CLASS 2A BOYS TRACK ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2026
 

HEATH CHURCHILL, MOUNDRDIGE
 
Churchill has the potential for a big finale to his high school career after winning three medals in last year’s Class 2A state meet. He finished second in the high jump to now-graduated Ell-Saline standout Brogan Rowley, clearing 6 feet, 6 inches, and has already surpassed that this season with a   clearance of 6-10. Churchill was third in the 300 hurdles in a school-record 39.27 and added a fifth place in the 1,600 relay. He ran a personal-best 15.04 in the 110 hurdles last season, but was disqualified at regionals and unable to run at state, where he was sixth in the event as a sophomore.
 

VANCE DOHL, SYLVAN-LUCAS

Dohl is the reigning Northern Plains League champion in the high jump and won three other meets in the event last season. After taking runner-up at regionals, he closed his junior year with a third-place finish at state, clearing 6 feet, 4 inches. Dohl has opened his senior season strong, winning his first two meets and setting a personal-best of 6-6 at the Stockton Invitational.
 

ZANE FARNEY, STERLING
 
After collecting state titles in football, where he was an All-State Top 11 selection, and basketball, winning a second straight with his Black Bear teammates, Farney entered his senior track season as one of Kansas’ top returning hurdlers. A false start derailed his hopes for victory in last year’s Class 2A 110 hurdles, but Farney came back to finish second to Phillipsburg’s Tanner Horinek in the 300 hurdles, running a personal-best 39.26. Farney finished eighth in 2A in both hurdle events as a sophomore. He opened this season with a PR of 14.86 in the 110s at the Maize Invitational, topping a field of 5A and 6A competitors.
 

CALEB FRIESEN, SUBLETTE

Friesen capped a strong junior season with a runner-up finish in the 110 hurdles, posting a personal-best 14.89 behind Phillipsburg’s Tanner Horinek (14.68). He was fourth at state in the event as a sophomore. Friesen also was a regional runner-up in the 110 hurdles and swept both hurdles races at the Stanton County Invitational, the pre–Hi-Plains League meet and the Haskell County Relays. He also placed eighth at state in the 300 hurdles.
 

ISAAC HAMMERSMITH, HUTCHINSON TRINITY
 
Hammersmith, a senior, is Trinity’s record holder in the high jump and long jump, marks he set and reset last season. Both personal bests came at Cheney’s Vernon Ferguson Invitational, where he won the high jump at 6-8 and the long jump at 22-4.75. Hammersmith took second at state to Sedgwick’s Noah Little in the long jump (21-9.5) and failed to clear his opening height in the high jump. Hammersmith has two state medals in the high jump, finishing third as a freshman and seventh as a sophomore. He opened this season with a winning triple jump of 42-6.5 at the Russell Invitational.
 

PEYTON HARE, EUREKA
 
Hare figures to be in the hunt for Class 2A titles in the 200 and 400 after coming close last season, especially in the 400. He finished second to defending champion Kaden Elmore of Moundridge, .04 behind in 49.31. Hare already eclipsed that this season with a personal-best 49.24 at the Mulvane Invitational. A fourth-place finisher at state in the 200, Hare will likely have to deal with Jackson Heights’ Kyson Proffitt, the top returning state finisher in the event. Hare has a PR of 21.99. He is also one of two Tornado returnees from a 400 relay team that finished second, .01 behind Bennington.
 

TANNER HORINEK, PHILLIPSBURG

Horinek was one of the stars of the 2A meet last season, sweeping the 110 (14.68) and 300 hurdles (38.70) titles. His winning time in the 300 hurdles marked a personal best after placing third in that event at regionals. He also claimed regional and Mid-Continent League titles in the 110 hurdles. Horinek anchored the Panthers’ 400 relay to a sixth-place finish at state and also placed 10th in the long jump.
 

KAIZER KANITZ, MOUNDRIDGE
 
Kanitz climbed from fourth in the Class 2A triple jump two years ago to second last May, finishing behind fellow Heart of America League competitor Noah Little of Sedgwick. Kanitz’s best state leap of 44-3.50 was one-half inch shy of his winning attempt at the Inman CKTL meet. He finished nearly 3 feet behind Little and will continue to see a lot of the Cardinal jumper as both go through their senior campaigns. Kanitz added a second state medal last year as part of the Wildcats’ third-place 400 relay team.
 

