Several from area among state's best

A check of state track times and distances shows that five individuals and one relay team from the Tribune Area have marks that are among the state's best this season. Those individuals will get their chance to prove their mettle when the best athletes in Kansas gather in Wichita for the Kansas State Track and Field Meet Friday and Saturday.

This year's State Meet will be special regardless of the outcome as this is the 100th edition. The first was held in Emporia in 1911. There was only one class then and Norton was crowned State champion.

All classes have met in Wichita every year since 1970 with the exception of 1978. Girls' competition began in 1972.

Of the four area schools, Jayhawk-Linn will bring the most athletes and has qualified in the most events. Three individuals and one of the Jayhawks' relay teams appear high on the state's best charts.

Fort Scott junior Griffin Knopp has Class 4A best effort this year in boys' high jump, with his mark of 6' 10 1/2" that set the Fort Scott Relays all-time record earlier this year.

Two other jumpers stand to give Knopp a challenge as they had better marks at their Regionals. Bahner of Carbondale-Santa Fe Trail cleared 6' 8" at the Tonganoxie Regional while Miller of Hoyt-Royal Valley cleared 6' 6" at Abilene. Knopp went 6' 4" at Iola, a mark matched by two other Abilene Regional qualifiers, Baumgartner of Hesston and Deterding of Smoky Valley.

Knopp finished fifth in high jump last year. He has also qualified in triple jump after finishing third at Iola.

Jayhawk-Linn senior Briar Snyder is looking to pick up two more hurdles medals and finish his high school track days with six. He also hopes to add another relay medal with the Jayhawk 4x100 team to go along with three relays medals he already has.

Snyder has Class 2A's best times this year in both the 110 meters -- in which he won the Class 3A title last year -- and the 300 meters.

Snyder has run a state-best 14.40 in the 100's this year. However, his 15.25 at the Central-Burden Regional was only the second-best among all qualifiers. Friesen of Inman ran a 15.18 at Sublette. Snyder has this year's best state time of 39.60 in the 300's and the best Regional mark of 40.08. He was second in the 300's last year.

Senior Steven Mann has medaled in long jump and triple jump in each of his three previous State visits. He was second in long jump in 3A last year and this year's best mark of 23 feet, 7 1/4 inches and the best regional distance of 22' 10".

Mann was third in triple jump in 2009 and is also the state's best so far this year with a 47' 1 3/4" that he cleared at Regionals. The next-best qualifier is 45' 9 1/2" by Tyler Barber of Herington, who was in the same Regional.

Taylor Dawson is looking for another State title after winning Class 3A long jump her freshman year. She has collected eight medals in individual and relay events her previous three years. She's not in long jump this year but did turn in the best Regional time of 2:26.76 in the 800 meters. She was in the same Regional with the state leader this year, Kaitlyn Henderson of Olpe. Olpe has run a 2:22.30 this year but was second to Dawson at Burden in 2:28.88.

The Jayhawk-Linn girls' 4x100-meter relay team has medaled each of the last three years while the 4x400 team has medaled each of the last four, winning the Class 3A title in 2008.

Mankato-Rock Hills has the best 4x1 time in the state this year, a 52.01 turned in at the WaKeeney Regional. But the Jayhawks ran 52.03 in winning the Burden Regional. Dawson, senior Morgan Eastwood and juniors Chelsea Beckman and Emily Aikins are on that relay.

In the 4x400. Oakley has the best time in the state, a 4:12.83 it posted in winning at WaKeeney. Jayhawk-Linn, with Eastwood, Dawson, Beckman and senior Meriel Long, have the second-best Regional time with a 4:15.07.

And while hoping this isn't a "jinx," it's fair to report that no one in Class 2A has come close to what Uniontown's Abbie Smith has done in long jump this year. She has the state's best distance of 17' 8" and the best Regional leap of 17' 5 1/4". The next-closest is Jones of Ell-Saline, who won at WaKeeney with a mark of 16' 9 1/4".

Smith also has the best Regional time of 15.62 in the 100-meter hurdles. The person with the state's best time this year, Boos of Highland-Doniphan West, who had a reported time of 15.50, wasn't able to make it out of the prelimiaries in her Regional.