CLASS 4A GIRLS TRACK ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2026
 

IZZY BRUNKOW, EUDORA

Brunkow returns as the top pole vaulter in Class 4A after breaking through in a big way last spring. Brunkow captured the state championship as a sophomore, clearing a personal-best 11 feet, 7 inches to reach the top of the podium after finishing fourth as a freshman. She backed up her title run with dominant performances throughout the postseason, adding both regional and Frontier League championships along the way. Brunkow’s athleticism extends beyond the runway as well, as she also qualified for state in the 200-meter dash. 
 

KYLEE FRAZEE, ROCK CREEK

Frazee helped lead Rock Creek to a fourth-place team finish in Class 4A last year and had a hand in the Mustangs’ lone state championship at the meet, teaming with Kennedy Whaley, Karli Reitz and Ayla Klingenberg to win the 1,600 relay in 4:02.24. A sprint specialist, Frazee also qualified for the state meet in the 200 and 400 and came away with a runner-up finish in the 400, running a career-best 58.95 in the finals to take second to Wellington’s Dru Zeka. Frazee, a junior, has already set school records in the 200 (26.49), 400 (58.95) and with the Mustangs’ 400 and 1,600 relays. A lingering injury from basketball, where she led Rock Creek to a third-place finish in Class 4A, has delayed the start to her junior year, but she’s expected back and to be a factor once again in the 400 and with Rock Creek’s 1,600 relay that returns three of four members.
 

EMILY HEIN, CIRCLE
 
One of the state’s top distance runners for Wichita Trinity the last three seasons, Hein will conclude her high school career with Circle. Hein won the Class 3A 1,600 and 3,200 titles last spring, unseating defending champion Bree Allen of Prairie View in both. Hein posted winning times of 5:07.16 and 11:05.39 after finishing second in 3A to Allen as a sophomore. Signed to run at SMU, Hein won 3A individual cross country titles as a sophomore and junior. After missing most of her senior cross country season due to illness, she finished second at state to Trinity teammate Tylee Coleman. She forms another standout distance tandem at Circle with senior Brett Jacobson.
 

ELLIE HERRERA, MCPHERSON
 
When she’s not making saves in the net for McPherson’s soccer team, Herrera, a sophomore, applies her athletic skills to the high jump for the Bullpups. Herrera finished second in her Class 4A state meet debut last spring to Wellington’s Dru Zeka. Herrera’s season-best clearance of 5 feet, 6 inches was 2 inches shy of Zeka’s winning height. Herrera cleared 5-2 or better in all of her competitions, winning Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail III and Abilene regional titles at 5-2. She also finished sixth at the Kansas Relays, and won the Hesston Invitational with a clearance of 5-5.
 

HALLY HORSCH, ANDALE
 
While Eudora’s Izzy Brunkow figures to be the vaulter to beat in Class 4A as the returning champion, Horsch is showing she isn’t one to sleep on this spring. Last year’s runner-up to Brunkow has entered the 11-foot realm twice this spring, clearing 11-2 at Great Bend’s Jack Bowman Invitational. The Andale senior was part of a large group at 10-0 last year at state, but also cleared 10-8 in winning the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail IV title and 10-6 in an Andale regional victory. Horsch has competed in pole vault since middle school, making steady progress each season.
 

BRETT JACOBSON, CIRCLE
 
Jacobson has been about as steady and dependable as they come throughout her career, posting top-four state finishes in the Class 4A 1,600 and 3,200 each of the last three seasons. The Thunderbird senior took third at state in the 1,600 (5:17.40) and fourth in the 3,200 (11:41.71) last May. Jacobson, an Emporia State signee, also posted top-10 finishes in 4A cross country in each of her last three seasons. She notched victories early this season the 1,600 at the Mulvane Invitational and the 2,000 steeplechase at the Emporia State Relays.
 

RYLEE JAY, AUGUSTA

Jay’s first time on the state meet stage went well last May, as the Oriole discus thrower unleashed a personal-best effort of 121 feet, 2 inches on her final attempt to climb into second behind Class 4A champion Adalyn Schooler of Tonganoxie. Now a sophomore, Jay is coming off a season in which she won the Abilene regional by more than 4 feet with a throw of 114-3. Jay took third in the shot put and fourth in the discus at the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail III meet. She was unable to advance to state in the shot put, but has already stretched her PR in that event to 34-5.25 with a Mulvane Invitational victory.
 

