By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The drama lasted all the way to the finish line at this year's Kansas State High School (KSHSAA) High School Track and Field State Championships in Wichita. Quite literally. Great Bend freshman Kara Feist, running the final leg of the 4x400m relay, pulled ahead late to win the race by 0.08 seconds and secure the Class 5A runner-up trophy for the Lady Panthers.
Great Bend pulled off the state championship in the 4x400m relay despite having only one state-bound sprinter in Feist, who placed 10th in the 400m dash prelims Friday to miss the finals by half a second.
"We threw two of the 300m hurdlers in there with sophomores Sadie Spray and Makenzie Premer, which obviously made it a lot better right away," said Panther track coach Lyles Lashley. "(Feist), she's just a different beast when you put a baton in her hand."
The Lady Panthers were on a short list of contenders to win the relay title in the final race of the season. The drama was compounded by Kapaun Mt. Carmel running more than a second faster than Great Bend in Friday's prelims, and the Lady Crusaders held a one-point edge over the Panthers in the team standings.
"The girls actually wanted some pressure," Lashley said. "They wanted to have a little challenge and they rose up to it. They didn't fold. They knew Kapuan had run the fastest time in the other prelim the day before so they were looking forward to the challenge."
Sophomores Eliana Beckham, Premer, and Spray ran the first three laps of the relay. That trio competed well at home before a baton drop on the final handoff put Andale in the lead. The freshman Feist caught Andale's state sprinter late in that race to tie for the overall meet win, and she ran from behind before catching Kapaun at state.
"I wasn't worried about her," said Lashley. "We call her 'Barn Smeller.' She smells that finish line and she's tough to beat."
Mill Valley was expected to win this year's Class 5A title, and the Jaguars did just that with 75.5 points. Great Bend beat Kapaun by a single point with 67 for its best state finish since winning a state title in 2007.
The Panther boys dealt with some late injuries, but Lashley expects both squads to return strong in 2023.
"Most of them come back on the boys' side, actually all of them but one," he said. "The girls, we lose 11 points but hopefully that will motivate the kids to get out and compete."