaun a year ago, but will miss thrower Joey Goodenow, who swept state titles in the shot put and discus as both a junior and senior. Had it not been for Goodenow, Saint K’lyn Curtis very well could be a two-time state champion in the shot put, having taken second to Goodenow each of the past two seasons. He’s back as the favorite in the event this year and will also be a top contender in the discus after placing third last year, though runner-up finisher Karson Palmer of Arkansas City also returns in that event. … After taking fifth as a team last year, Bishop Carroll lost most of its state points production, particularly with the graduation of three-event placer Caleb DeGroot. Noah Holthusen returns after taking second in the 300 hurdles. … St. James Academy had a state squad of 25 and lost just seven of those to graduation. The Thunder won the 3,200 relay and return three-fourths of that group led by senior Noah Schowengardt, who was the runner-up in the 800 to departed Jack Janovick of Spring Hill. He also anchored the runner-up 1,600 relay, which returns three of four members. Three field event placers also return for the Thunder. … Great Bend junior Cooper Ohnmacht, one of the state’s top overall athletes, has won the triple jump title as a freshman and sophomore as he looks to become a rare four-year state champion in the same event. The only other Kansan to do it in the triple jump is Leavenworth’s Melvin Lister, who went on to become an Olympian. … Last year’s high jump competition was a good one with Andover’s Shai Ruud edging the Bonner Springs duo of Corey Rolfe and Jaiden Jones. All three return this year as does all three jumpers who tied for fourth – Seaman’s Jack Esser, Newton’s Kenneth Powell and St. James’ Adam Sydzyik. … Andover Central’s Ethan Armendariz came up an inch short of winning the long jump crown, taking second to Sumner Academy’s Summyr Moore. Moore is gone, but Armendariz will have to contend with Great Bend’s Ohnmacht and Andover’s Gatlin Tilson, who finished 3-4 and just two inches behind him.
 

 
CLASS 4A
 
2025 State champion: Andale
 
2025 State runner-up: Buhler
 
2025 Review: The beat goes on for Andale, which captured its fourth straight Class 4A state title and fifth since 2019 a year ago. The Indians didn’t rack up a huge point total like they did in 2022 to start the current run, nor did they have to sweat out the title like they did each of the two previous seasons, winning in 2023 by a half point over Louisburg. Instead, it fell somewhere in the middle as Andale scored 68.5 points to beat runner-up Buhler by 14 points. The driving force behind most of the recent titles has been the Indians’ dominance in the throwing events, but that wasn’t the case last year as they got just 17 points across the three events with fourth-place finishes from Cooper Marx in the shot put and discus and a fourth from Hunter Grimes in the javelin leading the effort. Instead, Andale was led by hurdler Harrison Potucek, who won the 110s and took second in the 300s, backed by a sixth from Sam Harp in the latter, and pole vaulters Noah Horsch and Colt Lane, who finished 2-4, respectively. The 400 relay also posted a runner-up finish. … Buhler rode its distance corps and hurdlers to the runner-up team finish, scoring the bulk of their points in just four events. Gavin Lindahl and Henry Trumpp each placed in the 3,200 and 1,600 with Lindahl taking fourth in both. In the hurdles, three different Crusaders combined for five medals with Aidan Anderson and Landon Martinez placing in both, including a third by Anderson in the 300s, and Zach Friesen taking second in the 110s. Buhler’s hopes of dethroning Andale were limited by having only one state placer in the seven field events, a third from Max Harmony in the pole vault. … Chanute barely held off the best showing by Ulysses at state in several years, scoring 50.5 points to edge the Tigers by 2.5 points. The Blue Comets were led by Canton Fitzmaurice, who won the shot put state title and took second in the discus to Tonganoxie’s Tucker McGuire. Owen Luttrell added a second in the javelin and Easton Colborn took third in the high jump as Chanute racked up most of its points in the field events with the track showing led by a second from the 1,600 relay and fourth from the 3,200 relay. … Ulysses was arguably the surprise of the state meet, just missing the medal stand as a team, but making plenty of showings there individually. The Tigers weren’t even in the top 10 in 2024 as a team. Gaige McGaughey and Aden Alvarado each had a hand in two of the Tigers’ three state championship wins. McGaughey clipped Clay Center’s Jace Weller at the finish line for the win in the 200 by just .04 seconds and also anchored the Tigers’ winning 400 relay that won by just .03 seconds over Andale. Alvarado also was on the winning relay and won the long jump title by more than a foot. … Holton’s Brayden Peek was the lone individual to claim two golds, winning both the 400 and 800. His 400 winning time of 47.70 set the state meet record, breaking the old mark of 47.98 by Tonganoxie’s DJ Lindsay in 2010. … Labette County’s Jamal Jackson also put his name in the record books with his winning time of 10.65 matching the 4A meet record in the 100 set by Buhler’s Jordan Hawkins in 2019. … Louisburg’s Cooper Wingfield won his second straight pole vault title to continue the Wildcats’ stranglehold on the event. … Multi-time cross country state champion Caleb Muehler of McPherson picked up his first career track state title in the 3,200, and then finished third in the 1,600 as Chapman’s Drew Elliott took that event. Wamego’s Peyton Parker finished runner-up in both. … Other state champions included Coffeyville’s Jake Horner in the 300 hurdles, Winfield’s Kellen Gibson in the javelin, Wamego’s Slade Smith in the high jump and Paola’s JJ Crawford in the triple jump.
 
