Meyer, Vohs earn 3 medals to lead Wildcat boys track at state meet

Louisburg senior Aidan Meyer heads down the straightaway during the 400-meter dash at the Class 4A state meet in Wichita. Meyer broke the school record in the event and finished fourth.

WICHITA — It was an eventful state meet for the Louisburg boys track and field team.

The Wildcats put together a strong performance as they had eight medalists in six different events. It may have been the most memorable for a pair of seniors.

Aidan Meyer and Myles Vohs each recorded three state medals as they helped the Wildcats to a ninth-place finish with 32 points. Cooper Wingfield was also a big part of that as he captured his second straight state crown in the pole vault, while teammate Jacob Brown also medaled in the event.

“Overall, I’m proud of how this team competed this weekend,” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “This was a special group of seniors, and many came home with medals—some with multiple.”

Meyer cemented his place in the Wildcat track history books in one of those events. The Louisburg senior broke a 14-year-old school record in the 400-meter dash as he earned a fourth place finish in 48.83 seconds

The old record of 49.2 was set by Mark Sitek back in 2011 and it wasn’t even on Meyer’s radar until earlier this season. Holton’s Brayden Peek won the 400 title in 47.70 seconds.

“It meant a lot to place in the 400 at state and break the school record in the process,” Meyer said. “At the beginning of the season, my main goal was to just get sub 50, and when I got that earlier in the season, I knew I could get the record.

“The competition this year for the 400 was very tough. The times this year were much faster this year than they were last year. This helped me a lot at state because it gave me a gauge of where I should be and how it could help me run faster. Those guys in the finals at state truly helped me run the time that I did.”

Meyer and Vohs were also big parts of a pair of state relays that earned medals.

Meyer, Vohs, along with Gavin Lohse and Caleb Feldkamp, finished sixth overall in 43.76 seconds. Ulysses won the gold in 42.80 seconds.

“It meant the world to medal in both relays, especially with the group of guys that was a part of them,” Vohs said. “It was our goal in the 4×1 to just medal this year after not making it last year. Aidan, Gavin, and Caleb were great teammates and wouldn’t have wanted to run and medal with any other guys.”

Vohs, Meyer, along with Colton Blue and Emmett White, put together an all-senior 4×400-meter relay that recorded the fastest time in the prelims.

The Wildcat team ended up taking sixth in 3 minutes and 27.79 seconds. Although they didn’t have the finish they wanted, it was a memorable season for the four Louisburg runners.

“It meant a lot to medal in the 2 relays,” Meyer said. “Having the group of guys that want it just as much as you do helps out a lot. Everyone on both relay teams worked hard at practice and got better as the season progressed. I’m proud that I was able to run with such a great group.”

“The 4×4 was a blast through and through,” Vohs said. “It didn’t end up how we wanted it to, but to medal at state was still a great achievement. Running with Aidan, Colton, and Emmett was the most fun I’ve had an a while. Great group to get to run with in our last year together.”

Vohs opened the meet as the Wildcats’ first state medalist of the day as he put together a strong performance in the long jump. 

The Louisburg senior finished fifth overall with a mark of 21 feet, 6.5 inches that kicked his state meet off on the right foot.

“It was an amazing accomplishment for me to come away from the state meet and to come home with three medals,” Vohs said. “The year prior I went to state for the 4×8 and we placed ninth, so that satisfaction of getting three this year was a huge thing for me.

“I feel like I performed good, but not the jump I was hoping to pop. It wasn’t a PR at state but a good enough jump to get me a medal, which is what I was chasing for. Coach Wright was telling me before long jump to just go pop one and you won’t need to get a huge pr or jump to medal. He just wanted me to go out there a get a good jump on the board. I went and jumped a 21-6 and was sitting pretty. It was very satisfying just getting to state after not making it a year earlier in the long jump. Just an overall good feeling when I got that medal.”

Blue also earned multiple state medals for the Wildcats. The Louisburg senior, along with the 4×400 relay, finished eighth in the 400 dash in 51 seconds.

Another Louisburg senior, Jerynce Brings Plenty, ended his Wildcat track career with a state medal as well. Brings Plenty finished seventh in the 1,600-meter run in 4:39.78.

Lohse also competed in the 200-meter dash for the Wildcats, but missed out on the finals as he was 14th in 23.12 seconds.

“I thought we competed very well at state, placing in almost every event we qualified for,” Wright said. “Myles started us off by placing 5th in the long jump. Cooper’s back-to-back state championship in pole vault is amazing and he came out ready to defend his title. Jacob placed for the second year in a row, showing great consistency after working hard over the past two years. Both the 4×100 and 4×400 relays competed strong in tough finals, and it was great to see both teams on the podium. Brings Plenty ran a smart race to secure his spot on the podium once again.”