'22 Nebraska State Track & Field
'22 Nebraska State Track & Field
Class A & B Previews
Class A & B Previews
(5/17/22)
(5/17/22)
Embedded Files
Welcome to the 1st edition of "BRO Talk"! We thought we'd save it for a special occasion and nothing qualifies more than State Track & Field! What we’re hoping to provide is a knowledgeable breakdown of our sport from the perspective of people who have competed & coached at a high level. Our sport needs every tweet, picture, video, and article it can get to grow and thrive. But one thing it often lacks is people who can bridge that gap between coach, athlete, super fan, and casual fan. Our sport is massive, and unless you’ve experienced each step of the way (youth track → high school → college → pro/post-collegiate) it’s hard to understand all of the mechanisms at work. Track & Field is such a complex sport on the back end (coaching/programing) but so simple in its product (a meet). Unlike a lot of other coverage of our sport, we’ve tried to provide a wide ranging amount of content for athletes & fans, but also coaches. Hopefully you’ve found it unique and enjoyable throughout this spring.
Coaches, we’ve been there for the pre-state meetings, the nerve-racking bus rides to Burke, the last second instructions on the fence, made the medal presentations on the field, and been part of the state championship celebrations. Athletes, we’ve been on the same track as you. We’ve done strides onto the backstretch, walked with the officials, heard the roar of the fans, and rounded the last curve with no one in front of us. We’ve felt what you’ve felt. And we get it. It’s one of those things that you can’t understand unless you’ve been “in it” and it’s something we’ll never forget. You won’t either. Because of that, we wanted to start BRO and bring as much fun & enjoyment to our sport while putting the spotlight on you all as much as we can. That will always be our focus and we hope that’s shone through.
Storytelling in media is great and is important to growing our sport. It grabs your attention, pulls you in, tugs at your heartstrings, and creates emotional connections that last a lifetime. Our sport is special and getting the public or the casual fan to see that is one of the #1 ways to grow Track & Field.
One of the others though, at least to us, is packaging our actual sport in a fun and digestible fashion. Track & Field shouldn’t have to only get attention through heroic stories & life-changing circumstances. Each and every meet is full of impressive performances by athletes top to bottom. Whether an athlete is putting down All-Time Top 10 marks (chill Jaylen Lloyd), simply setting huge personal bests (Tyler Salter), or somehow PR’ing every time they step into the ring (looking at you Kinsley Ragland), our sport is inherently special already. We hope that we’ve added some value to your experience this season by highlighting some of these moments & recognizing some of the things that major media overlooks. And we hope you've found it fun! We know we do. You’re all meaningful to us. All of your marks/times. All of your successes. And all of your bumps in the road. We’ve all been there. It’s a part of our sport and life we need to embrace. Especially in a week where these things feel extremely important, try and remember the journey and growth you’ve shown over it.
A two-day meet is just a culmination of the season, not the only measure of success. We saw a tweet from Coach Jacobsen & Gavin Porkorny out of Wahoo that says it better than we ever could. Essentially, have fun, enjoy the competition, and remind yourself of what matters! We'll always have your back!
Now let’s jump into why you’re here: State Track & Field previews. One of our biggest pet peeves of our sport is the lack of importance placed upon the team aspect until the last couple events. Our sport hasn’t done a great job making the team competition easy to track or follow along, as oftentimes people find themselves looking up on Day 1 to see a completely different list of teams on the leaderboards than they end up seeing at the end of Day 2. Did those teams from the first day have a bad 2nd day? Why didn’t the teams that ended up medaling do a better job the first day?
For the most part, both sets of teams are performing exactly how they were expected to. But with how our sport is set up, it creates a somewhat confusing scenario. Because of that, we’re hoping to break down the team races and make them easier to follow! We’ll also show you a nice resource at the end of “BRO Talk” that will let you follow the team race in real time and see how each event has changed it (even prelims!)
