OMAHA, Neb. — The opening two days of the NSAA State Track and Field Championships brought impressive performances and dramatic finishes as athletes from across Nebraska left their mark on the Class A and B competitions.
Class A Highlights
North Platte’s track and field team showed grit over the first two days of Class A competition, with standout performances in both individual and relay events.
Senior Keyala Williams earned a bronze medal in the girls long jump, soaring 18 feet, 2 inches. Katie Titus added key points to North Platte’s total, finishing fifth in the discus (124-11) and later competing in the shot put for 13th place.
Mackenzie Bruns cleared 9 feet in the girls pole vault to place 16th, while the girls 4x800-meter relay squad clocked a 10:23.87 to finish 13th.
Kori McClain turned in a pair of strong distance races, placing fifth in the 800-meter dash and ninth in the 1600.
On the boys' side, North Platte’s 4x800 relay team ran an impressive 8:08.06 for a fifth-place finish. They added a ninth-place result in the 4x400 with a time of 3:25.11. Aiden Hawks highlighted the distance events, placing third in the 1600 (4:17.17), while Luke Tegtmeier secured a top-10 finish in the 800 (1:58.09).
Lathan Huntsman finished 13th in the pole vault, clearing 12-3.66, and Jack Hughes placed 22nd in the 300-meter hurdles (42.69).
Class B Highlights
Ogallala’s Story Rasby delivered one of the top performances of the meet so far, blazing to gold in the girls 400 meters with a time of 56.12. Teammate Shaydyn Rasby nearly reached the podium twice, finishing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.05) and second in the 300 hurdles (44.11).
Ogallala's 4x400 relay team claimed bronze, and Aniston O’Neil (14th in the 400), along with Laney Caskey (19th in discus, 16th in shot put), added to the points total.
Chase County made its presence felt across eleven boys events, highlighted by Noah Rau’s record-breaking gold medal in the boys discus with a 203-09 throw, setting a new state mark. Rau also placed 11th in shot put (49-3). In the long jump, Kole Clevenger finished sixth (22-03), while Camron Lempke (19-03) was 24th. Lempke also ran 52.10 for 15th in the 400 meters.
Chase County saw solid relay efforts, finishing 10th in the 4x400 (3:26.48) and 11th in the 4x100 (43.63), while the 4x800 boys relay took 16th. In hurdles, Lukas Fries missed the finals in the 110s (15.38) and finished 21st in the 300s (43.51). Tristan Jablonski placed 17th in the 800 (2:00.71). In pole vault, Tate Hubbard finished seventh (14-06) and Spencer Kelly 17th (12-06).
For the Chase County girls, Emily Randall took 8th in the 800 (2:21.09), and the girls 4x800 relay placed 8th (9:44). Riley and Hayley Rusher both competed in the 100 and 200 meters, but did not advance to finals. Hayley added a 10th-place finish in pole vault (10-00), while Adelle Eskew finished 15th in long jump (16-04.5). The girls also placed 7th in the 4x400 (4:03.20) and 10th in the 4x100 (50.03).
Gothenburg featured strong efforts across the board. Tyler Hetz led the boys team with a sixth-place finish in the 3200 (9:35.38) and 10th in the 1600 (4:26.66). Bryson Neels placed 13th in the 800 (1:58.39). The boys 4x800 relay claimed 7th (8:10.94), while the 4x400 (7th, 3:25.07) and 4x100 (9th, 43.49) also scored.
In the hurdles, Even Johnson (10th, 40.97) and Preston Nichols (20th, 43.46) competed in the 300s. In field events, Zander Hruza (21st in discus), and Jax Rickertsen (9th in pole vault at 14-00) contributed solid performances.
On the girls’ side, Scout Bell placed 12th in the 3200 (11:34.96) and 16th in the 1600 (5:27.43). Adalyn Carlson ran 2:28.13 for 20th in the 800. Taryn O’Hare took 10th in shot put (37-06), and Halsey Thomalla finished 20th (34-02). Amaiya Carlson threw 113-03 for 11th in discus.