NOAH LITTLE, SEDGWICK
 
Little mastered the sand pits last year with a sweep of the Class 2A triple jump and long jump titles. It was his second straight championship in the triple jump and first in the long jump. Little surpassed 47 feet in the triple jump in four meets last spring, including a personal-best 47-8.25 at Hillsboro’s James Thomas Invitational. He jumped 47-2 at state, topping his winning effort at the 2024 state meet by more than a foot. Little’s state-winning long jump of 22-0 was 2.5 inches ahead of runner-up Isaac Hammersmith of Hutchinson Trinity. Little has a personal best of 22-8 in that event.
 

BEAU PORTER, WICHITA COUNTY

Porter unleashed his best throw of the season at state, taking third in the javelin with a mark of 180 feet, 7 inches. His previous best was a 167-7 at regionals, where he placed fifth. Porter won two meets in the javelin last season and was the Hi-Plains League runner-up. He also qualified for state in the triple jump, finishing 13th. Porter is a standout football player and wrestler, placing third at 175 pounds at the 3-2-1A state meet this past season.
 

KYSON PROFFITT, JACKSON HEIGHTS

Proffitt had a bit of a breakout season for Jackson Heights a year ago. Coming off a solid sophomore year that saw him place sixth at state in the 100 and eighth in the 200, Proffitt took things to another level last year. After not breaking 11 seconds in the 100 as a sophomore, Proffitt dipped under that mark consistently a year ago and went undefeated in the 100 throughout the regular season and regionals, posting a season-best time of 10.89 in winning the Northeast Kansas League title. Proffitt was just off that mark in the state finals, but his 10.92 was good enough for a runner-up finish to Pleasanton’s Ashton Gratton, who set the 2A state meet record with a 10.78. Proffitt did go a career-best 21.85 in the 200 in the state finals to finish runner-up to Gratton by .17 seconds and cap a season where he won six 200 titles. Proffitt holds school records in both the 100 and 200 and also is part of the school-record 400 relay and is the top returner in the sprints in Class 2A this season.
 

TUCKER RUDMAN, PLAINVILLE

Rudman is back to contend for a state title in the discus after finishing runner-up last year. He was a regional champion but was edged at state by Hill City’s Vincent Zohner, 161-3 to Rudman’s 155. He is a three-time state qualifier in the discus, placing 10th as a freshman and sixth as a sophomore. Rudman also was a regional champion in the shot put last year, throwing a personal-best 49-7.50. He placed fifth at state in the shot put with a 47-2.50. His personal best in the discus is 160-10. Rudman has signed to throw at Emporia State.
 

TREY SOL GALINDO, SOUTHEAST-CHEROKEE

Galindo enters his final season with unfinished business and the look of a state title contender. Galindo turned in a breakthrough junior campaign a year ago, emerging as one of Class 2A’s top pole vaulters. He cleared 13 feet, 6 inches at the state meet — matching Chase County’s Luke Budke — but settled for runner-up honors on a tiebreaker due to misses. Still, it marked his first career state medal and he is the top returning vaulter in the classification.  
 

LEVI STURM, WICHITA CENTRAL CHRISTIAN
 
With all the runners who finished ahead of him at last year’s state meet now graduated, Sturm figures to attract more of the spotlight this season in the 1,600 and 3,200. Sturm, now a junior, finished fifth in the Class 2A 3,200 in a personal-best 9:54.36. He was sixth in the 1,600, posting a time of 4:31.67 that was .52 off his PR. Sturm won Heart of America League titles in both races, and captured the Marion regional title in the 1,600 last year. He posted 10 victories between the two events in 2025.
 

VINCENT ZOHNER, HILL CITY

Zohner held off a strong group of challengers to capture the 2A discus state title last year as a junior. His winning throw of 161-3 was a season best. Zohner edged runner-up Tucker Rudman of Plainville by 6 feet, 3 inches. He also had a solid season in the javelin, finishing seventh at state. Zohner was a regional and Mid-Continent League runner-up in the javelin and won the Hill City meet. He has already set personal-best marks this season in the discus (162-6.25) and javelin (192-11).