HUTCHINSON— GBMS seventh grader Gage Fritz saddled four medals including a pair of golds to help lead the boys middle school track and field team at Thursday’s Todd Thurston Invitational.

As a team, the Great Bend boys finished sixth out of 13 teams in competition with 82 points. Buhler Prarie scored 119 points for the day to take the crown. The Panther girls finished eleventh out of 13 teams with 26 points. Maize South won the girls meet with 165 points.

Fritz sprinted his way to a first place finish in a best-of-three heats in the 100 meter dash timing in at 12.63. Fritz then won the third flight and an overall top finish in the 400 meter at 58.39. He wasn’t finished. After winning the bronze in the 200 meter (26.73) he then collected an overall runner up spot in the seventh grade long jump with a leap of 16.7 ft.  

In other seventh grade boys competition, Ryan Nicholson was the top runner in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:31.83 while teammate Justin Owen took silver at 2:34.35. Bryce Brown placed second in the second heat of the seventh grade 400 meter timing in at 1:06.11. Dalton Miller collected a third place finish in the 100 meter hurdles clocking in at 16.54. J.J. Heredia  placed second in the first heat of the 200 meter hurdles at 33.26.

In seventh grade boys field events, Zach Seymore posted a second place throw 98.10 ft. (1st in 3rd heat) in the discus. Phillip Pardo placed second in the first round of the discus at 79.5 ft.

In eighth grade boys events, Rey David Garcia was runner up in the first heat of the eighth grade 400 meter at 1:02.57. Kurth Townshend recorded a third place finish in the first flight of the 100 meter hurdles with a time of 19.67. He recorded another third place slot in the first heat of the 200 hurdles at 33.12.

From the field, Blaine Mermis finished third in the second flight of the discus throw at 105.4 ft.

In girls competition, Aleah Urban placed third (2nd in 3rd heat) in the seventh grade 100 meter dash timing in at 14.52. Ashley Anderson and Brianna Olivas placed third each in the first and second heats of the 400 meter run with times of 1:12.77 and 1:12.05 respectively. In the 200 meter hurdles, McKenna Esfeld won the first heat at 35.08.

In seventh grade girls field events, Kaylee Reiser placed second in the first round of the long jump with a leap of 11.25 ft. Olivia Mull and Mikayla Galliart placed second and third respectively in the first flight of the shot put with tosses of 24.10 and 23.1 ft. Mull was also the third place finisher in the opening flight of the discus at 56.3 ft.

In eighth grade girls events, Alyssa Keller was the third place finisher in the first heat of the 100 meter at 15.29 while Delaney Buehler placed third in the second heat with a time of 14.44. Buehler won the second heat of the 200 meter sprint at 30.25. Amelia Sommers was the top runner in the opening heat of the 400 meter run at a time of 1:13.90.

In the eighth grade girls shot put, Molly Kaiser and Courtney Barton placed second and third with throws of 24.7 and 23.10 ft. in the first flight. Kaiser won third place overall (3rd in 3rd flight) in the discus at 77.10 ft.