For a team at the state meet, a couple obvious factors and some less obvious play into this team race:
How many total events did a team qualify athletes for? (Coverage)
How many total athletes did a team qualify? (Depth)
How many points are each of those athletes “expected” or projected to score? (Ability)
How are those events organized? (Day 1 vs. Day 2)
If we take each of these factors into consideration, we can apply them all together to see a team's “Scoring Capacity” at the State Meet. As each event happens, this scoring capacity changes depending on how the events went for that team (good or bad). As more events happen, that capacity narrows and eventually we end up with a teams actual score at the conclusion of the meet. Tracking these starting projections & watching them change over time will be our goal in coverage for you this week at Burke!
Omaha Burke via Darren Rasmussen
We’ll do our best to explain these factors for the teams that have the best chance at bringing home a title this week from Omaha Burke! We’re hoping you find it fun, easy to digest, and helpful during the meet to key you into important battles or events key to the team race. In addition, we’ll try and outline the “perfect scenario” for these teams to bring home a title! Things never go perfect at the State Meet! But for these teams, the more things they can hit on the better their chances will be. Here we go…
Class A Boys
Class A Boys
Omaha Central
Scoring Capacity: 70-85pts
Coverage: 13/17 events
Depth: 13 athletes
Honestly, Omaha Central just needs to be itself and do what it’s been doing all season. It’s an extremely strong team with Jumps, Sprints, Throws, Hurdles, and Mid-D covered. No one has to go out and be a hero for the Eagles to win this week. If Jaylen Lloyd continues his season of dominance (we think he will), they should be looking at a good 32 pts out of him at a minimum. From there, Malcolm Tonje needs to have a good showing in LJ & TJ. If he pulls off a 2nd place in LJ (to Lloyd) and wins HJ, Central is looking at 50 pts at a minimum through just these two guys. That’s insane! Their hurdlers (Ian Young & Andrew Brown) stepping up have been huge and they have a chance to potentially seal the deal with a great 300H performance. Finally, you’ve got two really good throwers (J’Dyn Bullion + Ike Ackerman) & a scary mid-distance runner in Ahmed Muse who has a chance to score points in both the 400 & 800. This is just a dominant team from top to bottom who will be a feature in almost every event you’ll be watching Wednesday and Thursday.
Lincoln East
Scoring Capacity: 65-80pts
Coverage: 14/17 events
Depth: 16 athletes
To be candid, this is the Cappos & Coleman show first and foremost. It’s not often you get two of arguably the Top 5 athletes in the state in one school. If they can both dominate their five events (Cappos in Shot Put & Discus, Coleman in Triple Jump, 100, and 200) and bring home as close to 50 pts as possible, Lincoln East has a very good shot to bring home a state championship. Outside of those two, you have some very good pieces who would probably be stars at a lot of other schools. Gabe Miles has a very good chance to bring home double digit points in the 100, 200, and 400. We have to imagine the Spartan coaching staff was ecstatic to see him qualify in all three. Each requires a prelim qualification though and it will be important for Gabe to focus on each race at a time and do what he needs to Wednesday just to make finals. After that, Thursday will take care of itself. Dash Bauman has a legit shot to win the 300H & 110H and if Blake McCain can find a way to join him in qualifying for finals in the 110H, this team starts to really look scary. East also has a shot at picking up quality points in the Pole Vault with Jose Flodman. A third place finish (or better) would go a long way towards the title race here. Lincoln East also has a couple distance boys spread out in a couple events who are not projected to score, but extremely capable of making a difference. Drew Arduser seems to be improving every time he runs an 800m and while he’s in the first heat, almost every year we can recall has at least one person sneak in from that first heat to a scoring spot based on time. Isaac Graff & Joe Volkmer are both in the 1600/3200 and with the unpredictability of the distance races at state, the Spartans could benefit a lot from these two stepping up to score any sort of points they can.