2026 Outlook: Not many schools can brag about winning four straight state titles and even fewer have claimed five straight, but that’s what Andale is aiming to do this season. The Indians only graduated five from its 26-member state contingent so the quantity is there to go after No. 5. The question could be the quality. The five that graduated accounted for a bulk of Andale’s points a year ago with the combination of Harrison Potucek, Noah Horsch, Cooper Marx, Ian Schrandt and Jason Klabo having a hand in 51 of the 68.5 points. That leaves senior Hunter Grimes (placed in the javelin and shot put), Colt Lane, (tied for third in the pole vault), Sam Harp (sixth in the 300 hurdles) and Jack Cutler (eighth in the 3,200) as the top returners. Andale will have 15 seniors returning from last year’s state team. … Buhler last won a state title in 2018 but could be the biggest threat to Andale’s streak since Louisburg three years ago. The Crusaders finished 14 points back last year and return enough firepower to close that gap this spring. Gavin Lindahl finished fourth in both the 3,200 and 1,600 but will have tough competition in each to get to the top of the podium with the return of McPherson’s Caleb Muehler, who won the 3,200 and was third in the 1,600, and Wamego’s Peyton Parker, runner-up in both events. Buhler also picked up big points in the hurdles last year and return two of the three that accounted for those points with Zach Friesen back after a runner-up finish in the 110s and Landon Martinez a state placer in both as a freshman. Friesen could be the favorite this year with the graduation of Andale’s Potucek, though Pratt’s Gavin Rupe was just behind in third and also returns. Max Harmony was Buhler’s lone state placer in a field event last year and will be among the favorites in the pole vault this year after taking third last year, tied with Andale’s Lane. … Coming off its best team showing since taking fifth as a team in 2016, Ulysses just missed out on getting a state trophy last year, taking fourth, 2.5 points behind Chanute. Whereas the Blue Comets graduated all but two of its state placers – high jumpers Easton Colborn (third) and Daniel Stanley (seventh) – Ulysses returns all but one off last year’s state team. That loss was a big one as Aden Alvarado won the long jump title and was on the Tigers’ winning 400 relay team. But more than enough returns to keep the Tigers in the hunt for a trophy this year, and perhaps a state title. Junior Gaige McGaughey authored a come-from-behind win to take the 200 title by a mere .04 seconds and was the anchor on Ulysses’ 400 relay that won by .03 over Andale. Julian Meraz and Parker Browning also return from that relay while Meraz, McGaughey and Preston Hittle are back from the Tigers’ 1,600 relay that took third. McGaughey was also the state runner-up in the 100 to Labette County’s Jamal Jackson, who will return but is coming off a leg injury that robbed him of his football season. … Parker leads a strong distance corps that could get Wamego in the mix as well. In addition to his runner-up finishes in the 1,600 and 3,200, Parker led off Wamego’s winning 3,200 relay that also returns Isaac Ibendahl and Braxton Williams. The Red Raiders graduated high jump champion Slade Smith, but Mason Isch returns after placing in both the shot put and discus. He’ll be one of the top contenders in the shot this year with only Labette County’s Keegan Stritzke, last year’s runner-up, and Baldwin’s Brendan O’Connor returning from the top 5. … Stritzke also took third in the discus and is the top returner in that event as well. If he can move to the top of the podium and Jackson – who also was state runner-up in the 400 – is healthy, Labette County could be a factor with the Grizzlies only graduating three off last year’s state team that finished seventh. The Grizzlies’ 400 relay that finished third also returns completely intact. … In addition to returning hurdler Rupe, Pratt has the top returning in the 800 in Carlito Lara, who was runner-up to Holton’s Brayden Peek, who has graduated. Sophomore Cade Liggett also returns for the Greenbacks after placing fifth in the 200 as a freshman last year, as does senior high jumper Arley Morrell. … Bishop Miege’s Liam Tesmer could be in the hunt for titles in the high jump and long jump, taking second in the long jump a year ago and tying for third in the high jump with Chanute’s Colborn. He also was seventh in the triple jump. … Winfield’s Kellen Gibson will go after a second straight title in the javelin after winning last year’s title by three-plus feet. 
 

