Starting the 2023 season off at the Topeka West invite, the Manhattan High track team came home with a boys team first place finish and girls team second place finish, scoring 134 and 141 points respectively. 

“I felt pretty relaxed, I knew it was the first meet and everyone would be nervous,” junior Aylani Barron said. “I just wanted to get a time to beat at the next meet.” 

Barron placed third in the 100 meter and was part of the first place 4×100 relay along with seniors Avery Larson and Alessandra Porres and sophomore Amya Morgan. Larson took seventh in the 100 meter and fifth in the long jump. 

“Overall I felt decent about the meet,” Larson said. “I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped but it was a good start.” 

The girls team also had a first place finish for the 4×800 race, run by sophomore Harli Omli, senior Saylor Salmans, freshman Madalyn Fobes and senior Jillian Harkin. Omli also took first in both the 200 meter and 400 meter races. 

“I’m excited to improve in all my events as the season progresses,” Larson said. “I want to keep getting better each day.” 

The boys 4×400 relay consisted of seniors Luke Brickei and Tanner Dowling, junior Zachary O’Haver and sophomore Crayton Rauch and took fourth place. Brickei and Dowling took third and eighth in the 200 meter respectively. The team had another first place relay finish in the 4×800, run by junior Aiden Hilton, sophomore Jayden Moreno-Torres, junior Cooper Sturm and sophomore Brody Vest. 

“I felt really confident, I felt like Coach Rob [Robison] really trained us well,and really prepared us in the mindset and everything,” O’Haver said. “One of the main things he stressed was don’t focus too much on the first meet, it’s more about getting into shape and just getting into the habit of things.”