Fremont
Scoring Capacity: 70-85pts
Coverage: 13/17 events
Depth: 15 athletes
Is it the end of May? If yes, then we’re talking about a potential Fremont Boys State T&F title. As usual, Sean McMahon has his distance crew ready to roll and they’ll be paramount to the Tiger’s championship chances. If they race the way we’re used to seeing this time of year at Burke, the Tigers will be focused on scooping up points, points, points! A perfect meet for them starts off with a 4x800m victory followed by 10+ points for them in the 3200m. Waters needs to focus on running his race and not going for glory. He might be able to pull off an upset, but it might not be worth the risk with a talented field behind him. Gonzalez & Ladd have a real chance to work together to snipe some points in a race where teammates can make a difference. Micah Moore then needs to make finals in both the 100 & 200 along with Tyson Baker in the 400. Their hurdle boys could provide a huge boost as well Wednesday if either of Ashton Sagehorn or Brady Walters is able to make it into finals. Thursday morning is going to be huge for Fremont as well. Drew Sellon needs to win his duel with Lambert in the Pole Vault and Tyson Baker, Nolan Miller, and Braden Taylor need to maximize points in the 800m. Nolan & Braden are together in the 2nd heat to work together while Tyson gets a great chance to run from the front, stay clear of any trouble, and grab points out of the 1st heat. From there, Baker winning the 400 would be huge along with 15+ pts out of the 1600m crew later that afternoon. If Hunter Rich can grab a point in Long Jump the Tigers wouldn’t turn it down. They’ll finish the meet with a state leading 4x400m so if it starts getting close at the end, we’d be extremely careful of them.
Creighton Prep
Scoring Capacity: 45-60pts
Coverage: 15/17 events
Depth: 19 athletes
Creighton Prep has a legitimate shot because they have three things that successful teams in the past have had: Really good sprints, really good relays, and a lot of qualified events. State goes haywire and you can’t win unless you first get athletes qualified in events which the Bluejays did a lot of last week at districts. Joe Kieny has a legit shot to win Discus plus pick up major points in Shot Put. The ‘Jays have Paul Lambert in Pole Vault who has just as good a shot as anyone to win. AJ Jones, Jack Gillogly, and Christian Lanphier make up one of the best sprint crews in the state. Plus Prep has a great shot to bring home 20ish points across the 3 relays they’ve qualified. As Aristotle said in one of his principal works titled Metaphysics, “the totality is not, as it were, a mere heap, but the whole is something besides the parts”. This is Creighton Prep. Individually, they might not have the “star power” as some of the other teams on here. But together, they can do damage and they shouldn’t be counted out.
Lincoln Pius X
Scoring Capacity: 40-55pts
Coverage: 11/17 events
Depth: 13 athletes
Lincoln Pius X will need Reese Grosserode to score 18+ points in Long & Triple Jump, preferably winning both. After him, Jackson Kessler could provide a big boost by winning the High Jump Wednesday morning. From there, if JP Mattern can win the 300H and score in the 110H, they’ll have a shot as that puts them into the 40+ point range with a couple more events to go. With three boys in the 800m, that event could go a long way towards their title chances as well as Nathan Springer nabbing a Top 5 finish in the 400m. If they start and finish the meet with solid showings by their 4x800 and 4x400 relays, the Lincoln Pius X boys could certainly push their way onto the podium.
*Disclaimer - If we see you at Burke and you're not clapping when Reece asks you to, we're going to have a problem.*
North Platte
Scoring Capacity: 40-50pts
Coverage: 10/17 events
Depth: 13 athletes
Nic Davis could jump start their podium chances with a sweep of the throws events. You’re going to want to watch the Shot Put & Discus regardless, but especially if you’re tuning into the team races. The Bulldogs have a really special freshman hurdler named Caden Joneson who could provide points In the 110H. It's not often you see a freshman hurdler in the 110's but you'll see why if you watch Caden. Kolten Tilford could be a game-changer for this team by jumping to a Top 3 finish in the Long Jump and making finals in the 100m. Donte’ Koif could help the cause by placing in Long Jump as well, before Vince Genatone wins the 100m on Thursday. After that, Evan Caudy scoring in the 1600m would be massive in addition to leading his 4x800 team to some points on Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs 4x100 relay comes in with the 2nd fastest time in Class A and a win there would boost their title hopes as well. With less athletes, and events covered, they have less room for error. But the quality of their points is extremely high and stable. Don’t count them out.
