Six Chieftains, four Bulldogs qualify for state track meet
Six Tonganoxie High athletes and four McLouth High athletes qualified for state Friday in regional track and field competition. The Chieftains competed in the Class 4A regional at Liston Stadium in Baldwin City, while the Bulldogs were at the Class 3A regional at Sabetha High School.
THS junior Jenny Whitledge qualified for state in four events to lead the Chieftains. She won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 47.28 and the high jump with a height of 5-4. She also took second in the long jump (17-8.5) and fourth in the 100-meter dash (12.76).
Sophomore Haley Griffin took second behind Jenny Whitledge in the high jump. Both jumpers cleared the bar at 5-4, but Griffin had more misses. Freshman Jackie Whitledge was the only other THS girl to qualify, finishing fourth in the long jump with a mark of 17-2.
As a team, the Chieftain girl finished sixth with 45 points. Host school Baldwin won the team title with a score of 123.
A trio of THS senior boys qualified in their respective events. Tyler Stockman took second the discus (158-10), Dylan Jacobs took second in the high jump (5-10) and Patrick Rachford finished third in the 3,200-meter run (10:28.66).
The Chieftain boys finished ninth in the team standings with a score of 30.5. Baldwin claimed the overall title with 119 points.
Bulldog freshman Summer Cerny was the only McLouth girl to make the state cut. She took fourth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.67. The MHS girls took 13th with a total of seven points. Rossville won the meet with a score of 89.
Junior Marc Walbridge was the Bulldogs’ only individual champion. He won the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:45.
Other MHS boys to qualify for state were senior Hunter Koch, who took fourth in the 110-meter hurdles (15.74) and junior Dakota Cop, who finished fourth in the triple jump (41-4.25). The Bulldogs took 11th in the team standings with 21 points. Pleasant Ridge captured the title with a score of 86.
The state meet for all classes is set for May 25-26 at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium.