HUTCHINSON — A two-time Class 5A defending state champion in the 400-meter dash, Alex Reed said before he ran Friday afternoon at the Hutchinson Invitational that he was around 80 percent.

Reed withstood the high winds and tough competition to run away with first place in his specialty in a time of 50.50 seconds at Gowans Stadium on Friday evening.

The Great Bend High School senior marquee runner, who has already signed to run track at Wichita State next season, said his rapid recovery from major knee surgery is almost complete — better than he anticipated entering the meet.

“I’d say I’m about 90 to 92 percent,” said Reed, who also ran legs on the Panthers’ fourth-place 4x100 relay (44.40) and seventh-place 4x400 relay (3:40.88).

“Almost back."

Last October, Reed suffered both a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn meniscus in his knee during a district football game against Salina Central.

The dreaded ACL injury sometimes takes nine months and anywhere up to a year or more to heal in some instances.

The six-month anniversary of his surgery in May has yet to come. Reed’s fast recovery has been nothing short of astounding.

When the temperatures start to heat up in May, Reed might be all the way back. Almost …

“I still have a little bit of fluid on my knee left and I don’t know if it’s going to go away or not,” Reed said. “I’m still trying to work it out. The hammy (hamstring) is not too bad. It felt really good today. It’s very exhilarating because at first, I thought, (after the football injury), there goes my track season. It was a bad injury and a big deal … I’m just a fast recoverer, I guess. This is really great. I’m really excited.”

David Simmons was a second-place finisher in the shot put for the Panthers with a throw of 51 feet. Chon Chavez took fourth place in the 3,200 (10:25.47). They finished 10th in the team standings with 37 points.

Great Bend head coach Bo Black said it was by far the best competition that Reed had faced all season.

“There were five 51-flat or faster runners in there and actually, a couple kids have had faster times than him this season and Alex just came out and dominated the field,” Black said. “Just the way he came out and competed, he looked so much stronger in one week. “He finished strong and he finished confident and had a swagger about him after the race.”

Black said he was also impressed with Matt Moyd’s explosion as he ran the anchor on the Panthers’ 4x100 relay. He competed in four events for the Panthers as Moyd was also part of their other relay and also competed in the 110 hurdles, where he finished fourth,

“He’s just someone that has been a good competitor for us this year and is hard-working,” he said. “He just continues to get better every day.”

According to Moyd, the strong winds just made him work that much harder during his anchor run in the 4x100.

“I felt the wind was pushing real hard against me,” he said, “and I just had to drive through it.

“We just want to keep building up to state, so we can get on the podium for that.”

Jacy Quade won the discus with a heave of 128 feet, 11 inches for the Lady Panthers, who finished fifth in the team standings with 52 points.

Kaylie Doll was a second-place finisher in the triple jump at 35-5 ¼, and Hannah Wondra had a time of 1:01.99 for third place in the 400 dash.

Rubi Torres was a third-place finisher in the 3,200 run (5:45.06) and placed fourth in the 1,600 (12.24.11).

Torres said she was disappointed she didn’t fare better in the 3,200.

“I feel like I really didn’t have a good kick,” she said. “I felt like I should have pushed it more. I was really tired.”

Quade also was a fifth-place finisher in the shot put (36-1).

PREP TRACK & FIELD
At Hutchinson
Friday
BOYS
Team standings
1. Hays, 135.5; 2. Wichita Southeast, 69.5; 3. Maize, 69; 4. Garden City, 57; 5. Wichita Northeast, 53; 6. Goddard, 51; 7. Liberal, 49; 8. Wichita East, 44; 8. Dodge City, 44; 10. Great Bend, 37; 11. Salina Central, 28; 12. Salina South, 24; 13. Hutchinson, 21; 14. Valley Center, 11; 15. Bishop Carroll, 9.
 Individual results
100-meter dash — 7. Matt Moyd, 11.15.
400 dash — 1. Alex Reed, 50.50.
3,200 run — 4. Chon Chavez, 10:25.47.
110 hurdles — 4. Matt Moyd, 15.35.
4x100 relay — 4. GBHS relay (LeShore, Reed, Jones, Moyd), 44.40.
4x400 relay — 7. GBHS relay (Uribe, Jones, LeShore, Reed), 3:40.88
Shot put — 2. David Simmons, 51-0.
GIRLS
Team standings
1. Bishop Carroll, 96; 2. Maize, 66; 3. Salina Central, 59; 4. Wichita Southeast, 54; 5. Great Bend, 52; 5. Hays, 52; 7. Dodge City, 51; 8. Hutchinson, 49; 9. Wichita East, 46; 10. Valley Center, 44; 11. Garden City, 41; 12. Goddard, 27; 12. Liberal, 27; 14. Wichita Northwest, 21; 15. Salina South, 16.
Great Bend results
400-meter dash — 3. Hannah Wondra, 1:01.99.
1,600 run — 4. Rubi Torres, 12:24.44.
3,200 run — 3. Rubi Torres, 5:45.06.
100 hurdles — 6. Allie Niederee, 16.76.
4x400 relay — 7. GBHS relay (Wondra, Bates, Niederee, Torres), 4:26.22.
4x800 relay — 7. GBHS relay (Torres, Harwood, Heilman, Basye), 10:48.20.
High jump — 4. Alex Eye, 5-0.
Long jump — 8. Kaylie Doll, 15-7 3/4.
Triple jump — 2. Kaylie Doll, 35-5 1/4.
Shot put — 5. Jacy Quade, 36-1.
Discus — 1. Jacy Quade, 128-11.