The Manhattan High School track and field team secured overall first-place team finishes for both the boys and girls at the Topeka High Invitational on March 27 and the Junction City Invitational on April 3.
The Indians dominated scoring in both meets.
“It was a very good first meet for us just to kind of establish where we are and get some benchmarks that we can now train to improve upon,” head coach Kory Cool said.
Most recently, on the boys’ side traveled to Junction City, where the Indians displayed depth against a tough field. Starting in the running categories, junior Joseph Mortensen secured second in the 100m dash with an 11.09, followed closely by sophomore Damien Gonzales in third at 11.21. Junior Leopold Kane led the way in the 200m dash with a second-place finish of 23.24. Senior Wilson Wesch dominated the 800m run, taking gold in 1:59.88, and freshman Jaxon Wheeler climbed the podium in the 1600m with a third-place 4:41.87. Kane showed his versatility by winning the 110m hurdles in 15.76 and taking third in the 300m hurdles with a 43.32. The Indians took second in the 4x100m (42.92) and won the 4x800m with an 8:44.92.
“First two meets of the year, the team itself plays really well,” senior Will Richards said. “We won the 4×800 pretty easily. There wasn’t too much competition. And then in the two mile, especially the first meet, we did pretty good.”
The field events were a massive point-earner as sophomore Lucas Strawn won the high jump at 6-2.00 and junior Caleb Brumbaugh took second in the long jump with a 21-4.50. Senior Brady Durtschi claimed the triple jump title with a 44-4.00, while Strawn added a second-place finish in the pole vault at 10-6.00. Senior Evan Middleton swept the throws, winning both the discus at 144-1.00 and the shot put with a personal best of 52-10.25.
“I’m excited because last year at State, I got third with my PR last year,” Middleton said. “So to be able to beat that this year places me pretty high in the state. It was a really big PR discus, and that would place me pretty highly in the state finals this year as well.”
At the Topeka High Invitational, the boys took first place. Junior Joseph Mortensen took first in the 100 meter with a time of 10.97. Sophomore Damien Gonzales got second in the 200m dash in 22.56 and also took second in the 100m dash at 11.14. Senior Peyton Overturf took second in the 800m run with 2:12.97. Wheeler got third in the 3200m with 10:04.80. While freshman Liam Saucier took third in 300 meter hurdles with 45.52. In the field, freshman Logan Herzog took second with a 6-0.00.
“I just had a great mindset throughout the time and I just told myself I have to make it over the bar or else I’m done,” Herzog said.
Staying in the jumping category, Durtschi took second in the triple jump. Strawn earned some gold in pole vault with a 12-0.00, while Middleton took third in discus with a 127-2.00. In Javelin, Lastly, Middleton won shot put with a 51-09.00.
“We still have some spots to fill with certain events, but I think that we can make a good run for a state title and compete with the people with the best teams in the state,” Middleton said.
In the girls’ side, there were several standout performances at Junction City. Sophomore Michelle Jeje led the sprint squad with a second-place finish in the 100m dash in 12.58, while sophomore Zoey McKinley again powered through the 400m for third place with a 1:05.92. Freshman Isla Spreer secured second in the 1600m with a 5:32.36.
“I think they [the meets] went good and they were a strong start to the season,” Spreer said.
Junior Gabrielle Converse continued her distance dominance by winning the 3200m in 11:37.39. The 4x800m relay team remained untouchable, taking first place with a time of 10:00.22. In the field, sophomore Zariah Johnson and junior Sophia Peabody shared the top spot in the high jump at 5-0.00, and Johnson also placed third in the long jump with a 16-3.00. Junior Callie Porter took second in the triple jump with a 33-11.50, while junior Kayla Cramer earned third in the pole vault at 8-6.00. Senior Jorryn Hall once again led the throwers, winning the javelin with a 127-0.00 and placing third in both the discus (112-9.00) and shot put (38-2.75). At the Topeka High Invitational, the Manhattan girls Varsity team delivered a dominant performance across the board. Freshman Demya Gill took first place in the 100m dash with a time of 12.45. In the 400m dash, McKinley earned second place with a 1:05.54. The distance events were a highlight for the Indians, as Converse swept both the 800m run (2:25.00) and the 1600m run (5:13.01), while Spreer took gold in the 3200m with a time of 11:31.90.
In the hurdles, Junior Kentania Selby secured third place in the 100m hurdles with a 19.57. The success continued in the relays and field events, where Manhattan took first in both the 4x400m (4:30.88) and the 4x800m (10:35.80). Freshman Alexis Peabody won the high jump with a mark of 5-2.00 and also led the team in the long jump, taking third with a 15-6.00. Freshman Samaria Robinson claimed first in the triple jump with a 33-6.50, and junior Segen Gish took second in the pole vault with an 8-6.00. The throwing events were highlighted by Hall, who had a stellar day winning the javelin (121-7.00) and the shot put (37-8.00), while also taking second in the discus with a 103-10.00. Manhattan High now looks toward their two upcoming KSU relays at the KSU track on April 10 and 11.
“Just worry about what you can control, and the weather’s not one of those, so hopefully they just continue to get out and compete and fight,” Cool said.