IRELYN KENNEDY, BALDWIN

Kennedy is poised for a breakthrough season on the track after knocking on the door of a state title a year ago. Kennedy finished as the Class 4A state runner-up in both distance events, taking second in the 1,600-meter run (5:14.96) and the 3,200-meter run (11:23.97), with both finishes coming behind Eudora’s Hannah Keltner. With Keltner now graduated, Kennedy enters the season as the top returning runner in both events and a strong favorite to climb to the top of the podium. It’s a position she has steadily worked toward, improving from a pair of third-place finishes as a sophomore to two silvers last spring. In the relays, Kennedy was a big part of the Bulldogs’ state championship in the 3,200 relay as they won by more than 20 seconds. Kennedy’s momentum only grew in the fall as she delivered a dominant cross country season, capturing the Class 4A state title. 
 

ERIN LOPEZ, FIELD KINDLEY

Lopez returns as one of the top sprinters in Class 4A and a familiar face on the state podium. Lopez earned a pair of individual medals last spring, taking third in the 100-meter dash in 12.27 seconds after winning a regional title, and adding a fourth-place finish in the 200 at 25.97. Her consistency has been impressive throughout her career. Lopez was the state runner-up in the 100 as a sophomore and finished third as a freshman, giving her three straight years on the medal stand in the event. She has also been a key piece of Field Kindley’s relay success, helping the 4x100 team to a state runner-up finish last season. 
 

JESSA LOSEW, BUHLER
 
A multi-sport standout and reigning Class 1A high jump champion at Hutchinson Central Christian, Losew is competing for Buhler this spring with plenty of early-season success. Last May, Losew edged Central Christian teammate Belle Barnett for the 1A title when she cleared 5 feet, 8 inches, matching the state’s top height for all classes a season ago. It was a bit of personal redemption for Losew, who was hampered by a hamstring injury at the state track meet her sophomore year. Losew also finished third in the 1A 400 meters last spring. A Wichita State signee, Losew has won high jump, long jump and triple jump titles at meets for Buhler this spring.
 

JAYLA MCCLINTON, BISHOP MIEGE

McClinton made an immediate impact in her first season in the field events for Bishop Miege — and now she enters her final year as the one to beat. McClinton returns as the defending Class 4A state champion in the shot put after capturing the title with a throw of 38 feet, 8.5 inches. She showed even more potential leading into state, winning a regional championship with a personal-best toss of 39-3.75. McClinton didn’t stop there, as she also proved to be a force in the discus, earning a fourth-place state medal with a throw of 97-3. With a full season of experience under her belt, McClinton will look to defend her crown in the shot put while continuing to climb the podium in the discus.
 

RYLEE MEYER, ANDALE
 
Meyer hasn’t wasted any time affirming her status as one of the state’s top sprinters this spring, setting personal-best times in the 100 meters (11.78), 200 (25.05) and 300 hurdles (44.68) at Great Bend’s Jack Bowman Invitational. That falls in line with her standout performance at last year’s Class 4A state meet, when Meyer defended her 4A 100 title in a meet-record 12.06, and medaled in the 200 (second, 25.13), 300 hurdles (third, 46.32) and long jump (second, 17-3.75) to help the Indians reclaim the team championship after a one-year hiatus. Meyer ran 12.34 to win her first state 100 title as a sophomore and also took sixth in the 200. As a freshman, Meyer finished third in the 4A 300 hurdles and fifth in the long jump.
 

KAMI MOORE, BALDWIN

Moore returns as one of the top middle-distance threats in Class 4A after a breakout sophomore campaign that put her on the state stage. Moore finished as the state runner-up in the 800-meter run in 2:18.70, adding both a regional and Frontier League title along the way. She wasn’t done there. Moore played a key role on Baldwin’s dominant 3,200-meter relay team that captured a state championship in 9:30, winning by more than 20 seconds. Her versatility also showed on the 1,600 relay, where the Bulldogs placed seventh at state a year ago — but have already posted the fastest time in Kansas this season. 
 

CALLIE NOLAND, CLEARWATER
 
Noland returns as a cornerstone piece for Clearwater, which graduated its other individual state placers off last year’s third-place team in Class 4A. Noland, now a senior, finished fifth in the 100 meters (12.39), sixth in the 200 (26.24) and was part of 4A meet-record setting 400 relay that won the title in 48.10. She was also part of a 400 relay team that won the state title in 2024. Noland, the reigning Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail IV champion in the 200, set personal bests last season in the 100 (12.01) and 200 (26.08).
 