 
CLASS 3A
 
2025 State champion: Holcomb
 
2025 State runner-up: Lakin
 
2025 Review: The top of the Class 3A standings had a distinct western flavor a year ago as Holcomb, Lakin and Scott City finished 1-2-4 in the final team standings. Thanks to a big showing from the distance crew that had won the Class 3A cross country title in the fall, the Longhorns were able to rack up enough points to pull away and beat Lakin by 18 points for their second straight state title. Standout Brody Deniston led a 1-2-4 finish in the 800 with Landen Leonard finishing just .74 seconds behind and Weston Baker coming in fourth. Deniston was also the state runner-up in the 1,600 and 3,200 and anchored Holcomb’s winning 3,200 relay while Baker was fifth in the 1,600 and Leonard took third in the 400. Holcomb also got a state title from Hawk Vainerere in the pole vault while freshman Cooper Cranston was the state runner-up in the 110 hurdles to Great West Activities Conference rival Linkon Cure of Goodland, the defending champion. … Lakin’s runner-up showing was led by senior thrower Colter Oldham, who successfully defended his state titles in both the shot put and discus. Neither came easily as he won the discus title by just two and a half feet over Wichita Collegiate’s Logan Clay. The shot put title was even tougher as Beloit’s Eli Johnson took the lead with a state-record throw of 60-8.5 on his second attempt. But Oldham answered with a 60-9.5 on his third attempt and was able to hold on for the win after Johnson fouled on all four of his final throws. Lakin got most of its scoring from the field events with Ross Rider taking third in the long jump, Quincy Esquibel finishing third in the triple jump and Austin Ritesma tying for fourth in the high jump. Esquibel also joined Tyelor Holloway as a state placer in tthe 110 hurdles and Ritesma placed in both the 1,600 and 3,200. … Wichita Collegiate broke up the western Kansas bloc atop the 3A standings with its third-place team finish. The Spartans had a breakout star in sophomore Timmy Ritchie, who blew away the 3A state meet record in winning the 400 in 47.00, 1.32 seconds faster than the previous mark set by Garden Plain’s Kurt Pauly in 2009. Ritchie also led a 2-3 Spartan finish in the 100 with AJ Batiste and was runner-up in the 200, both his seconds coming to Burlington speedster Brody Anderson, who broke the 3A state meet record in the 100 with his 10.49, taking down Jordy Nelson’s record of 10.63 from 2003 and nipping Ritchie by .01 seconds. Anderson also set the 200 record with a 21.18. Ritchie and Batiste also led Collegiate’s 400 relay to a runner-up finish to Bishop Ward and the Spartans also got a runner-up finish from Logan Clay in the discus. … Scott City led a tight grouping behind Collegiate, finishing with 43 points to just edge Southeast of Saline (42) and Bishop Ward (41). The Beavers were led by Camden Vulgamore, who took second in the 400, fifth in the 200 and anchored the winning 1,600 relay. … Southeast got a state title from Tate Nurnberg in the triple jump, his second straight in the event, to lead its fifth-place showing. The Trojans also got a trio of individual medals from Brayden Walker, who was fourth in the 3,200, third in the 1,600 and fifth in the 800 and also anchored the Trojans’ runner-up 3,200 relay. … Ward had a pair of champions with Tyler Holmes factoring in both. Holmes won the long jump title and then anchored the Cyclones’ winning 400 relay. Fellow relay members Davontae Davis and Jailen Jefferson also added individual top-four finishes with Davis taking third in the 200 and fourth in the 100. … Trinity Academy finished just tied for 10th but got a pair of titles from Caleb Tofteland, who swept the titles in the 1,600 and 3,200. … While Goodland’s Cure was able to successfully defend his state title in the 110 hurdles, he was denied the sweep he enjoyed in 2024 as league rival Jordan Jones of Colby edged him by .02 seconds for the crown in the 300 hurdles. … Osage City had a pair of state champions as Kasen Parsons won the javelin throw by just over a foot with a 197-9 and Quenten Stark took the high jump title.
 
