CLASS 4A BOYS TRACK ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2026
 

NICK BENTLEY, ROSE HILL
 
Bentley would be on anyone’s short list of contenders in the Class 4A sprints this season after finishing third at state in the 200 and 400 last spring. The Rocket senior collected school records in both events last season, running 21.88 in the 200 at the Goddard Invitational and 48.65 in the 400 at state, where he finished behind now-graduated Brayden Peek of Holton and returning senior Jamaal Jackson of Labette County. Bentley ran 22.51 in the 200 finals, which featured five underclassmen. He added a third state medal in the 1,600 relay, anchoring Rose Hill to a third-place finish.
 

MAX HARMONY, BUHLER
 
After collecting Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail III and Abilene regional titles in the pole vault, Harmony made his state meet debut in the event last May and shared third place in Class 4A with Andale’s Colt Lane. Harmony raised his peak clearance from 13 feet as a sophomore to 14-2 last year when he won the El Dorado Invitational. He and Lane are the top returning state finishers. Harmony won five of his eight pole-vault competitions last season and his first two this spring. He also was part of Buhler’s fifth-place 400 relay at state last May.
 

ZACH FRIESEN, BUHLER
 
Friesen led a Crusader trio to the state medal stand in the Class 4A 110-meter hurdles last season, earning his second career medal in the event with a second-place finish. Joined by now-graduated teammate Aidan Anderson (fourth) and current sophomore Landon Martinez (sixth), Friesen’s time of 14.82 trailed only Andale’s Harrison Potucek. Friesen missed the finals in the 300 hurdles, but collected a second medal as the lead runner in Buhler’s fifth-place 400 relay. Two years ago as a sophomore, Friesen took fifth at state in the 110s.
 

KELLEN GIBSON, WINFIELD
 
Gibson, a senior, established himself as Winfield’s school record holder in the javelin during a 2025 season that he completed as the Class 4A champion. Gibson went over 180 feet at five meets, the last a winning throw of 187-11 at state. That gave him a victory by almost 4 feet over Chanute’s Owen Luttrell. Gibson’s best throw last year was 191-8 at the Andale regional, a mark he has since surpassed with a throw of 192-9.75 in a runner-up finish at the Pitt State Gorilla Relays in early April. Winfield’s quarterback in the fall, Gibson missed the state javelin finals by one place as a sophomore.
 

JAMAAL JACKSON, LABETTE COUNTY

Jackson enters the season as one of the most electrifying sprinters in Class 4A, and a proven state champion with elite speed. Jackson captured the 100-meter dash title last spring in record-setting fashion, blazing a 10.65 to tie the all-time 4A mark set by Buhler’s Jordan Hawkins in 2019. He didn’t stop there, adding a runner-up finish in the 400-meter dash with a personal-best 47.98, showcasing range across the sprint events. Now, Jackson returns as one of the top athletes in the state while working his way back from a football-season injury. If healthy, he’ll be a major factor in multiple events once again. The Grizzlies senior owns school records in all three sprint events and was also a key piece of Labette County’s 400-meter relay team that placed third at state. 
 

COLT LANE, ANDALE
 
Lane, a senior, was the back half of a 2-3 finish for Andale last year in the Class 4A state pole vault. After winning his home regional, Lane cleared 14-0 at state, tying with Buhler’s Max Harmony and finishing just behind now-graduated teammate Noah Horsch. Lane raised his personal best to 15-0 early this season at the Indians’ home invitational. He also won a regional title in the event as a freshman and took fifth at state that year.
 

CARLITO LARA, PRATT
 
Lara has been a versatile runner throughout his career for the Greenbacks, medaling at two state cross country meets and running everything from the 400-meter relay to the 3,200 in track. Last year at state, Lara scored gold with teammates Arley Morrell, Blake Winsor and Cade Liggett in the 4A 1,600 relay. He also finished second in the 800, edging Tonganoxie’s Solomon Carter for the silver in 1:56.15. It was a personal best for Lara, who took fourth at state two years ago as a sophomore. Lara also anchored Pratt’s 3,200 relay to a seventh-place state finish.
 

