Louisburg senior Tom Koontz clears a hurdle during a meet earlier this season. Koontz won the 300-meter hurdles Friday at the De Soto Invitational.

DE SOTO — In what was one of its toughest meets of the season, the Louisburg boys track and field team nearly came away with a team title.

Louisburg competed at the De Soto Invitational on Friday and went up against several bigger programs. The Wildcats went stride-for-stride with all of them as they finished second overall with 107 points, just one point behind champion De Soto.

“We knew coming into the meet, it was going to be challenging,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “We only placed first in one event, but competed very well in the second through sixth place positions. We ended up one point short out of first, and in a meet that tough, I was very pleased.”

The Wildcats competed with the likes of De Soto, Olathe West, Basehor Linwood and the top Frontier League programs in Piper, Eudora and Bonner Springs.

The Louisburg girls also had plenty of bright spots as the Lady Cats finished fifth out of 13 teams with 50 points.

Senior hurdler Tom Koontz continues to shine in his final season as a Wildcat, as are junior hurdlers Mason Dobbins and Nathan Apple. Koontz won the 300-meter hurdles in 40.36 seconds, while Dobbins (42.79) and Apple (42.81) took fifth and sixth, respectively.

All three Wildcat hurdlers had season-best times in the 110 race as Koontz was second at 14.72 seconds, losing out to Highland Park’s Keijuan Johnson, who ran a 14.69. Dobbins was third at 15.17 and Apple took fourth in 15.47.

“Tom continues to improve every week in the 110 and he works so hard at practice,” Wright said. “His 300 has been in the low 40’s for the last couple of meets, and he is competing amazingly.  If we can get some good weather, he should be ready to break 40 in the next week or two.”

Koontz, Dobbins, Caden Caplinger and Ethan Ptacek also put together a season-best time of 43.71 seconds in the 4×100 relay to finish second overall.

Hunter Heinrich, Jaden Vohs, Andrew Brown and Hayden Ross went on to take third in the 4×800 relay in 8:53, while the 4×400 team of Ptacek, Heinrich, Colyer Wingfield and Koontz were fifth in a season-best time of 3:33.

Ptacek went on to score points in a pair of sprints as well. The Louisburg junior was third in the 400 dash in 52.42 and seventh in the 200 dash in 23.29.

In the distance races, Vohs paced the Wildcats with a sixth place finish in the 800 run in 2:03 and freshman Jerynce Brings-Plenty was 8th in the 3,200 run.

The Wildcats got a pleasant surprise in the jumps from Wingfield as he set a new personal best in the long jump by more than a foot. The Louisburg junior took third with a mark of 21 feet, 1 inch, while fellow junior Jase Hovey was eighth with a personal best mark of 20-7.25

Wingfield also scored points in the triple jump as he took fifth at 39-3.

“Coyler is new to our track team this year and has brought with him an awesome work ethic,” Wright said. “He is starting to figure out his approach and jump technique. Colyer will definitely be able to be a threat in the jumps for placings and points at some of our bigger meets. Colyer is also a 40-plus in the Triple jump. 

“Along with Colyer we have Jase Hovey jumping 20-7, Hayden Feikert (19-11) and Isaiah Whitley (19-9) this season (who jumped 20-8 last year). By the end of the season, we could possibly have four jumpers in their 20s, and that kind of competition makes everyone better.”

For the second straight meet, Caplinger recorded a personal best in the pole vault. The Louisburg sophomore cleared 14 feet for the first time and finished second overall.

“With the competition we have in our league and regional, Caden doesn’t have a choice but to get better,” Wright said. “He will see his toughest competition every week for the next four weeks. Caden has been up to the challenge and has been improving every week.”

Also in the jumps, Dobbins cleared 6 feet to finish second in the high jump as he was one of five jumpers to reach the 6 foot mark. Junior Isaiah Whitley was eighth at 5-8.

In the throws, junior Nathan Vincent was second overall in the javelin with a mark of 160-7. Junior Layne Ryals scored points in the discus with a throw of 119-2 and finished sixth overall.

Junior J.R. Rooney was seventh in the shot put with a distance of 43-6.

On the girls side, senior Delaney Wright participated in three individual events for the first time this season as she is making her way back from an injury.

Wright was second in the long jump with a mark of 17-10.5. She also finished third in the 400-meter dash in 1:00.68 and was fifth in the 200 dash in 26.52 seconds.

Junior Emma Lohse scored points in a pair of sprints as she took fourth in the 100 dash in 12.86 seconds and sixth the 200 at 26.80.