2026 Outlook: Holcomb wasn’t able to repeat as state cross country champions this fall, but a third straight track title looks well within reach, though maybe not by the comfortable margin they’ve enjoyed the past two seasons. Graduation claimed only five members of last year’s title team, but there are some big losses. Hawk Vainerere was last year’s state pole vault champion and provided 10 of the 11 points the Longhorns got from the field events with Jareht Herrell returning after taking eighth in the javelin. On the track, the Longhorns lose Weston Baker and Landen Leonard, who each won a pair of individual medals and also formed half of Holcomb’s meet-record setting 3,200 relay. The good news for Holcomb is that Brody Deniston does return and there couldn’t be a better piece to reload around. Deniston was the state champion in the 800 and also finished runner-up in the 1,600 and 3,200. The state cross country champion in the fall, he’ll be the favorite for the distance triple crown this season with the graduation of Trinity Academy’s Caleb Tofteland, who swept the 1,600 and 3,200 last year. Big things also are in store for sophomore Cooper Cranston, who was state runner-up in the 110 hurdles to two-time champion Linkon Cure of Goodland, who has graduated. Jeb Stoppel returns from the record-setting 3,200 relay and if new faces can step up a little, the Longhorns will be tough to beat. … The top challenger very well could be Wichita Collegiate, which took third last year with just a seven-member state contingent. If Deniston is the top distance runner in 3A, then Timmy Ritchie is the top sprinter. He set the 3A state meet record in winning the 400 last year and also was runner-up in both the 100 and 200. His time in the 100 broke the state meet record but Ritchie was nipped by .01 seconds by Burlington’s Brody Anderson, who also beat him in setting the 200 meet record as well. Anderson is gone, leaving Ritchie as the heir apparent for the sprints sweep, even moreso with his state-placing teammate from last year, AJ Batiste, not competing this spring. That duo also helped the 400 relay to a runner-up finish to Bishop Ward, which returns three of its four relay members. Collegiate also has three back with Julian Johnson joining Ritchie and Batiste. Collegiate also returns thrower Logan Clay, who was state runner-up in the discus behind Lakin’s Colter Oldham, who has graduated after sweeping the shot put and discus titles the past two seasons. … Lakin took second last year but will be in almost a complete rebuild after losing not only Oldham, but state placers Austin Ritesma, Tyelor Holloway and Ross Rider. Quincy Esquibel is one of just two returners from last year’s state team and placed in both the 110 hurdles and triple jump. … Scott City will also be in a bit of a rebuild after graduating the bulk of its state placers. Peyton Bergner and Martin Purma do return from the Beavers’ state title 1,600 relay team and Bergner, Copper Irvin and Kasten Wren return form the third-place 3,200 relay. Bergner also was fifth in the 400 and was with Purma on the fifth-place 400 relay. … Southeast of Saline dethroned Holcomb in cross country and only lost five members of its state squad of 18. Brayden Walker placed in all three distance races and likely will be one of Deniston’s top challengers for those titles this year with teammate Jacob Bircher also having the potential to be in the mix. Amarion Holub and Malachi Hopkins are back as state placers, but the Trojans must replace two-time triple jump champion Tate Nurnberg, who also won the high jump title in 2024. … If Osage City can add some pieces to its returning state champions, the Indians could find themselves in the mix as well. Kasen Parsons is the top javelin thrower in the state and won the 3A title last year and should be close to 100% after having his football season cut short by an ACL injury. Quenten Stark was last year’s high jump champion but his top three challengers a year ago also return. The Indians’ only other points came from its 1,600 and 3,200 relays, but each return three of four members so there’s potential for bigger points there this year. … As is customary, Beloit got the bulk of its points from its throwers a year ago, particularly in the shot put where the Trojans went 2-3-4. Sophomore Griffin Johnson is the lone returner from that group, placing fourth in the shot put and seventh in the discus, and for that matter is Beloit’s lone returning state qualifier. … Bishop Ward rode senior Tyler Holmes to a sixth-place team finish a year ago as he won the long jump and anchored the winning 400 relay. He’s the only loss to graduation and the Cyclones this year will be led by Devontae Davis, who was top-four in the 100 and 200, and Jailen Johnson, who placed in the hurdles. … Colby’s Jordan Jones returns to defend his 300 hurdles title and should be the overwhelming favorite with the next four placers all having graduated.
 

