Louisburg’s Parker Cates clears a height in the pole vault Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational. The Wildcat boys team finished second overall with 151 points.

In front of his home fans, Sean Dennis showed a lot of people what his team already knew – he is pretty fast.

The Louisburg senior sped his way to top honors in the 100-meter dash with a personal best time and also won the 200 dash Thursday at the Louisburg Invitational. He also anchored the 4×100-meter relay to a gold medal and nearly won his fourth event, but took second in the 110-meter hurdles.

His success helped pave the way for the Wildcat track and field team as they finished second in the team standings with 151 points. Spring Hill won the title with 170 points.

Dennis’ most competitive race was the hurdles as he went up against Osawatomie’s Jacoby Greenwood. Both hurdlers have two of the top times in Class 4A this season and the race didn’t disappoint.

Although Dennis finished second, he still recorded a personal best time of 14.83 seconds to Greenwood’s 14.47, and will get his fair share of rematches with him down the road.

“Sean had a great day,” Louisburg coach Gary Griffin said. “In the hurdles, he is one of the tops in the state and he and Greenwood are going to have to compete several more times this year. They bring out the best in each other.

“The goal for a sprinter is to run sub 11 seconds in the 100 and he did that, and under 23 in the 200 and he has a chance to do that.”

Dennis finished with a personal-best time in the 100-meter dash in 10.89 seconds and won the 200 in 23.4 seconds. In practice, and in the meets, Dennis has been pushed by senior Mason Wilde who finished third in the 100 dash (11.46) and second in the 200 (23.9).

“Mason and Sean work really hard in practice and compete with each other and the other sprinters feed off of them, so the entire group is showing improvement,” Griffin said.

Jarod Woodward rears back for a throw in the shot put Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational. Woodward was second with a throw of 47 feet.

Wilde and Dennis, along with Ben Minster and Kyle Green, ran a time of 45.3 seconds to win the 4×100, but the Wildcats weren’t done winning. Green ran a strong 400-meter dash in 53.9 seconds to take the top spot.

Minster was fourth in the 200 dash (24.3) and sixth in the 100 (11.66), while Dawson Christy was sixth in the 400 (56.4). Also on track, Ben Hupp came in sixth in the 300 hurdles (47.47).

The 4×400-meter relay of Wilde, Green, Christy and Wyatt Reece came in runner-up to Osawatomie in 3:40, while the 4×800 relay of Hupp, Reece, Christy and Michael Minster also took second in 9:16.

In the field events, senior Connor McMullen won two events for the first time this season as he picked a good time for his best throw in the shot put. McMullen recorded a toss of 48 feet, 7 inches, which is a personal record, to win the shot and later threw 148-6 to win the discus.

Not to be outdone, teammate Jarod Woodward also hit a personal record throw of 47 feet in the shot to finish second.

“Connor’s shot was something that I knew he could do and I hope he continues to build on that,” Griffin said. “I think he is definitely capable of throwing 50 feet. Jarod also made a nice jump and I think he is also capable of throwing 50 feet.”

Also in the throws, freshman Garrett Lowry had a throw of 113-10 in the discus to take third. Jacob Jensen (127-10) and Dustyn Rizzo (115-4) took fourth and sixth, respectively, in the javelin.

Parker Cates led Louisburg in the pole vault as the Wildcats placed four. Cates cleared 10-6 to take third and Frankie Hurst did the same, but was fourth based on number of misses. Christian Scholtz (10-0) and Lyndon Smith (9-6) came in fifth and sixth in the event.

Andrew Goff was fourth in the long jump with a leap of 17-9, and his teammates Will Ridley (17-0) and Cates (16-11), were fifth and sixth. Goff was also fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 36-8 and Kyle Allen was sixth at 33-11.

“We scored some nice points in the pole vault and got some points in the javelin as well,” Griffin said. “We had a lot of PRs again and we are progressing each week and that is the goal.”

Louisburg returns to the track Thursday at the Prairie View Invitational and then again on Friday in Gardner.

Louisburg’s Mason Wilde (left) and Sean Dennis sprint to the finish line in the 100-meter dash Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Dennis won the event in 11.1 seconds and Wilde was third.

GARNETT – Louisburg senior Sean Dennis continues to shave time for the Louisburg boys track and field team and he is becoming harder to beat – especially in the 110-meter hurdles.

Dennis won his third straight hurdles race of the year Thursday during the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. He breezed to victory as he tied a personal best time of 15 seconds and he didn’t stop there.

The Louisburg senior ran his best time of the season in the 100-meter dash in 11.1 seconds to win two events for the Wildcats. He helped Louisburg to a fourth-place finish with 86 points. Paola won the meet with 159.5 points and Eudora was second with 125.5.

The Wildcats also got several points from sprinter Mason Wilde, who scored in all three sprints. Wilde’s best performance came in the 200 dash when he posted a personal best time of 23.5 seconds, which was good for second.

Wilde was third in the 100 dash in 11.5 seconds and fifth in the 400 dash in 55.9.

“We competed pretty well,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “Sean’s time were good times regardless of the competition and Mason Wilde ran well also.”

Wyatt Reece heads down the straightaway during Thursday’s Anderson County Invitational. Reece won the 1,600-meter run in 5:07.

Louisburg also got some big points from a freshman distance runner. Wyatt Reece led the way in the 1,600-meter run as he ran a time of 5 minutes and 7.9 seconds to win his first race of the season.

“Wyatt ran a really good 1,600 meters and can run faster,” Griffin said. “He is just learning about pace and getting in shape, so I think he has a pretty bright future.”

The personal record times continued on the track as senior Bobby Hargis ran a personal best time in the 3,200-meter run. Hargis crossed the finish line in 11:38 and took fourth overall. Michael Minster finished seventh (12:24) and Curtis Staver was ninth (12:54) to also score points for Louisburg.

Minster also went on to take seventh in the 800 run (2:18) and Kennedy Unthank was seventh in the 400 dash (58.7). Ben Hupp rounded out the point getters on the track as he took eighth in the 300 hurdles (49.5).

Junior Jarod Woodward continued his success in the shot put as he was runner-up in the event with a toss of 45-7.25.

Andrew Goff set personal records as he was seventh in the high jump (5-4) and triple jump (36-2) to score points for Louisburg. Will Ridley also had a personal best in the triple jump (34-2) to take eighth.

In the pole vault, Parker Cates had his best vault of the season as he cleared 11-0 to finish third. Lyndon Smith cleared 9-6 to take seventh.

Louisburg will try and see even more improvement in front of its home fans Thursday when it hosts the Louisburg Invitational at Wildcat Stadium. The meet is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

McMullen, Dennis compete at Kansas Relays

Louisburg seniors Connor McMullen and Sean Dennis ventured to Lawrence on Friday for the 2015 Kansas Relays to compete against some of the area’s best athletes.

McMullen ran up against a strong discus field, but still finished sixth overall with a throw of 167 feet, 6 inches. Blue Springs’ (Mo.) Carlos Davis won with a throw of 194-7.

As for Dennis, he entered in the 110-meter hurdles and finished in the middle of the pack. Dennis was 17th with a time of 15.42 seconds. Liberty North’s (Mo.) Andrew Madison won in 14.35.

Louisburg junior McKinley Mathews clears the bar in the pole vault Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Mathews was second in the event after she cleared 8 feet, 6 inches.

GARNETT – The Louisburg girls track and field team took another step forward Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational.

The Lady Cats won an event and finished in the top three in six others as they racked up 84.5 points to take third – their highest finish of the season. Louisburg got several of those points on the track.

Louisburg continued to fare well in the sprints and did so thanks to two freshmen.

Freshman Mikayla Quinn won her second straight 400-meter dash in a season best time of 1 minute and 4 seconds. Fellow freshman Bailey Belcher nearly won the 100-meter dash as she ran a time of 12.7 seconds to take second in a neck-and-neck finish with Paola’s Rylie Edwards.

“I felt the girls on the track did a great job,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “Mikayla and Bailey are doing good things in the sprints. I am very excited to see how they progress the rest of the year.”

The Lady Cats also scored several points on the track as junior McKinley Mathews had a strong performance in the pole vault. Mathews cleared 8 feet, 6 inches to take second overall, while freshman Isabelle Holtzen was sixth with a personal best 7-6.

“McKinley is doing well in the pole vault and feel she has a chance to qualify for state as long as she keeps working hard and making improvements,” Darrington said. “Isabelle did a great job competing and getting team points.”

Another freshman got the Lady Cats several points in the jumps. Haley Earl had her best meet of the season as she took third in the triple jump with a mark of 31-5 and was fourth in the long jump with a mark of 14-8.

Freshman Haley Earl lands in the pit following her attempt in the triple jump Thursday. Earl was third in the event and fourth in the long jump.

Belcher went on to take fifth in the long jump (14-6.5) and eighth in the high jump (4-8). Chloe Renner was sixth in the triple jump (31-1)

Louisburg also scored points in two throwing events. Ellie Katzer came in fifth in the discus with a toss of 85-5 and Paige Buffington was seventh in the javelin at 76-2.

The Lady Cats’ relay teams also fared well with two third-place finishes and a fourth. The 4×100-meter relay of Hanna Becker, Belcher, Megan Lemke and Ashley Ruder was third in 52.9 seconds.

Makenzie Kallevig, Lemke, Quinn and Ruder ran a time of 4:25 in the 4×400, while Lauren Becker, Liz Hildreth, Holtzen and Savannah Reinhart came in third in 11:08.

“The 4×400 girls have done a great job improving each week,” Darrington said. “Ruder, Kallevig, Quinn and Lemke have been working very hard this year. I feel our 4×800 team is making strides to compete and qualify this year for state. Our team keeps improving each week and I am proud of them.”

Madelynn Yalowitz competed well in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 13:51 and finished in fourth, which is a season best. Holtzen finished ninth in the 800 run (2:46) to also score some points.

In the sprints, Kallevig finished fifth overall in the 400 dash in 1:06 and Lemke led the Lady Cats in the 200 dash in sixth with a time of 28.2 seconds.

Louisburg returns to action Thursday when it returns home for the Louisburg Invitational. The meet is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.

LMS eighth-grader Ian Combs clears the bar in the pole vault during a meet earlier this season. Combs won the pole vault after he cleared 10 feet Tuesday during a meet in Paola with Pioneer Ridge.

PAOLA – The Louisburg Middle School track and field teams took part in their second meet of the season and the Wildcats certainly had their fair share of success Tuesday against Paola and Pioneer Ridge.

The eighth-grade boys won their meet going away as they scored 83 points and Pioneer Ridge was second with 58.5 points. Louisburg also rewrote part of its record books as well.

Seventh-grader Mackenzie Scholtz broke the school record in the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.85 seconds, surpassing Kate Combs’ mark, and finished first. Scholtz helped the seventh-grade girls to a second-place finish with 54 points and was runner up to Paola’s 71.

The seventh-grade boys and eighth-grade girls finished third overall with 35 and 37 points, respectively.

Louisburg’s eighth-grade boys team won several events, including a sweep of the sprints.

Brandon Cooper won the 100-meter dash in 12.06 seconds and Austin Moore followed that up with a win in the 200 dash in 25.15 seconds. Jon Ventre completed the trifecta as he crossed the finish line first in the 400 dash in 1 minute and 2 seconds.

Blue Caplinger continued the Wildcats’ winning ways in the 800-meter run as he ran a 2:24 to cross the finish line first. Louisburg also came out on top in the medley (2:03) and 4×400 (4:05) relays.

In the field events, several Wildcats took home top billing as well.

Kiefer Tucker had the top throw in the discus with a toss of 109 feet, 2 inches and Asah LaHue’s throw of 38 feet in the shot put was also good for first. Ian Combs cleared 10-0 in the pole vault to come away with a win.

The eighth-grade girls took top honors in one event. Ryann Kramer won the discus with a throw of 74-6.

Along with Scholtz’s run in the 200 dash, she also finished first in the 100 dash in 13.43 seconds for the seventh-grade girls. Louisburg also won five other events in that division.

Trinity Moore, who broke the school record in the 800 run earlier this year, won the event for the second straight week in 2:41. Moore later finished first in the 1,600 run in 5:52.

Haley Cain took top honors in the high jump after she cleared 4-7 to win by five inches. The 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams also took first place.

The seventh-grade boys also won three events.

Brayden White took first place in the shot put with a toss of 31 feet and Charlie Koontz won the 200 dash in 12.96 seconds. Louisburg also won the medley relay in 2:20.

Eighth-grade boys 

Discus: Jimmy Tucker, third, 101-0

Shot put: Grant King, third, 35-0; Tucker, fourth, 35-0

Pole vault: Blue Caplinger, second, 9-6; Asah LaHue, third, 9-0

Long jump: Ian Combs, second, 14-10.5; Tanner Belcher, fourth, 14-3.5

100 hurdles: Jon Ventre, second, 18.16; Noah Hill, third, 18.81; James Foote, fourth, 19.75

100 dash: Eli Minster, fourth, 12.67

200 dash: Minster, third, 25.92

400 dash: Bret Minor, third, 1:13

800 run: Dylan DeShazer, third, 2:36.49

1,600 run: LaHue, second, 5:17; Foote, third, 5:56; Dylan Knipp, fourth, 6:00

3,200 run: Gareth Baus, fourth, 15:04

4×100 relay: second, 50.52

Eighth-grade girls:

Discus: Kennia Hankinson, second, 74-3

Shot put: Carson Buffington, fourth, 31-3

Pole vault: Trinity Buchanan, second, 5-6

High jump: Jorden Leach, third, 5-2

Long jump: Elana Lewis, second, 14-3

100 dash: Leach, third, 14.83; Buffington, fourth, 14.95

200 dash: Buchanan, third, 29.25

400 dash: Kaitlyn Lewer, third, 1:12; Hayli Detherage, fourth, 1:14

800 run: Detherage, third, 2:58; Shaylor Whitham, fourth, 2:59

1,600 run: Mariah Wrigley, third, 7:44

3,200 run: Whitham, fourth, 14:22

4×100 relay: second, 58.35

4×400 relay: second, 5:10

Seventh-grade girls

Discus: Kody Lowry, fourth, 54-2

Shot put: Gabby Tappan, third, 27-10

High jump: Avery Graham, third, 4-0

100 hurdles: Haley Cain, third, 19.95

400 dash: Jessamy Howison, third, 1:15; Elizabeth Kratochvil, fourth, 1:17

800 run: Kratochvil, second, 3:03; Hannah Straub, third, 3:04

1,600 run: Ashley Moore, fourth, 7:27

4×400 relay: second, 5:08

Seventh-grade boys

Discus: Brayden White, third, 79-6; Michael Waldron, fourth, 72-4

Pole vault: Jack Mick, second, 7-6; Trent Martin, fourth, 7-0

High jump: Drake Varns, third, 4-6; Charlie Koontz and Deven Wieland, fourth, 4-4

Long jump: Thomas Arnett, fourth, 14-9.75

100 dash: Arnett, fourth, 13.57

200 dash: Koontz, second, 27.24

800 run: Ryan Haight, fourth, 2:44

1,600 run: Weiland, second, 5:54; Dylan Sanders, fourth, 6:15

Freshman Mikayla Quinn heads down the straightaway in the 400-meter dash during a meet earlier in the season. Quinn won the 400 dash Thursday in Paola with a time of 1 minute and 6 seconds.

PAOLA – They may be just freshmen, but Bailey Belcher and Mikayla Quinn are already making a name for themselves on the varsity level.

Belcher continues to impress for the Lady Cats track and field team as she placed in two events Thursday at the Paola Invitational. Belcher’s best event was the 100-meter dash as she won with a time of 12.88 seconds and later finished fifth in the long jump with a mark of 14 feet and 6.5 inches.

Quinn took top marks in the 400-meter dash. She ran a time of 1:06 to win the first event of her high school career and junior Mackenzie Kallevig was fifth in 1:09.

In the team standings, Louisburg finished fourth with 67.33 points. Paola won the meet going away with 275 points and Lamar (Mo.) was runner-up with 78 points.

“I think it’s great for Bailey and Mikayla to be having some success this early in the year,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “Weather conditions were very tough and that shows the heart these two girls have when competing which is rare for a freshman. They are both very motivated and we will see both of them improve throughout the year and I expect great things for them the rest of the year.”

Both girls also helped their respective relay teams place. Quinn joined with Megan Lemke, Kallevig and Ashley Ruder to finish second in the 4×400-meter relay in 4 minutes and 38 seconds, just edging out Spring Hill by .6 seconds.

Belcher, Ruder, Lemke and Hannah Becker finished third in the 4×100-meter relay in 54.6 seconds. Lemke was also sixth in the 200 dash in 30.1 seconds.

The Lady Cats also found success in the 4×800 relay as Lauren Becker, Liz Hildreth, Madelynn Yalowitz and Isabelle Holtzen ran a time of 11:45 to take second.

“The relay teams are improving, and with Kaitlyn Gaza coming back soon, the sprints should improve even more,” Darrington said. “(Coach) John (Reece) has been working hard with the girls on the 4X800 and hope by the end of the year we can qualify all three relays for the state meet.”

Junior McKinley Mathews made her first appearance of the season in the pole vault and cleared 8-6 to finish third. Holtzen, a freshman, finished fifth overall when she cleared 7-0.

Freshman Sophie McMullen competed in her first varsity meet of the season and placed in two events as well. McMullen was fourth in the discus (91-11) and sixth in the javelin (95-2) to round out the Lady Cats point scorers.

Louisburg returns to action Thursday when it travels to Garnett for the Anderson County Invitational. Field events are set to begin at 3 p.m.

Louisburg’s Dawson Christy hangs with a pack of runners during a meet earlier this season. Christy helped the 4×400-meter relay team to a first-place finish Thursday at the Paola Invitational.

PAOLA – Despite the blustery and cold conditions, the Louisburg boys track and field team was still able to put on quite a show Thursday at the Paola Invitational.

In all, Louisburg won four events and the boys finished third in the team standings with 93 points in the eight-team meet. Two of those victories came on the relays as both the 4×100 and 4×400-meter teams each took home the gold.

Mason Wilde, Sean Dennis, Kyle Green and Ben Minster ran a time of 45.2 seconds in the 4×100 to take first despite a strong wind. Dennis ran the anchor leg and nipped the Paola runner by .1 seconds.

Wilde, Dawson Christy, Green and Wyatt Reece won the 4×400 in 3 minutes and 48.5 seconds. Christy ran the anchor leg for Louisburg and was able to nip Paola at the finish line for a second time to win by .2 seconds.

“I thought we competed very well considering the conditions,” Louisburg coach Gary Griffin said. “The relays did well. Dawson ran a great anchor leg and took a pretty good tumble at the end of the 4×400. The 4×100 has a chance to be pretty good and it is tough to run fast times in either of those races with the wind the way it was.”

Dennis captured the top spot for the second time in the 110-meter high hurdles. He ran a time of 15.44 seconds and edged Lamar’s Luke Hardman by .01 seconds for a photo finish.

Dennis also fared well in the 100-meter dash in 11.25 seconds to take third, while Wilde was fourth in 11.56 seconds. Wilde also took fourth in the 200 dash in 24.42.

Green had a strong performance in the 400 dash (54.17 seconds) to take second, while Zach Knox was sixth in the 100 dash (11.73).

“Sean stumbled a little bit in the hurdles and still won, he is looking very strong,” Griffin said. “He had a great day in the sprints as did Mason. They work really hard in practice and it is paying off in the meets. Kyle ran a great 400 and his time was good in the conditions and he finished strong. He will keep getting better and better as the year goes along.”

Also on the track, the 4×800 relay team of Reece, Christy, Ben Hupp and Michael Minster finished fourth in 9:30.

In the field events, senior Connor McMullen won the discus for the first time this season. McMullen recorded a throw of 168 feet, 10 inches to win by nearly 30 feet.

Junior Jarod Woodward had a strong toss in the shot put with a mark of 45-6 to finish third and McMullen was fourth with a 43-7.

Parker Cates rounded out the Wildcat medalists as he was second in the pole vault after he cleared 10-6 for the first time this season.

“Woody getting third in the shot was good and he has been consistent so far,” Griffin said. “It was a good meet for Parker to make a height, and again, not great conditions. Overall I think we competed well. We are getting in better shape as well. We need to keep trying to find some depth in our jumps and throws.”

Louisburg returns to the track Thursday when they travel to the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Field events are set to begin at 3 p.m.

Louisburg Middle School seventh-grader Trinity Moore runs ahead of her competition Tuesday at Wildcat Stadium. Moore broke the school record in the 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes and 38 seconds.

In just her first meet of the season, Trinity Moore was in midseason form.

The Louisburg Middle School seventh-grader was running by her competition during the school’s opening home track meet of the season Tuesday against Ottawa and Wheatridge. Moore won the 1,600 and 800-meter run, but it was the 800 where she really left her mark.

Moore broke the school record in the 800 in 2 minutes and 38.97 seconds and won the race by 22 seconds. The previous record of 2:45.77 was set by Isabelle Holtzen in 2013.

Along with that, Moore and the rest of her seventh-grade team won the meet with 67.5 points, 24 points ahead of second-place Ottawa.

In the 1,600 run, Moore finished 50 seconds ahead of the rest of the field in 6:07. Louisburg’s Ashley Moore was second and Lily McDaniel came in third.

Louisburg also won six other events, including the medley relay and the 4×400-meter relay. Mackenzie Scholtz crossed the finish line first in the 200-meter dash in 29.67 seconds and earlier in the day was second in the 100 dash.

The Lady Cats also had a big day in the field events. Sinell Elifrits won the pole vault after she cleared 5 feet, 1 inch and teammate Avery Graham came in second.

Madison McLellan won the shot put with a toss of 25-6 and Louisburg swept the top three spots in the event. Riley Papst finished second and Lauren Vincent was third.

Brooke Lancaster captured top honors in the discus with a throw of 59-1 and Papst was third.

Haley Cain was edged out in the 100-meter hurdles and finished second, while teammate Ashley Moore was third. Elizabeth Kratochvil finished third in the 400-meter dash and 800 run to round out the top placers for Louisburg.

Eighth-grade boys first meet

It was a strong showing for the LMS eighth-grade boys’ track and field team as it powered its way to a victory over Ottawa and Wheatridge with 86.5 points. The Wildcats nearly doubled the total of second-place Wheatridge.

Brandon Cooper won two events to lead the Wildcats to a victory. Cooper won the 100-meter dash in 12.52 seconds and teammate Blue Caplinger followed in third place.

Cooper also scored some points in the field events as he won the high jump after he cleared 5-2. He later finished second in the long jump and teammate Tanner Belcher was third.

Also in the field events, Kiefer Tucker won the shot put with a toss of 36-5.5 and Grant King finished third. In the discus, Jimmy Tucker’s throw of 115-10 was good for first and Kiefer Tucker was third.

Blue Caplinger clears a height in the pole vault Tuesday during the first track meet of the season.

Ian Combs took top honors in the pole vault as he cleared 10-0, while Caplinger was second. On the track, Caplinger was strong in the 800 run and finished first in 2:33.72, while Dylan Knipp was third.

Noah Hill edged out teammate Jon Ventre in the 100-meter hurdles in 19.34 seconds and Ventre was second in 19.65. Louisburg’s 4×400-meter relay ended the meet with a first place finish in 4:11.

In the 400-meter dash, Ventre and Hill finished second and third, respectively. Austin Moore came in third in the 200 dash, while the 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams finished second.

Belcher was runner-up in the 3,200-meter run and teammate Asah LaHue came in third. Dylan DeShazer and James Foote also finished second and third, respectively, in the 1,600-meter run.

Eighth-grade girls, seventh-grade boys finish runner up

The seventh-grade boys’ track team finished with 42 points and the eighth-grade girls had 53.5 points as both came in second to Wheatridge.

Louisburg won four events in the seventh-grade boys division.

Thomas Arnett came out on top in the long jump with a mark of 14 feet and Jack Mick was first in the pole vault after he cleared 7-0. Chris Shields also cleared 7-0 in the pole vault but came in second on a tiebreaker.

In the 800 run, Ryan Haight recorded a time 2:49.22 to edge teammate Dylan Sanders for the top spot. The medley relay team also finished first.

Michael Waldron came up just short of first in the 100 hurdles and took second. Charlie Koontz finished second and third in the 200 and 100 dashes, respectively.

Waldron also finished third in the discus and Koontz did the same in the high jump. Deven Weiland was second in the 1,600 run and the 4×400 relay also came in runner-up.

The eighth-grade girls captured two events in the field and another on the track.

Ryann Kramer won the discus with a toss of 78-3.25 as the Lady Cats swept the top three places. Kennia Hankinson and Bailey Kern finished second and third, respectively.

Trinity Buchanan cleared 6-0 in the pole vault to take top honors and teammate Melia Rice was second. On the track, Shaylor Whitham won the 3,200-meter run in 14:57 and later finished second in the 800 run.

Also on the track, Kristen Bell came in second in the 100 hurdles and Buchanan was second in the 200 dash. The 4×100 and sprint medley teams also finished runner-up.

In the field, Jorden Leach was second in the high jump, while Elana Lewis and Carson Buffington were second in the long jump and shot put, respectively.

Louisburg senior Sean Dennis pulls away from the field in the 110-yard hurdles Tuesday during the Leavenworth Invitational at Mill Valley High School. Dennis won the event in a personal best time of 15 seconds

SHAWNEE – It didn’t take long for Sean Dennis to pick up his first, of what he hopes to be several top finishes this season.

Dennis, who qualified for the state track meet last season in the 110-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash, blew by the field in one of those events Tuesday at the Leavenworth Invitational.

The Louisburg senior recorded a personal best time of 15 seconds in the 110-yard hurdles to win the event that was held at Mill Valley High School. The Wildcats ran on a yard track, instead of the normal meter track they will run on the rest of the season.

“It was a personal record time for Sean and he ran well even when it was not a great hurdler wind,” Louisburg boys coach Gary Griffin said. “I think he has a shot in all hurdle races he runs this year.”

The Wildcats also picked up several medals in the throws, including two from Connor McMullen.

McMullen, a senior, found himself in a battle with Leavenworth’s Willie Morrison in the discus. McMullen recorded a throw of 179 feet to start the season, but Morrison topped him with a throw of 189 to win the event.

McMullen also fared well in the shot put as he finished third with a toss of 44 feet, 10 inches. However, teammate Jarod Woodward picked a good day to set a personal best throw.

Woodward, a junior, recorded a throw of 45-9 to finish second and get his season off to a good start. Both Wildcats went up against the best in the shot in Morrison. The Leavenworth senior hit a throw of 68-2, which was the second largest mark in state history.

“I think Connor threw alright, I know he will work hard and they will probably see each other again at the KU relays,” Griffin said of the discus battle. “I was happy to get major points in the shot put and I think Jarod and Connor will continue to get better in that event. I think they can both throw over 50 feet this year.”

Louisburg freshman Bailey Belcher was third in the high jump after clearing 4 feet 8 inches.

On the girls’ side, freshman Bailey Belcher had an impressive debut in her first varsity meet. Belcher finished third in the high jump after she cleared 4-8.

Belcher also had some success as she tied for fourth in the long jump with a mark of 15-5 and also fared well on the track as she was fifth in the 100-yard dash in 12.94 seconds.

“I really feel that Bailey did a great job competing in her first track meet,” Louisburg coach Greg Darrington said. “She has the potential of placing in three or four events at our league meet, which would be a great accomplishment for a freshman. With coach (Kyle) Littrell working with her, I’m sure he will get her performing at her best that time of the year.”

The Lady Cats also earned some points in throws as Lexie Reece was seventh with a throw of 86 feet in the discus. Makayla Quinn came in sixth in the 400-yard dash in 1:06.45 and Isabelle Holtzen was seventh in 2:45.84 in the 800-yard run.

“I was very proud of our young throwers and how hard they are working to make progress,” Darrington said. “This was a tough first meet and the girls will keep improving. I really like their attitude and I am expecting good things from all the throwers. They know now what they need to improve on and can get this done at practice. The girls know that working on footwork and drill will benefit them more than just throwing implements.”

Louisburg returns to action Thursday when it travels to the Paola Invitational. The meet is set to being at 3:30 p.m.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Full results from the meet were not made available at the time of his story’s release as the school was not given final times and distances. Should I get full results I will add them to the story at a later date)

Wildcat sprinters (from left) Mason Wilde, Ben Minster and Ashley Ruder get some work in during Monday’s practice at Wildcat Stadium. Louisburg track opens its season Tuesday in Leavenworth.

There is nothing Connor McMullen likes more than throwing the discus and he does it pretty well.

McMullen, who finished second at the state track and field meet last season, has even higher goals for himself this season. The Louisburg High School senior would like nothing more than to be the school’s next state champion.

He is already well on his way to doing that as he competed in a meet in Dallas, Texas, over spring break and won with a throw of 180 feet, 1 inch. McMullen, who has signed to throw the discus for the University of Kansas next year, is one of the favorites to win state in Class 4A.

McMullen won’t just compete in the discus this season for Louisburg track as he will also be one of the team’s best in the shot put.

“I think Connor should be the favorite in the disc in 4A,” Louisburg boys track coach Gary Griffin said. “He already won a meet in Texas over spring break and threw 180 feet. I would love to see him break the 50-foot barrier in the shot and score some points in the state track meet in that event.”

McMullen is one of several returning state qualifiers for the Wildcat track teams that feature several underclassmen. The boys team has approximately 50 out this season, while the girls feature 30 athletes.

On the boys’ side, senior Sean Dennis returns after qualifying for state in two different events a year ago. Dennis made the state meet in the 110-meter high hurdles and the 100-meter dash.

Senior Sean Dennis works on his form in the hurdles. Dennis is a returning state qualifier in the hurdles and 100-meter dash.

Joining Dennis are fellow seniors Mason Wilde and Dawson Christy who have also qualified for state in previous relays and both will help out in the relays again. According to Griffin, Christy will compete in the 400-meter dash and Wilde will also compete in the sprints.

“Sean had a good year last year and came into this season in good shape,” Griffin said. “Mason and Dawson have also qualified for state and I am expecting good things from them.”

Outside of McMullen, junior Parker Cates leads the Wildcats in the field events after qualifying for state in the pole vault last season.

“We are in the process of sorting out our jumpers and throwers, but hope some of our younger kids can step up in those events,” Griffin said. “We have 30 freshmen and sophomores and some are talented enough to help us at the varsity level.”

On the girls’ side, the Lady Cats return two groups of state qualifiers.

Senior Ashley Ruder, juniors Makenzie Kallevig and Megan Lemke, and sophomore Kaitlyn Gaza return after qualifying in the 4×100-meter relay a year ago. All four will also compete individually in the sprints.

“So far the practices have been going great,” Louisburg girls coach Greg Darrington said. “We have 30 girls out for track and almost all freshman and sophomores. I really like how hard the girls are working and their athleticism. We are really young and could struggle early in the year but we have some strong sprinters and jumpers this year to help carry us.”

In the field events, junior McKinley Mathews comes back after a strong sophomore season that led her to advancing to the state meet in the pole vault. Darrington also expects freshman Bailey Belcher to make her mark in the jumps.

“Bailey is someone who could do great things for us in the jumps,” Darrington said. “Our strength will be on the track this year and think our girls have a lot of potential for a few years to come if I can get the throwers competitive. The throwers are still young with no upper-class athletes but plenty of potential with some young girls. I think by the end of the year we should be competitive in all three throwing events.”

The Wildcats won’t have to wait much longer to compete as they travel to the Leavenworth Invitational at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Louisburg will also hold its home invitational on April 23.

LOUISBURG HIGH SCHOOL TRACK SCHEDULE

Mar. 31                       @Leavenworth                                               3:30 p.m.

Apr. 6                           @ Prairie View (Junior Varsity)                4:30 p.m.

Apr. 9                           @ Paola                                                           3:30 p.m.

Apr. 13                         @ Chanute (Junior Varsity)                        3 p.m.

Apr. 16                         @Anderson County-Garnett                       3:30 p.m.

Apr. 20                         @Paola (Junior Varsity)                              3:30 p.m.

Apr. 23                         Louisburg Invitational                                  3:30 p.m.

Apr. 30                         @Prairie View                                                3:30 p.m.

May 1                          @Gardner                                                          3:30 p.m.

May 8                          @Wellsville                                                      3:30 p.m.

May 12                        @Eudora (Junior Varsity)                             4 p.m.

May 14                        @Baldwin (Frontier League meet)              3:30 p.m.

May 22                        @Regionals                                                      TBA

May 29                        @State (Wichita State University)              TBA