ADDY ORTH, ANDALE
 
Orth, a junior, surprised herself last May with a victory in the Class 4A javelin that helped Andale win its seventh team title in eight years. That’s only because she expected her older sister, Taya, to end her high school career on top. Taya was the 4A leader coming into state, but Addy unleashed a personal-best throw of 134 feet, 5 inches on her second attempt to take the lead. After departing the area to compete in the triple jump, Addy returned for the finals, only to find her advantage held up for her first win of the season. The Andale sisters went 1-2, as Taya threw 132-11. Addy also won the Andale regional triple jump (34-0.5) last season before taking ninth at state.
 

RORY PITZER, ROCK CREEK

Pitzer is already a three-time state medalist going into her junior season and last year helped Rock Creek to a fourth-place finish in Class 4A at the State Outdoors. Pitzer had a strong freshman season in 2024 where she took sixth at state in the shot put and was a state qualifier in the discus, winning the Mid-East League title in the discus as well. Last year as a sophomore, Pitzer made a big jump. After throwing over 36 feet just once as a freshman, at state, Pitzer was consistently over that mark last year and threw a career-best 38-0.75 at Wamego’s home meet. She won the North Central Kansas League title and after a runner-up regional finish she finished fourth at state. She also took fourth at state in the discus after throwing a career-best 133-4 in winning the regional title. Pitzer is closing in on school records and will look to help Rock Creek get into the top three of the team standings this year. 
 

AYANNA ROBERTSON, PARSONS

Robertson wasted little time establishing herself as one of the top young jumpers in Class 4A. As a freshman, Robertson soared to a state runner-up finish in the triple jump with a mark of 35-11, then raised the bar even higher with a personal-best leap of 36-7.75 to win a regional title. She also proved her versatility by qualifying for state in the long jump, where she placed 10th after capturing a regional championship with a personal best of 17-9.25. With two events already producing high-level results, Robertson enters her sophomore season as a rising contender to reach the top of the podium. 
 

SKYLAR SCHOENBECK, WAMEGO

If not for the Andale sister act of Addy and Taya Orth, Schoenbeck would have been last year’s Class 4A javelin champion. She unleashed a career-best throw of 132-6 on her next-to-last throw of the competition that fell just shy of the Orth sisters, who went 1-2 with throws of 134-5 and 132-11. Schoenbeck settled for a third-place showing after taking fifth at state as a sophomore. She holds Wamego’s school record in the event and will take aim at that state title this year. Schoenbeck also has run the 800 and 1,600 for the Red Raiders.
 

ADALYN SCHOOLER, TONGANOXIE

Schooler has already built an impressive resume heading into the 2026 season and shows no signs of slowing down. After earning a state medal as a freshman, Schooler reached the top of the podium last spring, capturing the Class 4A discus title with a throw of 130-5. It marked a breakthrough performance for the Chieftains standout, who has steadily climbed the ranks in the event after finishing third at state in her debut season. She has built on that early this season as she already recorded a personal best throw of 144-9.75. Schooler’s versatility adds even more to her profile. In addition to her success in the discus, she has been a two-time state qualifier in the high jump and earned an eighth-place medal as a freshman. 
 

PRESLEY WITTY, LABETTE COUNTY

As a freshman, Witty delivered a standout debut season for the Grizzlies, earning a pair of state medals in the sprints. She finished third in the 200-meter dash in 25.65 seconds and added a fourth-place finish in the 100 dash at 12.29, proving she can compete with the state’s elite speedsters. Witty nearly made it three medals, placing ninth in the 100-meter hurdles after also qualifying in the event. Now a sophomore, Witty returns as one of the top all-around sprinters in 4A, with the versatility to score in multiple events. 
 

DRU ZEKA, WELLINGTON
 
Zeka has established herself as one the state’s most versatile competitors in any class. After winning Class 4A gold in the high jump and 400 meters as a freshman, Zeka repeated as champion in those events last May and added her signature moment, a winning long-jump attempt of 19-0.75 that set a 4A meet record. Zeka earned a fourth state medal last year as part of the Crusaders’ 400 relay, taking seventh and atoning for a mishandled baton exchange that knocked Wellington’s relay out of the 2024 state meet. Zeka cleared 5-8 to win her second high jump title, tying for the state’s best height last season. She ran a personal-best 57.44 in the 400. The Crusader junior has already raised her PRs in her field-event specialties this spring, winning the K-State Relays high jump at 5-8.75 and the Belle Plaine Dragon Relays long jump at 19-2.75.