Plainsmen compete at Chase County, continue strong stretch at Hershey

The Perkins County track and field team turned in a solid performance Tuesday, April 21, at Chase County High School, recording multiple top-three finishes and a combined 28 personal records across the boys and girls teams.

“It was a pretty good day. Hot,” head coach Shayne Hite said. “That can also be a test of mental toughness just like bad weather. We are starting to fatigue a little, but we are going to keep pushing for about another week and then start into our recovery mode.”

On the boys side, Perkins County showed strength in the middle-distance events. Carson Green placed third in the 800-meter run in 2:11.57, followed closely by Ethan Swesey in fourth at 2:11.58. Jesus Marquez finished eighth in 2:22.02, while Leighton Fryzek took ninth in 2:24.35. Fryzek added a third-place finish in the 3,200 meters at 11:41.68, and Logan Barry placed fourth in the 1,600 meters in 5:14.90.

In the 400 meters, Miles Knapp led the Plainsmen with a ninth-place finish in 58.13 seconds. Alex Cole placed 11th in 59.36, Spencer Williams was 12th in 59.80, and Tyson Schwanebeck finished 18th in 1:04.79.

Luke Minster placed fifth in the 300-meter hurdles in 44.28.

Relay teams also contributed key finishes. The 4x800-meter relay team of Green, Barry, Marquez and Swesey placed second in 8:53.93. The throwers relay team of Mason Minster, Alec Reese, Schwanebeck and Luke Minster also finished second in 48.71. The 4x400 relay team of Green, Knapp, Cole and Max Latella took fifth in 3:51.09, while the 4x100 team of Knapp, Mason Minster, Williams and Latella placed seventh in 47.84.

In field events, Luke Minster led the discus with a throw of 120 feet to place 12th, followed by Alec Reese in 13th at 119 feet. Mason Minster (97-6) and Schwanebeck (84-4) also competed. In the triple jump, Williams recorded a mark of 36 feet, 2 1/2 inches.

On the girls side, Perkins County dominated the 100-meter dash with four top-seven finishes. Ava Seger led the group with a third-place time of 13.65 seconds. Alyssa Laber placed fifth in 13.83, Olivia Gengenbach took sixth in 13.93, and Morgan Day finished seventh in 14.04.

Madison Potts placed fourth in the 400 meters in 1:05.58 and later added a sixth-place finish in the 800 meters at 2:35.21. Haylea McGreer (1:10.06), Laber (1:11.40) and Jaymee Harger (1:23.28) also competed in the 400.

Savannah Miller led the distance events, placing fifth in the 3,200 meters in 14:14.44 and eighth in the 1,600 in 6:49.30. Kayleen Jurado and Kinley Bottom also ran in the 1,600.

Ella Homan paced the Lady Plainsmen in the hurdles, placing fourth in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.36 and third in the 300 hurdles in 49.99. Macey Cole placed sixth in both events, while Day added a seventh-place finish in the 300 hurdles.

The 4x400 relay team of Potts, Seger, Gengenbach and Homan placed third in 4:32.35. The 4x100 relay team of Gengenbach, Seger, Sauder and Laber finished fifth in 54.53. In the throwers relay, the team of Paige Franklin, Lauren Bishop, Ryleigh Johnson and Jacqueline Gloy placed second in 1:03.65, while a second Perkins County team finished fifth.

In field events, Gloy placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 34-11 3/4, while Johnson placed 11th. In the discus, Johnson led the team with an eighth-place throw of 91 feet.

Lauren Bishop highlighted the jumps with a second-place finish in the triple jump at 32-10 1/2. Zoe Hansen placed sixth, and Kinley Richmond added an 11th-place finish. In the long jump, Sauder placed fifth at 14-3, while Laber finished ninth.

“We are starting to get some relays figured out. We just need all four of them clicking on the same day,” Hite said. “This is a tough stretch for us, with three meets in just over a week.”

The Plainsmen continued that stretch Saturday, April 25, at the Mike Troxel Invitational in Hershey, where both teams again posted strong results.

For the boys, Ethan Swesey led the way with a second-place finish in the 3,200 meters in 11:19.50. The 4x800 relay team of Green, Barry, Marquez and Swesey also placed second in 9:17.20.

Miles Knapp placed seventh in the 400 meters in 57.60, followed by Cole in ninth and Latella in 10th. The 4x400 relay team of Latella, Knapp, Luke Minster and Green finished third in 3:49.55, while the throwers relay team of Mason Minster, Reese, Schwanebeck and Luke Minster won the event in 49.78.

On the girls side, Savannah Miller claimed the 3,200-meter title in 13:48.77 and added a sixth-place finish in the 1,600. Madison Potts placed third in the 1,600 in 5:56.37.

Homan recorded runner-up finishes in both the 100-meter hurdles (16.78) and 300 hurdles (50.30). The 4x400 relay team of Gengenbach, McGreer, Laber and Day placed third in 4:42.09, and the throwers relay team of Johnson, Richmond, Bristol Fraizer and Lila Hill took second.

Bishop added a first-place finish in the triple jump at 32-10 and placed second in the long jump at 14-8 1/2.

“We are still improving,” Hite said. “The season is going by quickly.”

Next Action

Perkins County will host the SPVA meet Friday, May 1, with events beginning at 10 a.m.