 
CLASS 2A
 
2025 State champion: Central Heights
 
2025 State runner-up: Moundridge
 
2025 Review: It took all of one event for Central Heights to set the tone for the program’s first state track championship since 1996. The Vikings opened the meet with a dominant performance in the 3,200 as Connor Burkdoll, Owen Miller and Cody Hammond finished 1-2-3 to give them an immediate 24 points. That trio never let up, teaming with Christian McCord to successfully defend their 3,200 relay title, and then coming back with a 1-2-4 finish in the 1,600 with Hammond edging Burkdoll for that title and Miller taking fourth. They capped their meet with a 1-3-4 finish in the 800 as Hammond won his second individual title of the day. That accounted for all 78 points Heights scored and it was just enough to dethrone defending champion Moundridge, which finished five points back with 73 points. … Once again, Moundridge’s effort was led by Kaden Elmore. After bursting on the scene as a sophomore in 2023 by winning the 100 and taking second in the 200, Elmore became a 400 specialist and claimed his second straight state title in that event last year, fighting off Eureka’s Peyton Hare by .04 seconds and Cair Paravel’s Ben Roeder by .10 seconds for the crown. He also finished third in both the 100 and 200 and anchored Moundridge’s third-place 400 relay. The Wildcats had plenty to go with him, however. Henry Hecox captured the state title in the javelin, going over 190 feet while Heath Churchill was runner-up in the high jump and fourth in the 300 hurdles and Kaizer Kanitz took second in the triple jump. … While those two teams completely separated themselves from the rest of the 2A field, the battle for the final team trophy was a tightly contested one with Medicine Lodge edging Phillipsburg and Berean Academy for third place by three points each. The Indians were led by Davis Miltner, who took fourth in the 3,200 and third in the 1,600, and Durham Nittler, who was third in the long jump and triple jump and fourth in the 300 hurdles. … Phillipsburg had another one of the stars of the 2A meet as Tanner Horinek swept the titles in the 110 and 300 hurdles and also anchored the 400 relay to a sixth. Kayden Hudson and Caleb Leidig added a 2-4 finish in the javelin. … Berean Academy won the 1,600 relay to lead its fourth-place showing with relay members Randall Thiessen and Ryley Busenitz each adding a pair of individual medals. … Sedgwick’s Noah Little captured his second straight triple jump title, winning by nearly three feet. He also picked up his first long jump crown, edging Hutchinson Trinity’s Isaac Hammersmith by 2.5 inches for that title. … Pleasanton’s Ashton Gratton put his name in the record books in winning the 100, clocking a 10.78 that was .01 faster than the previous 2A state meet record of 10.79 set by former Pleasanton standout Isaiah Bates in 2022. Gratton also came back to win the 200 for the sprint sweep. … Ell-Saline’s Brogan Rowley captured the high jump title, overcoming a back injury to win his second title in three years. … Other individual event champions were Chase County’s Luke Budke in the pole vault, Hill City’s Vincent Zohner in the discus and Wichita Central Christian’s Cooper Pendergrass in the shot put with Pendergrass becoming the first state track champion for his program.
 
