The Louisburg boys track and field team might not have qualified for state in as many events as it has in the past, but the Wildcats have several who will contend for state medals.

Louisburg qualified for state in seven events following the Class 4A regional meet on May 22 at Louisburg High School. In those seven events, three were regional champions.

Nine Wildcat athletes will make the trip to Class 4A state meet in Wichita on May 30-31.

“The team showed great resilience and determination competing in a very tough regional,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “They came out strong, gave their best effort, and demonstrated significant growth throughout the season. It was exciting to be home for our regional and the fan base was amazing.”

Louisburg seniors Aidan Meyer and Myles Vohs had a big day for the Wildcats as each qualified for state in three events, while Meyer won two regional titles.

Meyer cruised to a gold medal finish in the 400-meter dash in 49.89 seconds. Senior teammate Colton Blue also qualified for state in the event as he finished fourth in 51.03 seconds. 

“Aidan began to showcase his exceptional speed at the end of last season and has firmly established himself as one of the top 400-meter sprinters in Class 4A,” Wright said. “He has recorded multiple sub-50-second times this season, showing both consistency and peak performance. Having experience with the state meet atmosphere, I am confident he will continue to excel and make a strong impact this weekend.”

Meyer ended the meet with another regional title, this time with help of Vohs, Blue and senior Emmett White. The Wildcat quartet won the 4×400-meter relay in 3 minutes and 24.15 seconds.

Louisburg currently has the second fastest time in Class 4A this season as it heads into the state meet.

“The 4×400 relay team continues to take immense pride in their performance and shows consistent improvement every week,” Wright said. “State-level competition will undoubtedly be challenging, but if they keep progressing at this rate, they have a real chance to be contenders for a podium finish.”

The Wildcats also qualified a second relay for state as the 4×100 team of Meyer, Vohs, Gavin Lohse and Caleb Feldkamp took second in 43.50 seconds.

Lohse also went on to qualify in the 200-meter dash as he finished runner-up in 22.63 seconds. It was just the third time this season that the Louisburg senior had competed in the event.

“Gavin faced a tough field but ran a strong race,” Wright said. “His performances in the 200 will continue to improve and compete well at the state level.”

Louisburg senior Jerynce Brings Plenty ran strong in the 1,600-meter run and took second overall with a time 4:38.61 to qualify for state.

Vohs punched his ticket for state in his third event — the long jump. The Louisburg senior put together a career-best performance as he set a new personal record with a mark of 21 feet, 8.75 inches. 

He finished fourth in the event, but the Louisburg regional was one of the toughest in the long jump and Vohs sits with the fifth best mark going into the state meet. 

“Myles’ PR in the long jump was outstanding, particularly given the level of competition,” Wright said. “The fact that the top seven from our regional qualified for state speaks volumes about how challenging it was to advance. Myles is peaking at the right time, and I’m excited to see how he performs at the state meet this week.”

The Wildcats also thrived in the pole vault as they qualified two for state — both who are defending state medalists.

Senior Cooper Wingfield, the defending state champion, won the regional title after he cleared 14-6. Senior Jacob Brown also punched his ticket as the regional runner-up at 14 feet. 

“They are very excited and motivated to return to state,” Wright said. “Their dedication and hard work throughout the season have paid off, and they’re eager to compete at a high level once again. The opportunity to be back to back state champion is going to be difficult, but Cooper is up to the challenge.”

The Class 4A state meet will begin at 1:15 pm on May 30 at Wichita State University. The meet will continue through May 31.

It was a memorable showing for the Louisburg girls track and field team in many ways on May 22 during the Class 4A regional meet at Louisburg High School.

Records were broken, personal bests were set — but more importantly — tickets were punched to the state meet.

The Louisburg girls qualified for state in 12 events and will send 11 athletes to the Class 4A Kansas State Track and Field Championships on May 30-31 at Wichita State University.

“The team performed well on Thursday,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “They did what they needed to do to qualify for state and taking 11 girls is awesome.”

Louisburg had one regional champion on the day and it came in the field events. Junior McKenna Lohse took gold in the shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 4.25 inches.

Lohse currently has the third best throw in Class 4A at just under 39 feet and will be vying for a spot on the state podium later this week.

“Kenna threw well and winning the regional championship was fantastic,” Reece said. “She has set herself up for a chance at being the best girl in the shot put in 4A.”

Also in the field events, sophomore Adelyn Moore had one of her best outings of the season in javelin. Moore finished second in a competitive field with a throw of 122-1 to qualify for state for a second consecutive season. 

Junior Kendall Crossley put together a special regional meet performance as she qualified for state in four events and was a part of a new school record in the process.

Crossley, along with Mackenzie Rooney, Addi Mallett and Suzanna Dansel, broke the school record in the 4×100-meter relay as they took second in 49.01 seconds. Coffeyville-Field Kindley won in 48.89 seconds.

They broke the old record of 49.26 that was set in 2023 by Rooney, Dansel, Crossley and Emma Lohse. 

Rooney, Mallett, Breck Nielsen and Crossley also qualified in the 4×400-meter relay as they finished third in 4 minutes and 18.13 seconds.

Crossley punched her ticket to state in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, which both featured some of the top competition in the state. She was fourth in the 100 in 12.72 seconds and fourth in the 200 in 26.25.

“Kendall had a day,” Reece said. “She ran impressive individual races in both the 100 and 200 and the relays really ran well. She has been the rock all season long and has not backed down from any challenge this year. She has done everything we have asked of her.”

Sophomore Caroline Apple also qualified for state in multiple events. She will compete at state in both hurdle races and in the high jump.

Apple took third in the 100-meter hurdles in a season-best time of 16.79 seconds and later finished third in the 300 hurdles in 50.10 seconds. To begin the day, Apple also took third in the high jump after she cleared 4-10. 

It will be a busy upcoming weekend for Apple, as not only will she compete for the Wildcat track team, but is also a part of the Louisburg girls soccer team that will compete in the state tournament this Saturday in Wichita. 

“Caroline had a great day both on the track and in the field,” Reece said. “We knew we had to jump well, and clean, to have a shot at State and she rose to the occasion. She ran two great hurdle races as well and qualifying in three events is outstanding.”

The Wildcats also qualified in three distance races, including one that broke a school record.

Freshman Ellie Vohs, who was running on a bad ankle, not only qualified for state in the 1,600-meter run, but set a new school record in the process. Vohs took fourth in 5:34, which broke the old record of 5:35 that was set by Emma Vohs in 2022.

Vohs, Marissa Vallejo, Annie Hornberger and Moore also qualified in the 4×800-meter relay in a season-best time of 10:33.94. Vallejo later went on to punch her ticket to state in the 3,200-meter run as she took third in 13:04.

“Ellie is a tough athlete,” Reece said. “Not only did she better the school record in the 1,600 by a second, she gave the 800 a try despite her ankle really hurting. Hopefully her ankle gets better this week and she improves again in the 1,600.”

Louisburg begins state competition on May 30 as 4A events begin at 1:15 p.m. at Wichita State University. 

BONNER SPRINGS — It was a record-setting type of day for the Louisburg track and field team. 

At the Frontier League Invitational at Bonner Springs High School on May 15, the Wildcats broke one league and one school record. To add to that, they also brought home two individual league titles.

It was a memorable showing for a Wildcat team that was dealing with the injury bug in one of their more important meets of the season. 

Louisburg senior Cooper Wingfield broke a 17-year-old league record in the pole vault after he cleared 15 feet, 7 inches to win the Frontier title. The previous record of 15-6.50 was set by Gardner-Edgerton’s Isaac Mallory in 2008.

Along with Wingfield, the Wildcats also had a league runner-up in the event in senior Jacob Brown, who took second at 13-6.

“I know the team is still dealing with some injuries, but overall, I’m really proud of how the guys performed,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “Despite the setbacks, we saw a lot of personal bests and strong efforts across the board.

“It was especially exciting to see Cooper set that new league record. It is a testament to his hard work and talent.”

The second record came on the girls side as junior Kendall Crossley put together a memorable race in the 100-meter dash. 

Crossley finished as the league runner-up with a new school record time of 12.34 seconds. The previous record of 12.38 was set by Emma Lohse in 2022.

She later went on to finish as the league runner-up again in the 200-meter dash with a personal best time of 26.16 seconds.

“The girls did a great job at league,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “We had several PR’s and those that competed represented Louisburg well.

“Kendall ran the fastest 2nd place finish 100 I have ever seen and broke the school record to boot. She had the race until the last 15 meters. It was exciting. The same type of race played out in the 200.”

Senor Aidan Meyer captured the boys’ second league title of the day. Meyer won the 400-meter dash in 49.94 seconds.

It was the second straight meet that Meyer has run under 50 seconds. Senior Colton Blue ran a personal best time of 50.37 to take third in the event and Emmett White was fourth in 52.04.

“Aidan’s league title win was a highlight that reflected his consistent effort and growth throughout the season,” Wright said. 

Also on the boys side, the Wildcat 4×100-meter relay of Myles Vohs, Caleb Feldkamp, Anis Ghannam and Gavin Lohse took third in 43.46 seconds.

Jerynce Brings Plenty scored points in a pair of distance races as he finished fourth in the 1,600-meter run in 4:46 and was seventh in the 800 in 2:02. Sophomore Levi Cotter was fifth in the 3,200 run in 11:01.

In the field events, the Wildcats had two point-scorers in the javelin and shot put. 

Senior Brayden Yoder finished sixth in the javelin with a toss of 149-11 and junior Tasen Ellison took seventh at 149-10.

In the shot put, Michael Foote took sixth with a throw of 44-4.5 and senior Miles Meek finished seventh at 44-1.5. Junior Evan McKitrick was sixth in the high jump at 5-10.

Junior McKenna Lohse was bright spot for the girls team as she continued her improvement in the shot put. Lohse was the league runner-up with a throw of 38-5.

It was the second straight week that Lohse has recorded a throw of more than 38 feet as she has one of the top marks in Class 4A. 

Also in the field events, sophomore Adelyn Moore took third in the javelin with a throw of 118-5. Fellow sophomore Breck Nielsen set a personal record in the high jump after clearing 5 feet and finished fourth. 

On the track, the girls 4×800 relay took third in 10.57. 

Sophomore Caroline Apple scored points in both hurdle events. Apple was fourth in the 100 hurdles in 17.34 and took fifth in the 300 in 52.40.

Freshman Taylor Tidd also scored points in the two hurdle events. Tidd took seventh in the 100 hurdles and eighth in the 300.

Louisburg will now prepare for the regional meet. The Wildcats will host the postseason event on May 22 as events begin at 2:30 p.m.

“We look to be ready for regionals and now is the time to step up and be mentally strong and physical tough and qualify for state in as many events as we can,” Reece said. 

Added Wright, “I expect our group to bring the same determination and teamwork we’ve shown all season. With continued focus and effort, I believe we can ac

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week eight of the spring sports season, sponsored by Dr. Laura’s Orthodontics.

AIDAN MEYER, SENIOR, TRACK AND FIELD

Louisburg senior Aidan Meyer has had a strong season for the Wildcat track and field team and that continued last Thursday at the Frontier League Invitational in Bonner Springs. Meyer earned the league title in the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.94 seconds. Just a week prior, Meyer ran a time of 49.49 to win the 400 at the Red Bud Classic in Wellsville.

Along with his time in the 400 dash, Meyer has also played big roles as a leg on the Louisburg 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays. The 4×400 relay also has one of the top times in the state this season.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the spring season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners

Week 1: Luke Schultz

Week 2: Faith Sewell

Week 3: Meade Rutherford

Week 4: Brynley Bauer

Week 5: Rowan Yows

Week 6: Kendall Crossley

Week 7: Bristol Barbour

WELLSVILLE — Both the Louisburg boys and girls track and field teams had to deal with the injury bug during the Red Bud Classic on May 8 at Wellsville High School.

Despite that, the Wildcats brought home their fair share share of hardware.

The Louisburg boys finished second in the team standings with 77 points as Paola won the team title with 128. The Wildcat girls took 10th with 42 points.

“There were a lot of significant improvements from most of our athletes,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “Some underclassmen stepped up and filled in key spots. It helped us earn a point or two, and by doing so, helped us get second.”

Louisburg won three events on the day, including two on the boys side.

It started in the pole vault as Cooper Wingfield won the competition after he cleared 14-6. His teammate, Jacob Brown, set a personal best for the second straight week as he cleared 14 feet to take second. 

“Jacob had some great attempts and continues to improve each week,” Wright said. “The great thing about Jacob is he is not happy with this height. He wants to be over 15 by state.”

Senior Aidan Meyer continued his improvement on the track as he blew past the competition in the 400-meter dash in a new personal best time of 49.49 seconds. Senior Colton Blue also had a personal best time of 50.86 to finish fourth and Emmett White was sixth at 51.94.

Those three, along with Bryce Liddell, also set a new personal best in the 4×400-meter relay in 3:25.34 to finish second overall.

“Aidan continues to impress me every week,” Wright said. “It was a perfect night for him to set a PR. He told me last week that he wanted to break 50 seconds in the 400. His dedication during practice and the ideal conditions allowed him to achieve that goal.

“The 4×400 relay did a great job as a team as we achieved a PR by 2 seconds.”

Senior Jerynce Brings Plenty had a career-best performance in the 800-meter run as he took third in a new personal best time of 2:01.74, as he cut four seconds off his previous best mark. Ryan Barberich was seventh at 2:07.

In the 1,600 run, Brings Plenty finished fourth in a competitive field in 4:39.59.

In the long jump, senior Gavin Lohse took fourth with a mark of 20 feet, 8 inches and Myles Vohs was eighth at 20-0.

In the javelin, junior Tasen Ellison finished fourth to lead the Wildcats at 152-11.

Another junior, Michael Foote, set a new personal best in the shot put with a throw 45-4 to take sixth overall. 

The shot put also provided a memorable moment on the girls side.

Junior McKenna Lohse achieved a personal best in the shot put with a throw of 38-8.5, which earned her the gold medal and that toss is currently second in Class 4A.

“The girls did a good job at Wellsville,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “We just need to get healthy. Kenna did awesome in shot. We are continuing to work on form and look to continue to improve.” 

On the track, junior Kendall Crossley scored big points in the 100 and 200 dashes. Crossley was second in the 100 in 13.04 and second in the 200 in 12.73.

Two Wildcats scored points in the 300 hurdles as Caroline Apple took fourth in 50.41 and Taylor Tidd was seventh in 53.66.

The 4×800-meter relay team of Breck Nielsen, Adalyn Moore, Annie Hornberger and Marissa Vallejo took third in 10:50. Moore also took seventh in the javelin in 107-4.

Louisburg is back in action on May 15 as the Wildcats travel to Bonner Springs for the Frontier League Invitational. Events begin at 3:30 p.m.

DE SOTO — The Louisburg track and field team competed in one of its bigger meets of the season on May 2 at the De Soto Invitational. 

Louisburg won three events between its two teams and had seven top three finishes at the 15-team meet at De Soto High School.

Overall, the Wildcat boys finished fourth in the team standings with 78.5 points. The girls were seventh with 62 points.

“While we didn’t have many top three finishes, we placed in the top seven in 10 different events,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “To be able to secure fourth place in a tough meet like this one was good to see.”

As for the girls, the Wildcats had 10 top 6 finishes and a handful of those came from junior Kendall Crossley.

Crossley won the 100-meter dash in 12.70 seconds and later took runner-up in the 200 dash in 26.68, in what was a close race at the finish.

In the 4×100 relay, Crossley, Mackenzie Rooney, Addi Mallett and Suzanna Dansel continued their successful season with a gold medal finish in 50.57 seconds.

Crossley, Rooney, Mallett and Ellie Vohs took fourth in the 4×400 relay in 4:12.57. Mallett also went on to take fourth in the 100 dash in 13.14 seconds.

Vohs scored points in a pair of distance races as she took sixth in both the 800 (2:27) and 1,600-meter (5:36) runs.

Sophomore Caroline Apple took fifth in the 300 hurdles in 51.36 seconds and also was eighth in the high jump at 4 feet, 10 inches.

Also in the field events, sophomore Adelyn Moore had one of her best days of the season in the javelin as she took runner-up with a throw of 110-5.

Junior McKenna Lohse had one of her best days of the season in the shot put as she recorded a throw of 36-8 to finish fourth overall.

On the boys side, the Wildcats had a lot of success and personal best times or marks, and it started in the pole vault.

Senior Cooper Wingfield won the pole vault with clearance of 15-1. Senior teammate Jacob Brown was third with a personal-best mark of 13-6.

In the long jump, senior Gavin Lohse took third overall at 21-5.75 and senior Myles Vohs was fifth at 21-3.

The Wildcats also experienced a lot of success in the javelin as all three throwers scored points. 

Junior Tasen Ellison led the charge with a toss of 154-2 and took fourth. Brayden Yoder was fifth at 144-11 and Cole Poindexter finished seventh at 140-8.

“Those guys are working hard everyday in practice,” Wright said. “I’m glad to see their dedication pay off.”

Louisburg also scored points in the shot put as senior Miles Meek was seventh at 43-7.

On the track, senior Aidan Meyer had his best performance of the season in the 400-meter dash as he was second in a new personal record time of 50.37 seconds. Senior Emmett White was sixth in the event at 52.93 and Lohse took fifth in the 200 dash in 23.12.

In the relays, the 4×400 of Meyer, White, Myles Vohs and Colton Blue had a strong race in 3:27. The 4×100 of Vohs, Meyer, Caleb Feldkamp and Lohse took sixth in 44.62, while the 4×800 group of Ryan Barberich, Spencer Mattison, Mathias Wright and Levi Cotter finished sixth in a personal record time of 8:52.

“We need to tighten up a few things in the 4×100 relay to get back to where we were a couple of weeks ago,” coach Wright said. “However, the 4×800 and 4×400 relays continue to improve every week.”

Senior Jerynce Brings Plenty led the WIldcats in the distance races. Brings Plenty was eighth in the 1,600 run in 4:41.

Louisburg is back in action on May 9 as the Wildcats travel to the Redbud Relays in Wellsville. 

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week six of the spring sports season, sponsored by Edward Jones-Craig Holtzen.

KENDALL CROSSLEY, JUNIOR, TRACK AND FIELD

Louisburg junior Kendall Crossley has emerged as one of the Wildcats’ top sprinters and it was on display last Friday at a tough De Soto Invitational. Crossley won the 100-meter dash in 12.70 second and finished a close second in the 200 dash in 26.68.

Crossley also joined Mackenzie Rooney, Addi Mallett and Suzanna Dansel to win the 4×100-meter relay in 50.57 seconds. She is also a member of the 4×400 relay that took fourth.

The athlete of the week award is announced every Wednesday morning during the spring season and the winner is selected by Louisburg Sports Zone with the help of nominations from coaches.

Previous winners

Week 1: Luke Schultz

Week 2: Faith Sewell

Week 3: Meade Rutherford

Week 4: Brynley Bauer

Week 5: Rowan Yows

SPRING HILL — The Louisburg track and field team continues to rack up medals in what is a successful start to its season —  this time it was during the Spring Hill Invitational.

During the April 28 meet, the Wildcats earned a total of 20 top three finishes. The Louisburg boys finished second with 52 points and the girls were third with 49.

The Wildcat boys team earned three gold medals, along with six runner-up finishes. 

“Overall I believed we performed well as a group,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “We had some that were dinged up that didn’t compete, but hopefully everyone will be ready for our next meet at De Soto.”

The Louisburg boys started strong in the field events as they finished 1-2 in the pole vault. Senior Cooper Wingfield took the gold after clearing 14 feet, 6 inches, while senior Jacob Brown was second at 12-6.

Junior Evan McKitrick won the triple jump with a mark of 38-10 and later finished in a tie for second in the high jump after he cleared 5-10.

On the track, senior Colton Blue won the Wildcats’ third gold of the night as he set a personal record to win the 400-meter dash in 51.83 seconds. Senior teammate Emmett White was second at 52.75.

Senior Jerynce Brings Plenty had a strong finish in the 800-meter run as he took second in 2:07. He also took fifth in the 400 dash in 54.63.

In the sprints, senior Gavin Lohse took third in the 100 dash in 11.86 seconds. Another senior, Aidan Meyer, was fourth in the 200 dash in 24.21.

Lohse, Meyer, Myles Vohs and  White took third in the 4×100-meter relay in 44.85 seconds.

Back in the field events, the Wildcats had a season-best day in the shot put as they medaled two in the top three. Seniors Miles Meek and junior Michael Foote both had personal bests in the event.

Meek finished runner-up with a toss of 44-2 and Foote took third at 42-4. Foote also scored points in the discus as he finished fifth at 114-2.

In the javelin, junior Tasen Ellison battled for the title, but took second overall with a throw of 145-10. Meek finished fourth at 125-5.

On the girls side, the Wildcats won four golds and all four were in the running events. 

The 4×100-meter relay of Mackenzie Rooney, Kendall Crossley, Addi Mallett and Suzanna Dansel put together a season-best time of 50.04 seconds to win the relay by more than two seconds. 

“The girls competed well at Spring Hill,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “It was a very windy day for all competitors and I feel that the girls did not let that affect them. The 4×1 hit their handoffs and thus ran a season best, even though we are still a little dinged up. 

“The high jump girls had to make adjustments, because of the wind, on the fly and found success and learned a little something along the way. All in all it was a good day.”

Crossley also went on to win the 200 dash in 27.30 seconds, while sophomore Breck Nielsen took fourth in the 400 dash in 1:08.

Sophomore Caroline Apple medaled in all three of her events, with her best coming in the 300-meter hurdles. Apple won the 300 in 51.34 seconds and finished second in the 100 hurdles in 18.01.

Apple also cleared 5 feet in the high jump and took third overall, while Nielsen was fifth at 4-8.

Senior Marissa Vallejo won the 1,600-meter run with a time of 6:07 and took fifth in the 3,200 in 13:27. Also in the distance races, sophomore Adelyn Moore took fourth in the 800 run 2:51.

In the field events, junior McKenna Lohse scored points in a pair of events. Lohse finished runner-up in the shot put with a toss of 35-7.25 and also took fourth in the discus at 98-8.

In the javelin, Moore and freshman Khloe Holland both scored points. Moore finished third with a throw of 95-10 and Holland took fourth at 94-1.

Louisburg is back in action on May 2 as the Wildcats travel to the De Soto Invitational. Events begin at 3:30 p.m.

The Louisburg boys track and field team put on a show in front of its home fans on April 24 at the Louisburg Invitational.

Louisburg won its home meet with a total of 150.5 points and Paola was second with 135 in the 9-team meet. In all, the Wildcats won seven golds on the day and scored points in 16 of 18 events.

“It was nearly a perfect day for a track meet, and the times reflected that,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “As a team, it always feels great to win, especially at home. Overall, we had numerous personal records, but we still need to continue improving.”

Wildcat senior Aidan Meyer came away with three golds to lead the way, including a career-best performance in the 400-meter dash. Meyer won the 400 in a personal best time of 50.39 seconds.

Meyer was one of five Wildcats to score points in the event. Senior Emmett White was runner-up in a PR time of 51.46 and senior Colton Blue was fourth in a PR of 52 seconds. Anis Ghannam and Bryce Liddell, took fifth and sixth, respectively.

“Aidan had the race of his life,” Wright said. “He took off right from the start. It’s rewarding to see that his hard work is paying off.”

Meyer was also a part of two first place relays. The 4×100 group of Meyer, Myles Vohs, Caleb Feldkamp and Gavin Lohse took first in 43.65 seconds.

In the 4×400 relay, Vohs, White, Meyer and Blue were first in a new personal best time of 3:27. Mathias Wright, Ryan Barberich, Levi Cotter and Spencer Mattison helped the 4×800 to a runner-up finish in 9:00.54.

“The 4×800 set a new PR by more than 20 seconds and I am excited to see what this group does the next two weeks as they keep improving,” coach Wright said. “The 4×100 had a solid race and all those guys did excellent. The 4×400 also set a new PR, so I was really pleased with all of the relays.”

In the distance races, senior Jerynce Brings Plenty earned a gold in the 1,600-meter run in 4:41 and also took second in the 800 run in 2:06. Cotter placed third in the 3,200 run in 10:49.

Louisburg also found success in the other sprint races as Lohse took third in the 100-meter dash in 11.48 seconds. Feldkamp took sixth at 11.54. He later finished third in the 200 dash in 22.98 and White took sixth.

Lohse wasn’t done as the Wildcat senior won the long jump with a personal-best mark of 22 feet, 2 inches. Vohs took third at 20-9, while Martin Alicea Soto was fifth at 19-4.

