By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Lady Panther track and field team had multiple top finishes on a warm Friday at Salina Central. The result was 113 points for the win. Manhattan finished second with 86 points. Even with all the success, the big story of the day was senior Valarie Luna's extension of her school record in the high jump to 5-7.
The high jump featured several of the state's top performers this spring. Luna entered tied at No. 1 in all of Kansas this spring. She added half an inch to her school record to take the gold by three inches. Teammate Sadie Spray and a Hays jumper each cleared 5-4, with Spray winning the silver. Cassie Ellegood placed sixth at 5-0 for two more points.
The Lady Panthers also took the top-two spots in the javelin. Junior Macy Nachtigal came up with her best throw in two years for a new personal best of 129-4. Senior Kyndall Blessing finished second at 117-1. Blessing still ranks No. 3 in 5A and Nachtigal moves to No. 5. Kimberly Hofflinger placed ninth in the discus at 107-4 to miss the bronze by nine feet. Natalee Daniels finished 12th in the shot on a throw of 32-7.
The 300m hurdle race featured the top-three 5A hurdlers and the No.2 hurdler from 4A. Hutchinson's AnnaLisa Cullens won in 46.05, followed by Premer in 46.58, and Spray in fourth in 47.45. Premer improves on her No. 2 5A time this season and now ranks No. 3 all-class in Kansas.
The 4x400 team of Spray, Makenzie Premer, Daizy Gomez, and Kara Feist won by nearly two seconds in 4:09.92, just missing a season best. The 4x8 team of Ellegood, Premer, Kate Welcher, and Sienna Smith led for two laps before falling to second in 10:27.05, seven seconds behind the winners from Manhattan. The 4x100 team of Premer, Feist, Spray, and Luna ran sixth.
Eliana Beckham did not run Friday but freshman Sienna Smith tried filling her shoes with a silver medal in the 800m run in 2:33.14 to miss the gold by two seconds. Welcher ran sixth in 2:36.63.
Addy Nicholson ran into Class 5A's best in the 1600m and 3200m runs. Katelyn Rupe won the 3200m run in 11:25.25, followed by Nicholson in 12:17.49 for the silver. Marissa Boone ran third in 12:33.43, and Morgan Beckwith finished fourth in 12:40.99. Nicholson still ranks No. 5 in 5A at 11:40. Rupe won the 1600 by eight seconds in 5:14.37. Nicholson ran third in 5:26.11, and Boone placed seventh in 5:57.66. Nicholson ran her season best by 0.05 seconds.
Great Bend closes out the regular season next Thursday at home as host of the Western Athletic Conference Championships.