By Jim Misunas
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

NICKERSON – Macksville High’s brother/sister tandem of Henry Penner and Lisa Penner kicked off the 2015 track season with strong debuts Thursday at the Nickerson Invitational.
Henry Penner captured first place in the 1,600 meters (4:37.06) and 3,200 (13:06.31). Henry placed runner-up in the Class 1A 1,600 behind Stafford’s Derek McClure and placed second in the Class 1A 3,200 meters behind Pike Valley’s Caden Callaway last year. Callaway also beat him at Class 1A state cross country last fall.
Penner is the school record-holder in the 1,600 and 3,200 who owns a personal best of 4:27 in the 1,600 meters at Jetmore. He’s three seconds off the school-record time in the 800.
“I’m in good shape to start off the season. I started around 4:45 in the 1,600 meters last year. That’s a good sign. It was great weather today. It’s eight seconds off my personal record,” Penner said. “I was pleased with my times going for a top place. I’ve done more weight training to get stronger.”
Penner raced past runner-up Ben Berridge of Nickerson on the second lap in the 1,600 meters.
“Ben (Berridge) has got a fast 800 time,” Penner said. “If he stuck around, he’d have a kick. I had a decent lead on him.”
Lisa Penner won the 800 (2:36.3) Thursday and earned runner-up finishes in the 1,600 (5:48.0) and 3,200 (13:06.31). Lisa has a personal best of 2:28.0 in the 800.
“All right. That’s a good 800-meter time,” Lisa said. “I was happy with that time today. I was shooting under 2:40 in the 800 meters for the first time out. You find out where you’re at today. That’s a good start and I found out where I’m at compared to people.”
Pratt’s Hallie Helfrich captured the 1,600 (5:38.78). Samantha Trejo of Lyons High School beat Penner in the 3,200 (13:05.9) with a sprinting finish.
Penner placed eighth in the Class 1A 1,600 and ninth in the Class 1A 800 last year and fourth in state cross country last fall.
Penner returns with teammates Sophie Filbert and Emma Stimatze from Macksville’s state runner-up 3,200-meter relay team.
“I had a good start in the 1,600 meters,” Penner said. “That’s way better than I started last year. I think I ran at six minutes to start the season last year.”
Placing fifth were Macksivlle’s Wyatt Neeland in the 110-meter hurdles (20.18) and Gilda Lopez in the 400 (1:10.52).
LARNED HIGH
Ty O’Neill was Larned’s lone winner with a first-place finish in the discus (123-6) and Lukus Anderson placed sixth (102-61/2) and sixth in the jabelin (124-111/2).
Larned’s boys scored 37 points. The Indians performed well in the distance races with a runner-up finish in the 3,200m relay (9:18.28) with Danyon Green, Kobe Kraisinger, Nicholas Orth and Thomas Robinson competing.
Green placed runner-up in the 3,200 (11:25.36) and Kraisinger finished fifth (12:24.25). Green also placed fifth in the 1,600 (5:03.03).
Larned’s 1,600-meter relay quartet of Tanner Galliart, Robinson, Josh East and Wes Davis placed fourth (3:56.5). Max Easley, Gary Barker, East and Gilliart placed sixth in the 400-meter relay (48.4).
Larned’s girls scored 35 points. Delainee Gordon placed third in the 3,200 (13:19.31) and fourth in the 1,600 (6:02.65).
Other place-winners were shot put, Kaitton Glover, third (33-6) and Kesha Garcia, fifth (32-0 3/4); 400, Jorgiahlyn Kimble, fourth (1:10.21); and discus, Kaitlyn Finger, fourth (96-81/2).
Larned’s girls placed fourth in the 3,200 relay (11:59.84) with Gordon, Kate Baker, Chellie Wray, Kimble; fifth in the 400 relay (56.18) with Natalie Spain, Kimble, Ally Aldrich, Aarika Bright; and fifth in the 1,600 relay (4:43.22) with Bright, Kimble, Baker, Aldrich.
Pratt’s boys swept the 400 relay, the 1,600 relay and 3,200 relay. Pratt scored 120.5 points to finish first and runner-up Buhler scored 99.5 points.
Pratt’s girls placed first with 97 points followed by Buhler with 78 points.

