State Track: Five have previous State experience

Five of the seven Tribune Area State Track qualifiers have previous experience at State meets. This will be the third State appearance for Fort Scott junior Katren Rienbolt and the second for her classmate, Jillian Lattimer, as well as Uniontown seniors Trenton Miller and Abby Dixon and junior Da'Nisha Robinson. The first timers are Fort Scott junior Chris Allen and freshman Nick Woods.

Rienbolt returns to State in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. She medaled in both events last year, taking fourth in the 1,600 and fifth in the 3,200. She was the Iola Class 4A Regional champion in both events and is the current Class 4A State cross-country champion.

Rienbolt also made State as a freshman in 2011 in the 300-meter hurdles, finishing 11th. That summer, she went out for cross country for the first time.

Rienbolt turned in a time of 5 minutes, 23.24 seconds in the 1,600 at Iola, which is second best among all of the qualifiers. The best Regional time was posted by junior Mary Kate Franklin of Topeka Hayden at Royal Valley, 5:21.66. Franklin also has the best Class 4A time in the state this year of 5:13.35. The top two finishers in the race last year graduated. The third-place finisher, senior Kenau Bradley of Rose Hill, has the seventh-best Regional time this season.

Rienbolt, who will be the only one of the top six finishers in last year's State 3,200 returning, ran 11:29.85 in winning at Iola. That was the best qualifying time. The two next-best times were posted by freshmen. Christina Wankum of McPherson ran 11:50.44 and Andrea Browne of Colby finished her Regional race in 11:51.47.

According to the Wichita Eagle's honor roll, Rienbolt has the best Class 4A time this season, 11:29.12. She has not been beaten in a race this season by anyone from another Class 4A school (Those who have finished ahead of her in any race came from a Class 6A school and an Oklahoma school).

Last year's top two finishers in this race have graduated. The third-place finisher was a junior who did not qualify this year. The fourth-place finisher, Morgan Schaefer of Maize South, is competing in Class 5A this year. The sixth-place finisher was a sophomore but she also didn't make it back to State. That leaves Parson's Kaylee Krull as the next-best returnee from last year's race, in which she finished seventh.

Lattimer also qualified last year in shot put, where she finished eight. But this year, she can concentrate on javelin, in which she finished ninth. She won the Iola Regional with a mark of 128 feet, 6 inches, second best among the qualifiers. The best mark in Regionals was 134' 8" by Jeannett Clampitt of DeSoto and the best in 4A this year is 135' 9" by Haley Taylor of Chanute, who was second at Iola at 126' 4", third best among qualifiers.

The defending State champion was a junior last year but did not qualify this year. The runner-up was a sophomore but did not qualify this year, either. Third place last year went to Taylor Fuller of Perry-Lecompton, who is back as a junior with the seventh-best mark from Regionals.

Allen finished in third place at Iola with a mark of 163' 3" in javelin, which ranks 11th among the qualifiers. Evan Omo, a junior from Andale, had the best Regional mark of 185' 9". Andrew Henn, a Paola junior, won the Iola Regional with the second-best mark of 181' 8". Henn was the runner-up last year behind Chase Pote of Andale, who was a senior. The third through sixth-place finishers last year were also seniors. Omo did not qualify for State last season but owns the best mark in Class 4A this year, 187' 10".

Allen was second in discus at Iola at 139' 11", which is also 11th among the qualifiers. Junior Kord Ferguson of Ottawa comes to State with the best Regional throw of 199' 1", which beat out his previous season best of 186' 8", which led the entire state coming into Regionals.

Last year's State champ was Dayton Valentin, who has this year's second-best Regional mark of 178' 2". He is a senior from Baldwin. Last year's runner up was a senior. Third-place finisher Ben Johnson of Basehor-Linwood, a senior this year, has the fourth-best Regional mark of 153' 6".

Miller was 11th in discus as a sophomore in 2011 but wasn't able to return last year. The defending champion has graduated and the runner up was a sophomore from Olpe, which is in Class 1A this year. The third-place finisher was also a senior which leaves fourth-place finisher Morgan Davis of Meade the highest-returnee from last year. Davis, a junior, comes in with the fourth-best effort from Regionals, 139' 8".

Wyatt Flynn, a senior from Mankato-Rock Hills, did not qualify for State last year but has the best Regional throw of 146 feet even and the best in Class 2A this year at 168' 5". Jake Peters, a sophomore from Montezuma-South Gray, is second-best at 145' 4". Miller's Regional mark of 139' 5" is sixth among the qualifiers.

Dixon won her javelin Regional at Yates Center with a mark of 100' 8", 11th among the qualifiers. Demi Murray, a sophomore from Oberlin, has the best Regional mark of 122 feet even. The best mark in 2A this season has been put up by Shannon Toll of Hill City, 127' 2". She had the eighth-best Regional mark, 113' 8".

The top two finishers and three of the top four from last year's State meet were seniors. The third-place finisher, Ally Zerbe of Eskridge-Mission Valley, is competing in Class 3A this year.

Dixon qualified for State in discus last year, finishing 13th. She went 97' 1" at Yates Center in finishing third, which is the 14th-best qualifying mark. Erin Alexander, a sophomore from Washington County, has the best Regional mark of 116' 1". Cheyenne Armbruster of Plainville leads the Eagle's 2A Honor Roll at 122' 8' but is only the sixth-best qualifier with a Regional mark of 110' 5". Armbruster was sixth at State last year.

The defending champion, Jordyn Alexander, Erin's sister, has graduated. Erin Alexander will be in her first State meet. The runner-up was Mauri Steimel of Stanton County, but she qualified just seventh this year at 106' 6". The third- and fourth-place finishers have graduated.

Robinson was 15th at State last year in shot put, which was won by Steimel followed by Jordyn Alexander and four other seniors.

Robinson's 35' 11 1/2" mark at Yates Center ranks fifth among the Regional marks. Erin Alexander was best at 40' 5 1/4" followed by Steimel at 40' 2". Steimel leads the Eagle's Class 2A Honor Roll with a mark of 42' 4".

The Kansas State Track and Field Meet will be held at Cessna Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University Friday and Saturday. Classes 1A, 2A, and 3A have the morning session (7:45 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.) Friday while Classes 4A, 5A, and 6A have the afternoon session, which begins at 2:10 p.m. All classes compete Saturday beginning at 8 a.m. Discus and javelin are held outside the stadium.