On Friday, the Class 6-1A State Track and Field Championships will begin in Wichita at Cessna Stadium.
Great Bend High School will be sending several athletes to compete in the 5A competition.
The boys’ team has 10 entries in nine events, including seven track events and two field events.
The girls’ team has one track event entry and six entries in four field events.
Great Bend’s highest-seeded track entry is the boys’ 4x400-meter relay team.
Antonio Carrasco, Cristian Garcia, Ty Yager and Nick Gerdes combined for a time of 3:28.30.
“They have a real good shot of making the finals,” GBHS head coach Todd Kaiser said of the 4x400 relay team.
The quartet is a seventh seed heading into the preliminary race on Friday.
It is one of four relay teams Great Bend is sending to Wichita.
The boys’ 4x100 relay and 4x800 relay teams also qualified with time of 45.04 and 8:35.62, respectively.
Garcia, Mason YellowWolf, Michael Prieto and Eric Vazquez is set for the 4x800 relay as the 12th seed at the state meet.
Garcia, Yager, Carrasco and Gerdes qualified for the 4x100 relay team and will be the 16th seed.
“In the boys’ 4x100, realistically, they have at outside shot,” Kaiser said. “You never know on that race. You could have a bad exchange by somebody, lose a baton, you never know.
“On the boys’ 4x800 relay on Saturday, we’re going to probably have to get 8:15 or better to get on the podium. That’s going to take a lot of bringing times down. I think they have the ability to do it.”
The Lady Panthers’ 4x800 relay team is the lone girls’ track entry from Great Bend.
Mariah Stein, Kalyn Lagerman, Mary Williams and Morgan Harwood ran a time of 10:31.73 in a regional meet. The team managed an 11th seed.
“They’re going to have to really step it up to get on the podium,” Kaiser said. “That’s the goal, to get on the podium, and it not, do our best.”
Carrasco qualified for the 400 dash, clocking in at 51.51 to be the 10th seed at the state meet.
“Antonio’s got a good shot of getting to the finals,” Kaiser said. “Once you make it to the finals, you make it on the podium.”
Garcia, who will run at Ottawa next season, will be the 11th seed in the 800 run, turning in a time of 2:01.70 at the regional level.
Christian Graham, will run at St. Mary’s in Leavenworth next season, qualified in both of the distance events. He is the 11th seed in the 1,600 run (4:37.86) and the 12th seed in the 3,200 run (10:11.01).
“Garcia, he’s probably going to get himself in the top eight in the 800,” Kaiser said. “He should be battling to get on the podium.
“Graham has a shot in both of his races of getting on the podium as well. It’s going to have to be his best effort. For all the kids, it’s going to have to be their best effort because 5A is so strong.”

PREP TRACK & FIELD
Class 5A State Track Championships

Great Bend qualifiers
(State seeding & qualifying time/distance/height)

BOYS
400-meter dash — 10. Antonio Carrasco, 51.51
800 run — 11. Cristian Garcia, 2:01.70
1,600 run — 11. Christian Graham, 4:37.86
3,200 run — 12. Christian Graham, 10:11.01
4x100 relay — 16. GBHS (Garcia, Gerdes, Yager, Carrasco), 45.04
4x400 relay — 7. GBHS (Carrasco, Garcia, Yager, Gerdes), 3:28.30
4x800 relay — 12. GBHS (Garcia, YellowWolf, Prieto, Vazquez), 8:35.62
Shot put — 3. Jayce Brack, 51-8.25
Discus — 4. Jayce Brack, 151-10; 7. Nick Warren, 144-7

GIRLS
4x800 relay — 11. GBHS (Stein, Lagerman, Williams, Harwood), 10:31.73
Pole vault — 1. Selam Ball, 11-0
Long jump — 8. Shelby Tracy, 15-9.75; 13. Kaylie Doll, 15-5.5
Triple jump — 5. Kaylie Doll, 35-2; 10. Kelsie Doll, 33-1.5
Discus — 13. Kate Warren, 98-4