In the distance races, sophomore Emma Vohs took seventh in the both the 1,600 meters (5:42) and the 3,200-meter run (13:00). Sophomore Maddy Rhamy was eighth in the 3,200 in 13:03.

Freshman Mackenzie Rooney scored points in the 300 hurdles as she finished sixth in 52.29 seconds.

Sophomore Maddy Carpenter-Ross continues to work her way up in the pole vault as she set a personal record for the second straight week. Carpenter-Ross took third after she cleared 9-6.

In the throws, senior Corinna McMullen was third in the discus with a throw of 106-4. Senior Davis Guetterman took sixth the javelin with a toss of 109.

Junior Emma Prettyman scored points in the shot put with a mark of 32-9.5 and finished eighth.

Louisburg will be back in action Friday when it travels to Wellsville for the Redbud Relays.

Other results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Delaney Wieland, 19th, 13.60

800 run: Erin Apple, 15th, 2:47; Aubryn Berck, 17th, 2:50

1,600 run: Maddy Rhamy, 9th, 6:01

100 hurdles: Mackenzie Rooney, 9th, 18.24; Kate Frederick, 12th, 18.61

300 hurdles: Frederick, 14th, 56.81

Long jump: Wieland, 9th, 15-5.5

Discus: Emma Prettyman, 13th, 89-3

Javelin: Prettyman, 13th, 95-7

BOYS

100 dash: Hayden Feikert, 24th, 11.84

200 dash: Toby Espina-Roca, 22nd, 24.84

400 dash: Espina-Roca, 17th, 57.75

800 run: Hayden Ross, 14th, 2:13; Andrew Brown, 22nd, 2:20

1,600 run: Jerynce Brings Plenty, 12th, 4:46; Noah Cotter, 23rd, 5:19; Leo Martin, 25th, 5:26

Long jump: Feikert, 14th, 19-7.5

Discus: Nathan Vincent, 9th, 116-6; Chase Pritchard, 31st, 74-8

Javelin: Carson Wade, 9th, 127-7; Layne Ryals, 13th, 123-1

Shot put: Connor Lee, 9th, 41-10.5; Jaymes Melton, 19th, 37-3

Louisburg sophomore Caden Caplinger won the pole vault Monday after he cleared a personal best mark of 13 feet and 6 inches. The Wildcats won the team title with 125 points.

SPRING HILL — The Louisburg track and field team brought home a lot hardware Monday from the Spring Hill Invitational.

The Wildcat boys won the team title with 125 points and edged out runner-up Spring Hill by 18 points. As for the Lady Cats, they finished runner-up with 64 points and Spring Hill won the girls side with 99.

“We need as a team to continue to get better,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “Our next three track meets will be our bigger meets, and will truly give us a good idea where we are against some great competition. I’m looking forward to seeing where we are as a team, and who is going to rise to the occasion.”

Senior Jaden Vohs rose to the occasion for the Wildcats as he swept the distance races — winning the 800 (2:10), 1,600 (4:38) and 3,200-meter (10:26) runs. Freshman Jerynce Brings Plenty was runner-up in the 3,200 (10:28) and took third in the 800 (2:12) and 1,600 (4:52).

Senior Hayden Ross was fifth in the 800 run in 2:15, while sophomore Noah Cotter (11:02) and junior Andrew Brown (11:05) were fourth and fifth, respectively in the 3,200.

Another senior, Tom Koontz, won both hurdle races. He captured gold in the 110-meter hurdles with a personal best time of 14.76 seconds and also took first in the 300 hurdles in 41.28 seconds.

Junior Nathan Apple also set a personal best time of 15.5 seconds in the 110 hurdles to take third and teammate Mason Dobbins was fourth at 15.64. Dobbins went on to take third in the 300 hurdles in 42.99 and Apple was fourth at 43.81.

Ethan Ptacek scored points in a pair of distance races as he was third in both the 200 (23.70) and 400 (54.09) dashes. Sophomore Hunter Heinrich was fourth in the 400 in 54.84.

The Wildcats also finished second in a pair of relays. The 4×100 team of Koontz, Dobbins, Caden Caplinger and Ptacek ran a time of 44.39 to take the runner-up spot, while Colyer Wingfield, Heinrich, Ashton Moore and Cooper Hipp ran a 3:41 to second in the 4×400.

Louisburg also had a few personal bests in the field events.

Caplinger won the pole vault with a personal record clearance of 13 feet, 6 inches. Freshman Cooper Wingfield cleared 10-0 to take third and senior Remington Rice was fourth at 9-0.