2026 Outlook: It could just be an odd year thing for Moundridge when it comes to state track titles. The Wildcats won titles in 2021 and 2023 but saw Inman snatch away the crown in 2022 and Central Heights do the same last year. But of the teams finishing in the top five a year ago, Moundridge has the most firepower returning. The Wildcats will miss the services of Kaden Elmore, a two-time state champion in the 400 and three-time champion overall. Last year, he won his second straight 400 title and also took third in the 100 and 200 and anchored the third-place 400 relay. Also gone are state javelin champion Henry Hecox and fellow javelin placer Bear Moddelmog, but just about everyone else returns. Heath Churchill likely will be the favorite in the high jump after taking second last year and third in 2024. He’s also a threat in the hurdles, though Phillipsburg’s Tanner Horinek returns as the defending champion in both. Churchill will also have plenty of challengers in the high jump as five other placers are back as is Hutchinson Trinity’s Isaac Hammersmith, who was a state placer in 2024. The Wildcats also return state placers in Kaizer Kanitz (second in the triple jump), Dan Kuder (fifth in the 800) and Brayden Elmore (eighth in the pole vault). … Defending champion Central Heights has a major reload on its hands after graduating the stellar distance trio of Cody Hammond, Connor Burkdoll and Owen Miller, who combined for nine top-four finishes in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 a year ago, going 1-2-3 in the 3,200. The Vikings will have to lean on their next wave of distance runners to stay in the hunt. … The return of hurdles sweep champion Horinek will give Phillipsburg a leg up on some of the others chasing Moundridge. The Panthers only had seven state qualifiers a year ago and graduation claimed two of them including javelin runner-up Kayden Hudson. Caleb Leidig was fourth in the javelin last year as a freshman and three-fourths of the sixth-place 400 relay also returns. … Moundridge’s Heart of America rival Berean Academy might be the other team from last year’s top five to challenge them. The Warriors lost standout hurdler Randall Thiessen, who also led off their winning 1,600 relay, but return ever other placer. It’s Team Busenitz that will carry the load as Ryley Busenitz returns as the anchor from that title relay and also placed fourth in the high jump and fifth in the 400. Brendan and Caden Busenitz also return as state pole vault placers. … Eureka has a strong 1-2 punch in the sprints in Peyton Hare and TJ Mills. Hare nearly upset Moundridge’s Kaden Elmore for the 400 title last year, finishing .04 seconds away from the title. He also was fourth in the 200, one spot ahead of Mills, who also was fourth in the 100. Mills was the 200 champion in 2024. He’ll battle with Jackson Heights’ Kyson Proffitt for the sprint crowns this year after graduation claimed Pleasanton’s Ashton Gratton, who swept the 100 and 200 last year. Mills and Hare also led Eureka’s 400 relay to a runner-up finish, edged at the finish line by .01 by Bennington, which returns three members of that relay this season. … The distance titles will be up for grabs with Wichita Central Christian’s Levi Sturm the top returner in both. His top challengers could come from a duo that didn’t place a year ago – Hutchinson Trinity’s Jacob and John Lindstrom – who led the Celtics to the cross country title in the fall. … The throws also will be somewhat wide open, though Vincent Zohner of Hill City is back to defend the discus title he won a year ago. His two closest challengers – Plainville’s Tucker Rudman and Inman’s Bo O’Neil also return. In the shot put, Horton’s Austin Garrison is the top returner after taking third a year ago while Rudman was fifth. Wichita County’s Beau Porter is the top returner in the javelin, taking third last year. … Sedgwick’s Noah Little will look to win the triple jump title for the third straight year, dominating last year’s event by nearly three feet. He also added his first long jump title a year ago, edging Hutchinson Trinity’s Hammersmith by less than three inches while St. Mary’s Colgan’s Klayton Adamson back after taking fourth. … Southeast-Cherokee’s Trey Sol Galindo lost out on the pole vault title on misses last year, but will be the favorite this spring.
 

