WICHITA — So close, yet so far away.
Of the Great Bend High School athletes that qualified for the Class 6-1A State Track and Field Championships, two came close to winning it all.
Four more finished just a little further away.
Great Bend managed two runners-up and four third-place finishes in the 5A portion of the two-day contest at Cessna Stadium in Wichita.
Kaylie Doll got things started.
The senior jumper, who injured her left ankle during practice on Tuesday, secured a second-place victory early on Friday, opening the state meet with a jump of 34 feet, 11 inches in the triple jump.
“I expected more out of myself,” Kaylie Doll said. “(Coming in injured) didn’t help, but I had my eye on that first-place spot.
“It’s rough having to watch instead of practicing. Mind over matter.”
Jayce Brack recorded the other silver-medal performance.
Brack cleared 60-2 in the shot put for second place.
In the boys’ discus competition, Great Bend had a pair of medalists on the podium.
Jayce Brack placed third with a throw of 170-2. Nick Warren had a heave of 146-0 for fifth place.
Selam Ball, who qualified for the state meet with a vault of 11-0, managed 10-6 in the pole vault on Saturday to finish in third place.
Cristian Garcia placed third in the 800 run, clocking in at 1:59.24.
Antonio Carrasco finished in third place in the 400 dash, claiming a time of 50.28.
On Saturday morning, Shelby Tracy cleared 15-5.25 in the long jump, giving her sixth place.
In the 4x400 relay, Carrasco, Garcia, Ty Yager and Nick Gerdes clocked in at 3:31.40 for fifth place.
Christian Graham made his way on to the podium in the first of his two distance events, placing sixth on Friday in the 3,200-meter run. He finished with a time of 10:00.61. He missed the podium in the 1,600, placing ninth.