Dobbins cleared 6-2 for the first time in the high jump and it was good for a first place finish in the event. Juniors Isaiah Whitley (5-8) and Trey Myers (5-6) took third and fifth, respectively.

Colyer Wingfield was runner-up in the triple jump with a mark of 39-3.25, while Jase Hovey (20-3.25) and Hayden Feikert (19-10.25) were third and fourth in the long jump. It was a personal-best mark for Hovey.

In the throws, junior Nathan Vincent continued his undefeated streak in the javelin and discus. He won the javelin with a throw of 145-10, while teammates Carson Wade (127-3) and Layne Ryals (127-1) were second and third.

Vincent recorded a mark of 132-8 to win the discus. Senior Chase Pritchard was fourth at 111-3 and Ryals was fifth at 111-1.

Junior J.R Rooney was runner-up in the shot put with a toss of 44-8.75.

The Lady Cats also found a lot of success as they won five events to go along with their runner-up team finish.

“The girls performed well,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “Finishing second as a team was awesome and the girls continue to improve in all aspects. All in all we are very happy with how the season is going and we will have the girls ready for the big meets as the season winds down.”

Louisburg shined in the field events as sophomore Maddy Carpenter-Ross started it off with a victory in the pole vault with a personal best clearance of 9 feet.

Senior Davis Guetterman won the javelin with a throw of 108-6 and teammate Katie Elpers was fourth at 104-2. Junior Emma Prettyman took fifth in the shot put (32-0) and discus (91-7).

In the jumps, senior Delaney Wright continued her success in the long jump with a mark of 18-1.5 to take gold as she also scored points on the track.

Wright was third in the 400-meter dash in and later helped Emma Lohse, Mackenzie Rooney and Emma Vohs to a runner-up finish in the 4×400-meter really with a big improvement time of 4:18.

Lohse also found success in the sprints as she won the 100-meter dash in 12.7 seconds and was second in the 200 dash in 27.09 — which were both season-best times.

Emma Vohs ran a time of 5:47 in the 1,600-meter run to finish second overall and was third in the 800 run in 2:33.

Sophomore Maddy Rhamy won the 3,200-meter run in 12:52, which was a personal best, and also finished fifth in the 800 run in 2:43.

In the hurdles, both freshman Mackenzie Rooney and sophomore Kate Frederick scored points for the Lady Cats.

Rooney took second in the 300 hurdles in 53.50 and Frederick was fifth at 57.15. In the 100 hurdles, Rooney was third at 18.39 and Frederick was fourth at 18.48.

Most of the varsity is back in action today when the Wildcats travel to the De Soto Invitational. Events begin at 3:30 p.m.

Other results are: 

GIRLS

100 dash: Delaney Wieland, 10th, 13.70

200 dash: Wieland, 8th, 28.91

800 run: Aubryn Berck, 9th, 2:55; Nova Ptacek, 10th, 2:59

1600 run: Berck, 7th, 6:32; Ptacek, 8th, 6:41; Erin Apple, 9th, 6:47

3200 run: Apple, 6th, 15:16

Long jump: Wieland, 9th, 14-10.5

Discus: Davis Guetterman, 14th, 69-2

Javelin: Emma Prettyman, 6th, 96-6

BOYS

100 dash: Jase Hovey, 8th, 11.72; Ashton Moore, 10th, 11.79; Hayden Feikert, 12th, 11.91; Gavin York, 13th, 11.94; Michijah Pankau, 14th, 11.95; J’Lee Collins, 19th, 12.25; Toby Espina-Roca, 21st, 12.39; Ayden Deterding, 28th, 12.88

200 dash: Moore, 7th, 24.36; Cooper Hipp, 11th, 24.58; Pankau, 12th, 25.43; Elias Pugh, 13th, 25.59; Collins, 14th, 25.67; Deterding, 24th, 26.70

400 dash: Collins, 6th, 59.18; Hipp, 7th, 1:00

800 run: Espina-Roca, 10th, 2:22; Vitus Aagaard, 17th, 2:35

1,600 run: Andrew Brown, 7th, 5:07; Noah Cotter, 9th, 5:13; Hayden Ross, 11th, 5:19; Leo Martin, 12th, 5:25

3,200 run: Martin, 6th, 11:42

Long jump: Colyer Wingfield, 6th, 19-4.75; Isaiah Whitley, 9th, 18-10.75; Pugh, 10th, 18-7

Triple jump: Trey Myers, 6th, 37-0.25; Pugh, 7th, 34-7.75

Shot put: Connor Lee, 6th, 38-7; Scott Thornton, 7th, 38-5; Jaymes Melton, 10th, 37-6.5; Chase Pritchard, 13th, 35-10.5; Ben O’Bryan, 17th, 33-5; Brayton Brueggen, 18th, 33-2; Reid Justesen, 21st, 30-9.5; Gavin Whisenhunt, 23rd, 27-3

