Members of the Cardinals’ track and field team tested themselves against some of the top talent in the region at the Kansas Relays this weekend.
Top athletes from multiple states shared the track at KU with the Cardinals across the three days of events. Senior Sydney Owens highlighted the results with a victory in the 2,000-meter steeplechase.
“I was really confident today,” she said Friday. “I knew that I was feeling good enough to take it, and at that point, it’s just try to hold on and get a bigger lead.”
The steeplechase requires runners to race over a long distance but with added challenges. They trek through water and over barriers as they make their way around the track. The event has always caught Owens’ eye because her mom was a successful steeplechaser.
“The barriers add an extra bit of just making it a little bit harder, which I’ve always kind of liked obstacles and stuff,” Owens said. “So, it’s definitely something I really like.”
Competing in three events, junior Hanna Keltner said the Kansas Relays offered a unique chance to test herself against some of the best competitors in the Midwest.
“I’m just really grateful I get a chance to be here,” Keltner said. “Not a lot of people can come here and get to race against all these competitive people. But I love the atmosphere.”
Keltner ran in the 3,200-meter and 800-meter races. She teamed up with Owens, senior Sophie Whalen and sophomore Avery Warren for the 4×800-meter relay.
“I think it’s going to help teach me adversity,” Keltner said. “Teach me how to be mentally strong.”
The Cardinals had a handful of competitors in the field events. Senior Brennan Moeckel competed in shot put. Junior Rayah Foltz competed in javelin and Addy Hemphill competed in both long jump and triple jump. Foltz set the school record in javelin earlier this year and Hemphill did the same for long jump.
On the boys side, senior Kole Manley and junior Nate Steinlage competed in javelin. Manley finished inches from advancing to the finals.
On the track, the boys found some success. Senior Zach Arnold competed in the 2,000-meter steeplechase. In the 4×400-meter relay, the team of junior Connor Watson, senior Derek Lehmann, junior Micaiah Jerome and senior Adrion Seals finished in the top half.
The team of freshman Cameren Tice, senior Matthew Magette, Lehmann and Seals finished a fraction away from the school record and placed in the top 25 of over 80 teams.
“Coming into a meet like this, you don’t really expect to get medals,” Magette said. “You’re really just racing against your own times and see how you stack up against the best competition in really the whole Midwest. I think we ran really, really solid, pulled out fourth place in our heat, which is really phenomenal.”
Magette said lots of handoff practice was key to the team’s success. Magette also raced in the 100-meter dash at the event. The Kansas Relays doesn’t just feature top high school athletes, but also some top college competitors. That only adds to the fun, he said.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “You kind of get to see where you stack up and, you know, what it’s going to be like after high school.”
Magette said the atmosphere and competition of the Kansas Relays is only going to prepare the Cardinals even more for regionals and state as they enter the home stretch of the season.
“This is a harder meet than state,” he said. “It really speaks for itself. If you’re going against tougher competition than at state then you’re going to really be ready when it comes time for state, when it really matters.”
Reach reporter Cuyler Dunn at [email protected]
If you appreciate our sports coverage, please donate. Our newspaper depends on your donations to provide coverage of Eudora and continue providing local news.
To donate to support our community journalism, please go to this link: tinyurl.com/y4u7stxj