NICKERSON INVITATIONAL
GIRLS
Team scores—1. Pratt 97; 2. Buhler 78; 3. Haven 74; 4. Chaparral 63; 5. Goddard 61; 6. Wichita Home School 45; 7. Larned 35; Nickerson 35; 9. Macksville 28; 10. Lyons 16
11 Wichita Sunrise 5
100m—8. Natalie Spain, L, 14.42; 9. Ally Aldrich, L, Larned 14.68; 10. Chellie Wray, L, 14.74; 15. Gilda Lopez, M, 15.18
200m—7. Lopez, M, 31.34
400m—4. Jorgiahlyn Kimble, L, 1:10.21; 5. Lopez, M,1:10.52
800m—1. Lisa Penner, M, 2:36.3
1,600m—2. Lisa Penner, M, 5:48.0; 4. Delainee Gordon, L, 6:02.65; 12. Maggie Penner, M, 7:47.9
3,200m—2. Lisa Penner, M, 13:06.31; 3. Gordon, L, 13:19.31; 7. Maggie Penner, M, 16:47.06
100m hurdles—7. Chellie Wray, L, 19.28
400m relay—5. Larned, 56.18 (Spain, Kimble, Aldrich, Aarika Bright)
1,600m relay—5. Larned, 4:43.22 (Bright, Kimble, Kate Baker, Aldrich)
3,200m relay—4. Larned, 11:59.84 (Gordon, Baker, Wray, Kimble)
Long jump—8. Spain, L, 13-11 1/2
Triple jump—6. Bright, L, 28-7
Shot put—3. Kaitton Glover, L, 33-6; 5. Kesha Garcia, L, 32-0 3/4; 13. Bailey Ritchie, L, 24-0
Discus—4. Kaitlyn Finger, L, 96-81/2; 9. Ritchie, L, 76-101/2; 12. Glover, L, 72-4
Javelin—10. Finger, L, 71-101/2; 12. Ritchie, L, 65-2

BOYS
Team scores—1. Pratt 120.5; 2. Buhler 99.5; 3. Chaparral 79; 4. Haven 71; 5. Nickerson 44.5; 6. Larned 37; 7. Goddard 23; 8. Macksville 22; 9. Wichita Home School 18; 10. Wichita Sunrise 6; 11. Lyons 2
100m—16. Tanner Galliart, L, 12.25; 17. Christian Acosta, M, 12.27; 18. Max Easley, L, 12.56; 19. Austin McCauley, M, 12.75; 21. Alan Ibarra, M, 13.31
200m—11. Acosta, M, 25.34; 14. Easley, L, 25.52; 16. McCauley, 26.32; 17. Andreas Vereecke, L, 26.58; 21. Galliart, L, 27.24
400m—7. Vereecke, L, 58.28; 9. Josh East, L, 59.43
800m—7. Nicholas Orth, L, 2:24.5; 3. Thomas Robinson, L, 2:25.59; 14. Ibarra, M, 2:38.28; 17. Jordon Drimmel, L, 2:44.82
1,600m—1. Henry Penner, M, 4:37.06; 5. Danyon Green, L, 5:03.03; 10. Kobe Kraisinger, L, 5:33.46; 14. Drimmel, L, 6:02.4
3,200m—1. Penner, M, 10:09.85; 2. Green, L, 11:25.36; 5. Kobe Kraisinger, L, 12:24.25; 8. Drimmel, L, 13:58.53
110m hurdles—5. Wyatt Neeland, M, 20.18
400m relay—6. Larned, 48.4 (Easley, Gary Barker, East, Galliart); 8. Macksville, 54.87 (Neeland, McCauley, Ibarra, Acosta)
1,600m relay—4. Larned, 3:56.5 (Galliart, Robinson, Thomas, East, Wes Davis)
3,200m relay—2. Larned, 9:18.28 (Green, Kraisinger, Orth, Robinson)
High jump—7. Acosta, M, 5-6
Long jump—13. Wes Davis, L, 17-21/2; 16. Ibarra, M, 15-91/4; 21. Alonso Cobian, M, 13-113/4
Discus—1. Ty O’Neill, L, 123-6; 6. Lukus Anderson, L, 102-61/2; 9. Ritchie, L, 96-4; 12. Leonardo Holguin, M, 82-111/4; 15. Nathanial Miller, M, 79-2; 16. Cobian, M, 78-111/2
Javelin—6. Anderson, L, 124-11/2; 7. Davis, L, 122-61/4; 9. Lane Sebes, M, 112-101/2; 13. McCauley, M, 102-1; 16. Miller, M, 84-0