Other Athletes To Watch For:
Gabe Hinrichs (Elkhorn South): If you don't know by now, welcome back to the world of the living. 800/1600/3200
Colby Erdkamp (Gretna): Overshadowed a bit because of Hinrichs, most years Colby would be the talk of the state. If you're a college T&F fan, Colby will be taking his talent to Lincoln to run for the Huskers next year and we think he has a lot of upside and room to develop into a B10 caliber runner. 1600/3200
Jack Witte (Millard West): We're crowing Witte the heir apparent after the departure of Hinrichs. After his performance at districts, we're thinking this meet is going to be a continuation of his coming out party. Only a sophomore, Witte is the next big thing in Class A distance running. 800/1600
Caleb Mulder (Columbus): Really quick long sprinter racing the 200 and 400 this week. Recently signed with Doane.
Caiden Frederick (Papio South): Will contend in Shot Put & Discus alongside Cappos & Davis.
Deandre N'Dugwa (Kearney) vs. Noah Smith (Gretna) vs. Javon Leuty (Lincoln High): 110H. This is going to be a battle where all three could win. It's going to be fast and we're excited to see them join Dash Bauman in the finals hopefully.
Bellevue West Sprinters: Catch some in the 100, 200, 400, and 4x100. Don't blink. They've got a bunch and they're all blazing.
Class A Girls
Class A Girls
Lincoln Southwest
Scoring Capacity: 80-95pts
Coverage: 16/17 events
Depth: 29 athletes
The Silverhawks honestly just need to just relax and have a good meet. It’s not often you see a team bring almost its entire full squad (most teams go into a varsity meet with 30-40 athletes). They’ve got 3 girls in 8 of the 14 events that aren't relays! They’re talented, deep, and have the superstars you need to bring home a title. Brianna Rinn & Jaida Rowe both have a chance to score 30+ points in their 3 events + a relay. They’ve got two stud freshmen in Taylor Schuster (100H & 300H) & Nonic Oeling (200 & 400) who will both feature on at least one relay for them as well. They’ve also got 3 vaulters qualified and with the magic Coach Johnson touch, they could certainly be walking away with 15+ points in that event. There’s just not many scenarios you can paint where they aren’t driving home with at least some hardware Thursday night. With all of the depth they have (Lilly Schwartz, Lauren Blehm, Abby Deutsch, Abby Coen, Lauren Hohl, plus their squad of throwers), they have a ton of girls to step up if someone in front of them falters. We’re excited to see them compete and 100+pts is not out of the question.
Fremont
Scoring Capacity: 60-85pts
Coverage: 12/17 events
Depth: 15 athletes
The Tigers are a mystery for a lot of people out there and you see that reflected in the big range in their scoring capacity. Their 4x800 isn’t pegged for many points. But how can you bank on that with Lucy Dillon, Taylor McCabe, and Elli Dahl showing up on the bus? Elli Dahl is one of the most special girls distance runners in history with her ability to show up in big moments. She has a nasty ability to grind the last couple of laps of a race when everyone else’s brain is telling them to stop. We wouldn’t count her out in the 1600 or 3200. The Tiger’s other strength lies in their 200/400/800 crew of Dillon, McCabe, plus Sydney Glause. Lucy Dillon looked in prime condition to take home a state title in the 400 next week and Glause and McCabe joining her in finals would be massive. Tania Gleason will be huge for them in the 100/200 & 4x100 relay plus the Tigers have a chance to pick up substantial points in the field events where things can be notoriously unpredictable. A couple throwers could pick up some medals and Hailey Newill might have the best shot at pulling the Pole Vault upset as anyone. If these dominoes can fall into place along with 20+ points from the relays, the Tigers are talented enough to walk out champions.
Omaha Westside
Scoring Capacity: 65-80pts
Coverage: 13/17 events
Depth: 13 athletes
Davies. Miner. That’s all you need to read to know the Warriors are legit. If you haven’t seen Lademi jump before, get your butt over to the pits to see her Long Jump first thing Wednesday morning. While her season best in Triple Jump sits third right now, she just needs to put it together one time to pop a 39 or 40+ foot jump. Stella Miner brings the same type of excitement to the track and you’ll see her in the 4x800, 800, 1600, and 4x400 relays. Westside probably needs her to win at least one or two, hopefully scoring 30+ points across all. Chloe Green, MaryAnn Lewis, and Olivia Elbert provide some scoring chances in the sprints and we would expect Chloe to pick up some as she has looked really solid as of late. The Warriors also have some uber talented distance runners to join Stella in the scoring fun. Reese Young-Oestman could provide a huge spark if she can nab a point or two in her races. Plus Claire White has got to be the most talented distance runner in a long time not to be a state leader right? How many other years would an 11:10 (3200) & 5:08 (1600) set you up as one of the favorites to take home at least one gold? If Claire can trust her stuff and just run, special stuff might happen. We don’t think we’ve seen the best out of her yet this year and this week is the perfect time to let it out. (We’re also extremely excited to see how her Mom figures out how to best cheer for her. If you see a lady in red hanging over the fence or climbing a tree, it might be Mrs. White! #TRACKMOMENERGY) Anytime you’ve got some superstars spread out over a variety of events, you’re in the hunt. The Warriors are coming for sure.
Lincoln Pius X
Scoring Capacity: 40-55pts
Coverage: 11/17 events
Depth: 10 athletes
By now, you’ve heard of Kate Campos. One of the best hurdlers in Nebraska history, she’s the headliner for this Thunderbolt team. But they’ve got a jumper who we think will surprise some people in Sara Iburg. She’s not projected a ton of points but if you’re entered in all three jumps, and you’ve got Coach Grosserode on your side, you’ve got a great shot. If she can pop a couple good jumps both days and pick up more points than she’s projected, Lincoln Pius X starts to slide into the podium conversation. Vivian Dalton has a shot to win or score substantial points in the 400, plus Pius’ 800 runners always show up at Burke and they’ve got two Natalie Pritchard & Molly Chapman in addition to a 4x800 team. If everything goes great for them through the 300 Hurdles, Kate Campos might be getting the stick with the meet on the line and one lap to go. You want to be on the track with her? Yeah, not us either.
Omaha Burke
Scoring Capacity: 40-55pts
Coverage: 11/17 events
Depth: 10 athletes
The Bulldogs are led by a trio of sprinter Zakeirah Johnson, hurdler Makayla Thompson, and high jumper Alyssa Peoples. The perfect meet for Burke starts off with Johnson & Thompson qualifying for finals in their 6 events. On Thursday, Johnson needs to score 20+ points in the 100, 200, and 400 combined. Thompson would come back and score as close to 10 points in her events and Peoples would lead her high jump crew (they’ve got 3!) to 20+ points. That gets them to 50+ with a chance to score 8-10 more with their 4x100 relay (teams drop batons people). If you can get close to 60 you’ll have a chance! It might be small, but Burke has really great pieces in a couple events. Check ‘em out!
Other Athletes To Watch For:
Jaci Sievers (Elkhorn South): A metronome on the track, she's the favorite in the 3200 and has a great chance to win the 1600 as well.
Dajaz DeFrand: She'll wake you up if you start dozing off, that's how electric her performances are. Catch her In the 100, 200, and girls 4x100. Truthfully, the whole girls 4x100 from Lincoln High of DeFrand, Neryah Hekl, SaReya Giebelhaus, and Zainab Funnah deserve a shout out. We hope they get great weather Thursday to break that 4x100 record they've been eyeing.
Maria Kimpson (Papio South): 13'0 PR in Pole Vault is always going to get you a shout out. We're excited to watch her go to work and feed off the crowd. Will she go higher? How much?
Lilee Kaasch (Millard South): An extremely talented jumper will look to cement her legacy with at least a Triple Jump title. She'll also be in the long jump and 100m.
Katharine Beachler (Millard North) vs. Kinsley Ragland (Lincoln North Star) vs. Avery Franzen (Kearney): Girls Shot Put. All three have thrown 40+ ft this year and we wouldn't be shocked to see them propel each other close to 45ft by the end of this thing.
Class B Boys
Class B Boys
Sidney
Scoring Capacity: 50-70pts
Coverage: 10/17 events
Depth: 10 athletes
The perfect state meet for the Raiders starts off with some High Jump domination where they’re projected to score 20+ points (WHAT!?) Yes, you read that right. That group is made up of Sawyer Dickman (6’7), Cameron Leeling (6’5), and Jacob Dowse (6’5). With a real chance at going 1-2-3, this is a huge event for Sidney so you’ll want to be in your seats right away at 9:30am. After that, they have an amazing mid-distance squad (a common theme with great teams at state…hmm?) and are favorites to bring home the gold and 10 points in the 4x8. From there, Mitchell Deer can be huge for them on Thursday with a chance to score major points in the 400/800 as he brings in the fastest time at 49.18 followed by a 1:59.97. Isak Doty & Luke Holly make up a scary duo in the short sprints and Cameron Brauer (1600) & Daniel Bashtovoi (800/1600) will be in the hunt for points too. With great 4x100 and 4x400 relays, there aren’t many places to pick up points on this team. Sidney might shut the door early and spend Thursday running up the score.
Waverly
Scoring Capacity: 45-70pts
Coverage: 12/17 events
Depth: 17 athletes
The Vikings have a legitimate chance to score in 10+ events and are led by a plethora of studs on the track. Grant Schere will look to win the 100, 200, and 4x100. Those 30 points would go a long way towards putting Waverly onto the podium. After him, the 400 crew of Alex Leunberger, AJ Heffelfinger, and Braxton Smith (a freshman to watch) will try and clean up as many points as possible there along with taking home a 4x400 title. If they could combine for 15+ points in the 400 and add that 4x400 title, we’re now looking at 55+ points before we even get to Cole Murray. While he’s only in one open event, the 800, he’s the type of kid who could get the baton in 8th and will himself into 2nd in the 4x8 by dropping something disgusting (sub 1:54). Throw in 18 points from him and Waverly is above 70 points which would for sure lock up 2nd with a good chance at sealing the deal. They’ve got Hogan Wingrove in the 300s who hit a rough patch at Districts but is an absolute gamer so we wouldn’t be shocked to get points out of him. Finally, Trevor Brown and some other role players could push this team over the hump by picking up any point in their events. A guy like Keaton Bowker could win this team a title with just a great leg on the 4x800 or an 8th place finish in the 800. That’s how close this title race with Sidney and others might be.
Aurora
Scoring Capacity: 40-50pts
Coverage: 10/17 events
Depth: 6 athletes
It's the dynamic duo (or destructive duo? looking at you Gage) of Gage Griffiths and Carsen Staehr where the Huskies team starts and ends. Caden Carlson would be the third musketeer as he’s currently sitting 2nd in Pole Vault season bests. With those three guys in mind, we’re genuinely looking at 7 events (Shot Put, Discus, Long Jump, Triple Jump, 200, 400, Pole Vault) where Aurora could take home 10 points each. While maybe not likely, they might have the best firepower of any state in the field. Their margin for error is just extremely low compared to some of the other teams on this list. But these guys know how to win and if any of their other 3 dudes pick up a point or two, watch out.
Norris
Scoring Capacity: 30-50pts
Coverage: 12/17 events
Depth: 15 athletes
The Titans’ strength definitely lies on the track through Riley Boonstra (1600/3200), Tanner Cooper (800/1600), Trevor Ozenbaugh (100/200), Cooper Hausmann (100/200), and Zach Pittman. (400/800). Right now, Cooper & Boonstra are projected to pick up 10 & 14 respectively while the others are right on the cusp of scoring. First task for them is to get into finals. Then, let the rest sort itself out Thursday. If Mitchell Jacobs can pick up a point or two in the Pole Vault along with Eli Holt in the Shot Put this team becomes more dangerous. With 3 relays ranked in the Top 4, there’s a chance they could score 20+ points there. Get over 40 points in your individual events and all of a sudden the Titans might take the whole dang thing. They’ve got a lot of athletes spread out that anything could happen.
Other Teams/Athletes To Watch For:
McCook: A super strong field event team in the Long Jump, Triple Jump, and Pole Vault. Watch Adam Dugger (LJ/TJ), Brett Fraker & Alex Messinger (TJ), and Branson McDonald & Hayden Norgaard (PV) as well. Also have the Class B leading 4x100 relay.
Chadron: Chayton Bynes (LJ/TJ) is electric and his battle with Staehr will be one for the ages. Xander Provance, Malachi Swallow, and Rhett Cullers lead a really strong 110/300H squad as well.
