BY JIM MISUNAS
How 'bout them Great Bend girls?
Great Bend track coach Lyles Lashley will always treasure the 2024 Panther senior class, which completed a four-year reign as 4-time Western Athletic champions and 4-time regional track champions.
The Panthers (95) outscored distance-heavy Salina Central (86) by sweeping the 1,600-meter relay (4:04.38) and 3,200-meter relays (10:18.6).
''We went out and qualified as many athletes for state as we could," Lashley said. "The kids had fun competing at home. We never talked about a regional title. Our team buys into those relays."
The Panthers' senior class owns three regional and three WAC cross country titles, two state trophies and a pair of top three track trophies.
"The Mill Valley coach told me how tough our girls compete, which is a cool compliment," Lashley said.
Great Bend's runner-up Eliana Beckham (2:17.82) broke the Panthers' 800-meter school record by Nicky Pool in 1992.
"We were 100% confident we'd get it," Beckham said. "I went out with confidence."
Fourth-place Bullard (2:17.93) was close behind with a trio of runners racing to a photo finish.
"I was running for my life,"" Bullard said.
Lashley said the 800 meters was a state quality finish.
"The 800 was an incredible race," he said. "Eliana laid it on the line and got a school record. Eliana broke a school record and is ranked sixth. Reese Bullard believed in herself and put a race together. She had a workout this week where she gained confidence in her ability."
Reese Bullard, Eliana Beckham, Daizy Gomez and Sadie Spray improved six seconds in the 1,600. Beckham, Kate Welcher, Bella Long and Bullard ran the 3,200.
Great Bend earned 16 qualifiers in 12 events. 5A state leader Macy Nachtigal won the javelin (131-0).
Spray was a double state qualifier with runner-up finishes with a season-best high jump (5-4) and a season-best 300-meter hurdles (47.51).
Third-place Addy Nicholson (5:14.58) and fourth-place Sienna Smith (5:23.55) qualified in the 1,600 meters. Third-place Nicholson (12:09.42) and fourth-place Boone (12:09.92) qualified in the 3,200 meters.
Allie Gerhart was a third-place state qualifier with a season-best in the shot put (36-2). Cassie Ellegood (5-0) placed fourth in the high jump.
PANTHER BOYS — No. 2 ranked 5A triple jumper Cooper Ohnmacht (46-11/2) stayed sharp with a first-place finish, just off his Panther school record of 46-51/2. Ohnmacht qualified third in the long jump (21-43/4).
"My goal was to qualify for state and jump my best," Ohnmacht said. "Today's competition gets me ready for next week. I'll come out and do my best. I've put in a lot of work. My second phase has come along. Coach Birney has helped me with my consistency."
The Panthers' 3,200-meter relay continues to improve with a first-place regional (8:23.74) with Braylon Moore, Diego Pasos, Tavon Stroup and Ismael Ramirez. Ramirez earned a second-state berth with a runner-up 3,200 meters (10:11.0).GIRLS TEAM SCORES—1—Great Bend 95; 2—Salina Central 86.5; 3—Hays High 81.5; 4—Salina South 71; 5—Newton 67; 6—Goddard Eisenhower 61.5; 7—Valley Center 56.5; 8—Goddard 20; 9—Hutchinson High 19.
GREAT BEND GIRLS SQ (TOP 4) *season best
100m hurdles—5—Spray, 16.56
300m hurdles—2—Spray, *47.51; 11—Long, 53.15
400m—7—Welcher, 1:05.62
800m—2—Beckham, *2:17.82; 4—Bullard, *2:17.93; 6—Smith, 2:32.99
1,600m—3—Nicholson, 5:14.58; 4—Smith, 5:23.55; 7—King, 5:49.37
3,200m—3—Nicholson, 12:09.42; 4—Boone, 12:09.92; 5—Beckwith, 12:25.49
1,600m relay—1—Great Bend, *4:04.38 (Bullard, Beckham, Gomez, Spray)
3,200m relay—1—Great Bend, 10:18.6 (Beckham, Welcher, Long, Bullard)
High jump—2—Spray, *5-4; 4—Ellegood, 5-0
Triple jump—5—Feist, 33-91/2; 12—Ellegood, 31-41/2; 14—Harbaugh, 30-5
Shot put—3—Allie Gerhart, *36-2; 7—Daniels, 34-111/2; 13—Hofflinger, 31-51/2
Discus—7—Hofflinger, 111-6; 15—Lindberg, 93-11
Javelin—1—Nachtigal, 131-0
Pole vault—12—Baldwin, 8-0; 13—McMullen, 8-0
BOYS TEAM SCORES—1—Hays High 120; 2—Goddard 104; 3—Valley Center 103; 4—Goddard Eisenhower 48; 5—Hutchinson High 46; 6—Salina Central 37; Salina South 37; Newton 37; 9—Great Bend 35.
GREAT BEND BOYS SQ (TOP 4)
300m hurdles—7—Rodriguez, 43.08
400m—12—Rocho, 56.19
800m—6—Moore, 2:02.98; 10—Pasos, 2:09.33; 12—Galindo, 2:12.01
3,200m—2—Ismael Ramirez, 10:11.0; 8—Stroup, 11;11.57
3,200m relay—1—Great Bend, 8:23.74 (Braylon Moore, Diego Pasos, Tavon Stroup, Ismael Ramirez)
Long jump—3—Ohnmacht, 21-43/4
Triple jump—1—Ohnmacht, 46-11/2; 9—Brown, 38-101/4
Shot put—19—Pena, 40-4; 21—Holliday, 39-51/4
5A STATE TRACK FRIDAY
8:05 a.m. 3,200m—14—Addy Nicholson, 12:09.42; 15—Marissa Boone, 12:09.92
8:20 a.m. 3,200m—14—Ismael Ramirez, 10:10.99
9:45 a.m. Triple jump—2—Cooper Ohnmacht, 46-11/2
11:30 a.m. High jump—1—Sadie Spray, *5-4; 46—Cassie Ellegood, 5-0
5A STATE TRACK SATURDAY
8 a.m. Triple jump—2—Cooper Ohnmacht, 46-11/2
8 a.m. Shot put—13—Allie Gerhart, *36-2
11:30 a.m. Javelin—3—Macy Nachtigal, 131-0
10:30 a.m. 3,200m relay—9—Great Bend, 10:18.6 (Eliana Beckham, Kate Welcher, Bella Long, Reese Bullard)
11:40 a.m. 3,200m relay—8—Great Bend, 8:23.74 (Braylon Moore, Diego Pasos, Tavon Stroup, Alex Galindo)
1:25 p.m. 1,600m—6—Nicholson, 5:14.57; 14—Sienna Smith, 5:23.55
4:30 p.m. 300m hurdles—8—Spray, *47.51
5:10 p.m. 800m—6—Eliana Beckham, *2:17.82; 8—Reese Bullard, *2:17.93
6:35 p.m. 1,600m relay—5—Great Bend, *4:04.38 (Reese Bullard, Eliana Beckham, Daizy Gomez, Sadie Spray)
