By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The weather was right for a rematch between reigning Class 5A runner-up Great Bend and Andale, winner of five-straight Class 4A track and field titles. At least for a while at Friday’s Jack Bowman Invitational. Lightning and storms eventually halted the meet with several events remaining. Great Bend had 100 points in the bank at that time for the win. Andale followed with 94 points, and Hays scored 65 points for third.
Coming off her school-record jump a week earlier, senior Valarie Luna cleared 5-6 in the high jump to win by two inches. Sadie Spray placed third at 5-4, and Cassie Ellegood finished seventh at 5-0.
The javelin was a marquee event even with Andale’s Mckenzie Fairchild, who leads Kansas this spring. In her absence, Lady Panther senior Kyndall Blessing, ranked No. 2 in Class 5A, reached 131-1 for the win. Junior Macy Nachtigal, ranked No. 8 in 5A, took the silver at 116-10.
Fairchild, who competed in Lawrence over the weekend, was also missing in the discus. Hays senior Halle Lohmeyer won by three-plus feet at 121-11. Great Bend senior Rylie Duvall finished third on a throw of 114-10, and freshman Kimberly Hofflinger placed fourth at 107-10. Duvall’s toss ranks No. 10 in 5A this spring.
The pole vault featured reigning 3A champion Shellamae Farmer of Hoisington, who won by 18 inches at 11-0, and a pair of Andale state medalists. Lady Panther senior Katie Kuhlman finished fourth at 8-6 to miss the bronze by 12 inches.
Finals on the track opened with the 4x800m relay. Eliana Beckham and Kate Welcher gave Great Bend the lead against Garden City, but the Lady Buffs’ third leg caught up with Ellegood heading into the final handoff. Sienna Smith took over in the final lap, giving Great Bend the win by five seconds in 10:26.16. The Lady Panthers rank No. 6 in 5A on a best time of 10:19.
Junior Addy Nicholson ran neck and neck with Bishop Carroll’s Brooke Martin for three laps in the 1600m run. Nicholson pulled away in the final lap, winning by seven seconds in 5:37.22. Morgan Beckwith ran sixth in 6:14.44.
Andale entered the meet with a top-10 4x100m relay time in Kansas this spring. The Lady Indians improved on that time for the gold in 49.58. Great Bend’s team of Luna, Spray, Mackenzie Premer, and Kara Feist cut more than a second off its best time to finish third in 50.95.
Premer ran third in the 100m hurdles in 16.45. Andale’s Rylee Meyer won in 15.93, followed by Hoisington’s Kylee Hahn in 16.39. Premer ranks No. 8 in 5A.
Luna finished second in the 100m dash in 12.96, just 0.07 seconds behind the winner from Andale.
The 4x400m relay that would have featured reigning state champion teams from Andale and Great Bend, both with top-six all-class times this spring, did not happen because of the storms.