Connor Wells & Ryan Birkby: The "St. Paul Brothers" (we hope you get the joke) are one of the best bang for your buck pieces of entertainment you're going to find on the track. Catch Wells battling Murray & Cooper in 800 Thursday! The duo will run in the 400m finals together (hopefully) while Birkby finishes his meet with a 200 final hopefully as well. Finally, they'll step onto the track together for the last time as in their high school career for a 4x400 relay. They're going to sell out for each other. Don't miss it.
Luke Bonifas (Adams Central), Mesuidi Ejerso (So. Sioux City), and Ian Salazar-Molina (Lexington): These three will battle on the track both days, first in the 3200 followed by the 1600 late Thursday. They're going to be exciting races and for a group of boys who don't always have competition to run with the whole time, it might be PR city at the end of the race.
Tyler Carroll (Central City): One of the premier hurdlers in the state, he'll no doubt be looking to bring home at least one title back to Central City.
Class B Girls
Class B Girls
Elkhorn North
Scoring Capacity: 55-70pts
Coverage: 12/17 events
Depth: 13 athletes
The Wolves Girls Basketball team might win their 3rd state championship and they won’t technically have to wait until next year's tourney at PBA to do it. Elkhorn North dominates the 400/800 events with a quadruple of Sydney Stodden, Britt Prince, Grace Heaney, and Morgan Sachs. The “Ballers” certainly do just that on the track, and they have the ability to score almost 50 points alone between the 4 mid-distance events. If these girls are on, it might be over for the rest of the field no matter what they do. Add in some really good vaulters in Savannah Bishop & Allyson Dutoit in addition to Julia Karmazin in the distance events, and they’ve got a lot of room for error. There’s a strong chance that Elkhorn North is bringing home its first State Title in T&F if things go as projected.
Arlington
Scoring Capacity: 50-65pts
Coverage: 8/17 events
Depth: 5 athletes
Arlington is bringing 5 girls. YUP. You read that right. The reason they’re here is a testament to two girls we’ll call the Double K Duo. Keelianne Green (LJ, TJ, 800, 4x4) and Kailynn Gubbels (HJ, 100H, 300H, 4x4) are sitting 1st or 2nd in each of their individual events (56 projected points) and their 4x4 is projected another 5 points with both of them on it. After that, Arlington’s only chance for points comes in the form of their 1600m runner Hailey O’Daniel. She’s a freshman, but she’s REALLY TALENTED. She could pop off after watching her teammates rock it all meet leading up to her race and has a chance to cause a huge point swing. She just needs to go out and have fun! Any points she can pick up are a bonus. If the Double K Duo can perform like they have all year along with O’Daniel surprising some other 1600m runners, then Arlington could go into the 4x400m with a chance to beat Elkhorn North heads up for the title. HOW GREAT WOULD THAT RACE BE!?
Pierce
Scoring Capacity: 45-55pts
Coverage: 10/17 events
Depth: 9 athletes
The Bluejays title hopes hinge on two things: the Piper family and their distance runners. Jozy and Elly Piper could legitimately walk out of Burke Thursday night having scored 40pts combined in Shot Put & Discus to lead this team to a title. Pierce also has the Class B leading 4x800 and Alexus Sindelar, who has a great shot to add points in the 1600 & 3200 where she's seeded 4th and 6th respectively. Claudia Riggert is a 5’1 high jumper who could potentially help them out by scoring a point or two there.
Beatrice
Scoring Capacity: 40-50pts
Coverage: 9/17 events
Depth: 10 athletes
Morgan Mahoney. Avery Barnard. Madeline Swanson. For Beatrice, if these three girls are feeling it, watch out. Morgan and Avery will handle the short sprints & 4x100, with Avery tacking on the Long Jump as well. If they’re able to place where they’re projected (or better), that starts the title talk for the Lady Orange. Madeline Swanson will compete in the unique quadruple of the Pole Vault (seeded 2nd), the 400, 800, and 4x800 relay. The 400/800 are very tight as always so if she can make a little noise here, things get a lot easier for Beatrice. They’ve also got Addison Hatcliff in the 1600m, a trio of triple jumpers, and a great chance to win both relays. While they’re not “projected” as many points on paper right now, it will not take many things to go right for them to be taking home a title! They'd be our first pick if we had to choose a team that was going to over-perform expectations the next two days.
