WICHITA — Great Bend’s David Simmons and Jacy Quade each took fourth place in their respective events on Friday at the Class 5A state track and field meet at Cessna Stadium in Wichita.
Quade also took fifth place in the shot put on Saturday.
While both mentioned that they had to continue to move forward and put this behind them, Simmons, a senior, said that he plans to compete in track in college.
“All I can do is move on from here,” Simmons said. “Keep practicing and get better, that’s all I can do. I am going to Fort Hays State (University), and I am going to try to get there for track. I’ve been throwing the 16(-pound shot), so I’m familiar with the weight.
“I have to put this behind me, work off of it and learn from it.”
Simmons, whose fourth-place throw was 51 feet, said that his preparation was his downfall on Friday.
“My legs were dead,” Simmons said. “My legs were so tired. It was a long bus ride up here. I don’t know. I didn’t get much sleep last night. I didn’t prepare for it correctly.”
Quade, who threw the discus 123-1 in the finals for fourth place, said Friday that there wasn’t one thing to diagnose as the problem
“It was not exactly what I was hoping for,” Quade said. “I’ve been doing good all week, and I probably just let it get to my head a little bit. It was bits and pieces mostly. This was right while this wrong and that was right while that was wrong. Things just never quite came together.”
Quade said that she was happy with her place on Friday and that she looks forward to another chance to make state next year.
“I’m happy with any place, really,” Quade said. “I’ve moved up four places from last year. Coming back as a senior, most of these seniors will be gone. There is another junior coming up. So it will still be tough, but not as tough.
“I’ll be back (on the track team) next year, so I have another shot.”
Quade’s threw a distance of 36-6 1/4 in the shot put for fifth place.
“It was tough,” Quade said. “I went against most of these girls over the season. We’ve gotten close. We’re all really tight distance-wise. We knew it was going to be tough. All of us did.
“Something ... it was just a manner of things clicking when they were supposed to.”