 
CLASS 1A
 
2025 State champion: Axtell
 
2025 State runner-up: Kiowa County
 
2025 Review: Returning the bulk of its 2024 state championship team, Axtell extended its state title streak to three straight, running away and hiding from the competition for the second straight year. Led by a talented senior class, the Eagles won all three relay titles with their win in the 400 relay the most thrilling as they edged Twin Valley League rival Frankfort by just .01 seconds for the crown. Their wins in the 1,600 and 3,200 relays weren’t exactly runaways, but were comfortable enough. Brandon Schmelzle, Eli Broxterman and Landon Schmitz were on the winning 400 and 1,600 relays and Schmitz and Schmelzle also added individual event titles as well. Schmitz completed his quest to sweep the hurdles titles after just missing out on that sweep in 2024 while Schmelzle captured the long jump title for the second straight year. Throw in a runner-up finish by Logan Sandmann in the high jump and a handful of other placings and Axtell racked up a whopping 90 points for the second straight year to beat Kiowa County by 56 points. … In taking second, Kiowa County was led by Brock Deterding, who while wasn’t able to defend his 100 and 200 title sweep from 2024 still managed a runner-up in the 200 and third in the 100 and anchor the 400 relay to a third as well. The Mavericks also got medals from Sam Martinez in the 800 and Kaden Weseloh in the pole vault, Weseloh taking third. … Quinter ended up one point behind Kiowa County for the runner-up spot, taking third with 33 points. The Bulldogs’ highest placer was Caedmon Bridges, who was runner-up in the discus behind Palco’s Ethan Gaschler, who also won the shot put title, capturing both titles with ease. Gaschler’s winning margin in the shot put was nearly four feet and his margin in taking the discus title was 16 feet. … Runners from the Lyon County League swept the 800 and 3,200 as Olpe’s Kaleb Arnold took the 3,200 title and two-time state cross country champion Caleb Durst of Lebo won the 800. They finished 2-3 behind Ness City’s Broxton Gall for the title in the 1,600. … Will Wegerer led a 1-2 Cunningham finish in the pole vault, going 16-1 to beat teammate Skyler Thimesch by a foot and a half. … Frankfort’s Carter Olson won the 100 and was third in the 200 behind champion Aaron Shadid of Wichita Independent and Kiowa County’s Deterding. … Other individual champions included Ingalls’ RJ Allen in the 400, Hutchinson Central Christian’s Jayden Linscheid in the high jump, South Central’s Jack Herd in the javelin and Beloit-St. John’s Edward Horinek in the triple jump.
 