Other Teams/Athletes To Watch For:
Norris: Taylor Bredthauer (LJ/100/200) leads a solid team whose title chances suffered a bit when they weren't able to get their 4x100 relay team qualified. They've got a thrower in Sage Burbach who has a chance to win the Shot Put, and a young distance runner named Kendall Zavala who races way more mature than her age. Jordyn Williams (TJ) and Ellie Thomas (800) also provide solid scoring chances for this team and they're projected for around 45 points right now. If their 4x800 moves up and any combination of these five have a great two days, the Titans certainly have a chance.
Bennington: The Badgers actually qualified the most athletes (15) out of anyone on our list and they cover 14/17 events. Their relays truly could take home all 30 points available. They're an AMAZING Invite team but right now on paper they're not projected to score enough points in enough events to jump anyone above them. BUT...they've got Kennedy Wade (100/200), Alexis Hiatt (400), Gabriella Calderon (800/1600), Emma Anibal (HJ), and a couple other contributors in other events that have the ability to each contribute. The best part for them though, is that no one individual has to be a hero. If they can all pitch in just a little bit here and there, Bennington definitely could be a podium finisher on Thursday.
Madison Seiler (Gering): Very talented junior distance runner from western Nebraska who will be racing the distance triple! (800, 1600 & 3200)
Kassidy Stuckey (York): The favorite on paper for the 3200m, she's currently sitting right behind Seiler in the 1600. They're going to have a really good chance to challenge each other to some fast times.
Paige Horne (Scottsbluff): Young but in-charge hurdler who's dipped under 15 in the 100H and 47 in the 300H. We're excited to finally see her in person. She's probably got the best chance to be the one to upset Gubbels if anyone was going to (it won't be easy).
Reba Mader (Northwest): 400/800 specialist will probably end up running 7 (very fast) laps around Burke when it's all said and done. One of the best 400m runners in the state, the rest of the 800m field should try and avoid being close to her with a 150m to go.
Karsyn Leeling (Sidney): It's not as easy as people think to do, let alone be successful in, multiple jump events. Karsyn is sitting inside the Top 3 for both the Long Jump (18'03.75) & High Jump (5'05). She's got springs!
Tracking the Team Races - Live
Tracking the Team Races - Live
To make the team races easier to follow, we created some spreadsheets that help give you a quick glimpse into where things currently stand. Here are links to them, and some explanation of how they work!
Class A Boys Class A Girls Class B Boys Class B Girls
Columns (see example below):
SB Rank - Where the team is ranked based off the "Season Bests" projections
District Rank - Where the team is ranked based off the "District Results" projections
BRO Rank - Where the team is ranked based off our own best guess (just for fun)!
Avg Rank - Where the team is ranked based off the average off the above three metrics
Live Rank - Current rank of the team. This is what you'll see at the scoreboard at Burke.
Live Total - Current score of the team. What you'll also see at the scoreboard at Burke.
Avg Proj. - Average total of the three metrics (SB, District, BRO)
BRO Total - Total points based off best guess for how things will shake out
District Total - Total points based off district results and projections
SB Total - Total points based off Season Best results and projections
Now, you might be wondering, what's the point of using the projections? Cool to see, but once the meet starts, do they matter? Short answer...yes they do. How this works is as events get completed and results become final, we'll input team scores into each of the corresponding columns. Those scores will *REPLACE* the projected points and adjust projections as we go. So, as the meet progresses, the Average, BRO, SB, and District projections become more honed in on the actual likely result. Think of it as a missile locking in on its target. We're just providing you the trajectory along the way so you can watch how things change! For instance, a team in 8th place might score 4 points In the 3200m tomorrow afternoon. But if they were projected 0, that's a huge positive swing! Hopefully it starts to make sense as the meet goes on. But please ask questions! And as always, provide suggestions if there's something we can do to help or improve. We'll be trying our best to watch events in person but get results in there as fast as possible. Thanks for joining us for the fun!
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