“With Gavin’s new PR, he really is positioning himself as one of the top jumpers in 4A,” coach Wright said.

Louisburg senior Cooper Wingfield continued his winning ways in the pole vault as he took the top spot after he cleared 14-7.

Also in the field events, junior Evan McKitrick captured the high jump title after he cleared 5-10, while junior Tasen Ellison was right behind him in second at 5-8.

Ellison also scored points for the Wildcats in the javelin as he recorded a toss of 150-1. Senior Miles Meek (41-10.5) and junior Michael Foote (41-9) also fared well in the shot put as they took fourth and fifth, respectively. 

Louisburg is back in action on April 28 as the Wildcats travel to the Spring Hill Invitational. Events begin at 4 p.m.

The Louisburg girls track and field team put together one of its best performances of the season on April 24 and the Wildcats couldn’t have picked a better time.

In front of its home fans, the Wildcats won the Louisburg Invitational with 130.5 points as they edged out Paola, who had 121, to win their home meet.

Freshman Ellie Vohs came up big for the Wildcats as she garnered four medals on the day, while junior Kendall Crossley won a pair of individual events and earned three medals.

“It is always a great thing to win your home meet,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “Especially for the seniors that have given so much to the program. As a whole, we performed well with some individual personal records and athletes stepping up to help out when a teammate could not run in a relay.”

Crossley had a big day in the sprints as she won the 200-meter dash with a time of 26.68 seconds. Earlier in the meet, she also captured the 400-meter dash title in 1 minute and 3.29 seconds.

The 4×100 relay team of Crossley, Mackenzie Rooney, Addi Mallett and Suzanna Dansel nearly pulled off the victory despite a bad handoff, but took second in 50.88 behind Wellsville (50.56).

Also in the sprints, Dansel and Mallett battled it out in the 100 dash. Dansel was second in 13 seconds and Mallett took third in 13.08. Wellsville’s Ellie Strain won in 12.68.

Crossley, who normally runs in the 4×400 relay as well, had to bow out due to an injury, but one of her teammate filled her shoes nicely. Sophomore Breck Nielsen joined Rooney, Vohs and Mallett to win the relay in 4:18.

“Kendall is a warrior,” Reece said. “She is not at 100 percent at this time, but that does not stop her from competing and doing what is best for the team. She ran two solid races in the 400 and 200. Then bowed out of the 4×4 because of some tightness which allowed Breck to step in and the girls did not miss a beat.”

That relay was just one of three medals for Vohs as she competed in a tough distance field that featured a state champion in Prairie View’s Bree Allen.

Vohs more than held her own as she was second in the 800-meter run in 2:28 and third in the 1,600-meter run in 5:38. Annie Hornberger (800) and Marissa Vallejo (1,600) also took sixth in their respective races.

Vohs, Hornberger, Vallejo and Adelyn Moore finished runner-up in the 4×800 relay in 10:35. Vallejo also took fourth in the 3,200 run in 13:37.

“Ellie has shown the coaching staff that she is willing and able to do anything we ask of her,” Reece said. “She currently finds herself closing in on two school records and yes she is only a freshman, which only makes me smile. She brings positive energy to the team and is always smiling.”

Sophomore Caroline Apple found success in both the track and field events. Apple won the high jump as she cleared 5 feet, while Nielsen and Luciana Vallejo took third and fifth, respectively.

Then on the track, Apple finished third in the 100 hurdles in 17.65 seconds and freshman Taylor Tidd was sixth. Apple later took fourth in the 300 hurdles in 50.17 seconds.

Junior McKenna Lohse captured the shot put crown as she recorded a season-best throw of 36 feet and 8.5 inches. Lohse also went on to take sixth in the discus in 96-1.

In the javelin, the Wildcats had three point scorers in the event. Moore took fourth with a toss of 93-8. Freshman Khloe Holland and sophomore Kinley Scott were fifth and sixth, respectively.

“We only have four seniors on the team this year so the bulk of the team will be back which again makes me smile because they are hard workers and want to do well,” Reece said. “We also have a great group of incoming freshmen for next year that will fill emptied spots and then some. The future of LHS girls track and field looks great.”

Louisburg is back in action on April 28 as the Wildcats travel to the Spring Hill Invitational. Events begin at 4 p.m.