2026 Outlook: While Axtell’s senior class is irreplaceable, there’s more than enough returning for the Eagles to go after a fourth straight state title this spring. The relays take the biggest hit for the Eagles where departed seniors Brandon Schmelzle, Eli Broxterman, Rilyn Buessing, Gavin Shaughnessy and Daltyn Heinen accounted for at least half of the spots on each relay with Schmelzle also winning two straight long jump titles and taking second in the 400 and Broxterman and Shaughnessy also adding top-eight finishes. Instead of more than doubling the top challengers in points, Axtell might have to go back to the tight races it survived in winning its title in 2023 when the Eagles’ margin of victory was nine points. Returning senior Landon Schmitz is the defending state champion in both the 110 and 300 hurdles, edging Bucklin’s Lucas Kirk for both crowns. The 110 hurdles title was his second straight and the title in the 300s was redemption from 2024 after he led going into the final hurdle before clipping it and stumbling, slipping to fourth. He also returns to the 400 and 1,600 relays, joined by Lucas Talbot on the 1,600 relay. Some of the gaps on the relays could be filled by Wyatt Detweiler and Colin Shaughnessy, who were on the winning 3,200 relay. Detweiler also was a state placer in the 110 hurdles and Shaughnessy is coming off a breakout basketball season. The Eagles will also have the favorite in the high jump as Logan Sandmann returns after finishing second on misses last year, though he’ll face stiff competition from 2024 champion Ian Melendez of Spearville, who was third last year, as well as Hodgeman County’s Brody Schroeder. … If not Axtell, then perhaps it’s Quinter’s year. The Bulldogs won a fourth straight state cross country title in the fall and that could make their third-place 3,200 relay from a year ago arguably the favorite this year with three members of that relay back – Elliot Churchwell, Gunner Catura and Kendrik Selensky. Selensky placed in the 3,200 as well. Quinter also returns last year’s state runner-up in the discus in Caedmon Bridges, who was a distant second to Palco’s Ethan Gaschler. With Gaschler having graduated, Bridges will be challenged by Cunningham’s Stephen Kerschen and Wakefield’s Kingsley Smith after that duo went 3-4 last year. … Runner-up a year ago, Kiowa County lost two of its three individual state placers with the graduation of speedster Brock Deterding and pole vaulter Kaden Weseloh. Samuel Martinez is the lone returning individual placer for the Mavericks, taking fifth in the 800, while Joel Armendariz is the lone returner on the placing 400 and 1,600 relays. Martinez is the top returning placer from last year’s field in the 800. … Lincoln tied for fifth a year ago with Beloit-St. John’s and returns all six of its state qualifiers. Jeremiah Miller was a top-five finisher in both hurdles while twin brother Xavier was fourth in the 400 and is the top returner in that event. Easton Good and Benjamin Bell also return after placing in the shot put and pole vault, respectively. … Beloit-St. John’s is led by returning triple jump champion Edward Horinek, who led the basketball team to the Class 1A Division I state title in March. He’s one of six returners for the Blujays, but the lone returning state placer. … Little River could make a move up the standings after finishing eighth last year. The Redskins only graduated two from their 11-member state contingent and are led by senior Cole Dieball, who placed in the shot put and discus. Three other individual placers also return as does the entire placing 400 relay. … Olpe’s Kaleb Arnold is back to defend his 3,200 title but faces a deep field that included runner-up Joshua MacKinney of South Barber and fourth-place finisher Eli Gaeddert of Goessel, who won the cross country title in the fall. Ness City’s Broxton Gall, who won the 1,600 could also be in the mix if he opts to run it at state this year. … Graduation hit the sprints hard with the top three finishers in the 100 and 200 gone. That leaves Weskan’s Karsyn Wright, fourth in both, as the top returner. … Wakefield’s Smith will challenge Elkhart’s Baylor Childress, Lincoln’s Good and Little River’s Dibeall for the shot put title with Childress runner-up last year and Smith third. … Spearville’s Melendez is not only a threat in the high jump, but was runner-up in the long jump along with Otis-Bison’s Gavin Alloway, who was third in both the long and triple jumps last year. … South Central’s Jack Herd is back to defend his javelin title, winning last year by 26 feet. The top three finishers in that event return. … With teammate Will Wegerer gone after winning two straight pole vault crowns, Cunningham’s Stephen Kerschen will look to keep the title in house after taking second last year. He’ll be challenged by Clifton-Clyde’s Brady Pruser, who also was over 14 feet at state.