GAVIN LINDAHL, BUHLER
 
Lindahl, a junior, was a key scorer for the Crusaders in their second-place team finish in last year’s Class 4A state meet. He finished fourth in the 1,600 (4:31.92) and 3,200 (9:49.86), earning his second career state medal at the longer distance. Lindahl set his PR in the 1,600 at last year’s Kansas Relays, running 4:23.96. A third-place finisher at the 4A state cross country meet last fall, Lindahl notched his PR in the 3,200 (9:32.07) earlier this month at the Shawnee Mission South Relays. 
 

GAIGE MCGAUGHEY, ULYSSES

McGaughey was a catalyst behind a strong state meet for Ulysses last season. He rallied for a come-from-behind win in the 200, edging Clay Center’s Jace Weller by 0.04 seconds in 22.20. He also anchored the Tigers’ winning 400 relay, which finished in 42.80 to edge Andale by 0.03 seconds. He added a state runner-up finish in the 100 (10.95) behind champion Jamaal Jackson from Labette County. Now a junior, McGaughey was also a regional and Great West Activities Conference champion in both the 100 and 200.
 

CALEB MUEHLER, MCPHERSON
 
After becoming the eighth runner to win three Kansas boys cross country titles last fall, Muehler enters his senior track season as the reigning Class 4A 3,200 champion. Muehler earned his first state title in track last May, running 9:39.26 to top Wamego’s Peyton Parker, the runner-up, by almost 3 seconds. Those two figure to battle again this spring as the top 4A returnees in the 3,200 and 1,600, where Muehler took third behind now-graduated Drew Elliott of Chapman and Parker. Muehler’s four-medal performance at state last year included a silver as part of the Bullpups’ 3,200 relay and an eighth-place finish in the 800. Muehler has signed to run cross country and track at South Dakota.
 

PEYTON PARKER, WAMEGO

Parker has been one of the top distance runners in Class 4A since his freshman year and his resume is littered with wins throughout his career – 17 going into this year between both track and cross country. But Parker is still looking for the big one, a state championship. He came close last year, finishing second in Class 4A in both the 1,600 and 3,200, falling just three seconds shy of the 3,200 title in taking second to McPherson’s Caleb Muehler with a time of 9:42.25 and taking second to North Central Kansas League rival Drew Elliott in the 1,600 by four and a half seconds in. 4:24.30. Parker did strike relay gold in the 3,200 relay last year with teammates Isaac Ibendahl, Tony Shea and Braxton Williams as the Red Raiders set the 4A meet record with a time of 7:55.56 and he’s been a part of two straight Class 4A cross country team championships. He’ll once again have to deal with Muehler in the 3,200 and took second to the Bullpup at this year’s state cross country meet, but Elliott is gone from the 1,600, leaving Parker and Muehler to battle it out for that title as well this spring.
 

GAVIN RUPE, PRATT
 
Rupe will look to wrap up his high school career as a state hurdles champion after finishing third in the Class 4A 110 hurdles and fifth in the 300 hurdles last May. The Greenback senior ran his personal best (14.80) in the 110s to win the Andale regional and advance to state in that event for the first time. The Central Kansas League champion ran 14.94 at state. After finishing fifth in the 300s at state as a sophomore, Rupe matched that last year with a time of 41.15. His PR at the longer distance (40.94) came in a league-meet victory.
 

KEEGAN STRITZKE, LABETTE COUNTY

Stritzke earned his first two state medals a year ago, finishing as the state runner-up in the shot put with a personal-best toss of 52-7.75, while also taking third in the discus at 167-11. He carried that momentum through the postseason, claiming a regional title in the discus. Now the top returning state medalist in both events, Stritzke positions himself as a strong contender to climb to the top of the podium in his final high school season. 
 

LIAM TESMER, BISHOP MIEGE

Coming off a breakout sophomore campaign, Tesmer quickly established himself as one of Class 4A’s top jumpers. The junior piled up three state medals a year ago, highlighted by a runner-up finish in the long jump where he soared to 21 feet, 10 inches. He backed that up with a third-place finish in the high jump (6-4) and added a seventh-place medal in the triple jump at 44-1.25. It was a continuation of a strong start to his high school career. As a freshman, Tesmer already showed flashes of his potential with a fourth-place finish in the high jump and a seventh-place medal in the triple jump. Tesmer enters this season as the top returning long jumper in Class 4A and the clear favorite to claim gold. He’s also firmly in the mix in the high jump, where he returns as one of the top contenders after last year’s podium finish.