Discus: J.R. Rooney, 6th, 107-7; O’Bryan, 8th, 105-4; Thornton, 10th, 102-5; Lee, 17th, 92-10; Brueggen, 20th, 86-9; Justesen, 26th, 73-9; Melton, 27th, 72-9

Javelin: Thornton, 8th, 118-5; Brecon Klugman, 9th, 118-5; Lane Cunningham, 12th, 102-2; Ayden McKain, 14th, 100-7; Brayden Yoder, 17th, 98-8; Brueggen, 18th, 98-1

Louisburg junior Layne Ryals finished third in both the javelin and the discus Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational.

The Louisburg boys track and field team put on a show in front of its home fans Thursday.

The Wildcats won their second meet of the season, this time at the Louisburg Invitational, as they took first in the team standings going away with 254 points in the 7-team event. Spring Hill was runner-up at 156.

Senior Tom Koontz continues to lead the Wildcat track team this season and he did so again Thursday by winning three events.

Koontz won the 110-meter hurdles in 15.26 seconds and was followed by teammates Mason Dobbins (15.93) and Nathan Apple (16.21) who took second and third, respectively.

Next was the 300 hurdles for Koontz and he took gold once again in 40.33 seconds. Apple was third in the event in 42.13 and Dobbins was fourth at 42.81.

Koontz, Dobbins, Caden Caplinger and Ethan Ptacek blazed the track in the 4×100-meter relay in 44.34 seconds to take the top spot in that event.

Also in the sprints, Ptacek was second in both the 200 (24.01) and 400-meter (52.59) dashes. Senior Cooper Hipp was third in the 200 in 24.05, while freshman Ashton Moore was fourth at 24.20.

Moore (12.01), senior Hayden Feikert (12.28) and sophomore J’Lee Collins (12.29) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 100 dash.

Ptacek, Hunter Heinrich, Colyer Wingfield and Koontz took second in the 4×400 relay in 3:38.

Senior Jaden Vohs led the Wildcat distance runners as he took gold in the 800 with a time of 2 minutes and 4 seconds and senior teammate Hayden Ross took third at 2:13.

Vohs, Ross, Andrew Brown and Hunter Heinrich also won the 4×800-meter relay in 8:44.

Freshman Jerynce Brings Plenty had runner-up performances in both the 1,600 run (4:53) and 3,200 (10:37). Brown (11:21) and junior Leo Martin (12:14) were fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 3,200 run, while sophomore Noah Cotter was sixth in the 1,600 in 5:13.

Junior Nathan Vincent continues his success in the javelin and discus as he won both events for the fourth consecutive time to start the season.

Vincent recorded a throw of 139 feet, 2 inches to win the discus and also had a mark of 166-10 to take gold in the javelin. 

In fact, the Wildcats dominated the javelin event as they took five of the six top places. Junior Carson Wade (144-3) was second, while junior Layne Ryals was third (134-0). Scott Thornton (127-6) and Brecon Klugman (124-5) finished fifth and sixth.

Ryals also scored points in the discus along with Vincent and finished third with a throw of 123-2.

Junior J.R. Rooney continued the Wildcats’ success in the shot put as he recorded at toss of 45-1 to take gold and Connor Lee was fifth at 40-1.

Dobbins led the Wildcat jumpers as he won the high jump after he cleared 6 feet and junior teammates Isaiah Whitley (5-8) and Trey Myers (5-6) finished third and fourth.

Caplinger also won the pole vault for Louisburg after he cleared 13 feet and freshman Cooper Wingfield took fourth.

Feikert recorded a personal-best mark in the long jump as he was runner-up with a mark of 19-11. Colyer Wingfield was fourth in the triple jump at 38-1 and Elias Pugh took sixth at 37-5.

The Wildcat throwers also had a little fun for the 4×100 throwers relay as the quartet of Vincent, Wade, Rooney and Ryals took second in 49.59 seconds.

Louisburg is back in action today as the Wildcats travel to the Spring Hill Invitational.

Other results are: 

100 dash: Toby Espina-Roca, 14th, 12.67

200 dash: J’Lee Collins, 12th, 25.36; Espina Roca, 14th, 25.41

400 dash: Michijah Pankau, 9th, 56.87; Collins, 11th, 57.93; Cooper Hipp, 12th, 57.96

800 run: Noah Cotter, 10th, 2:23; Vitus Aagaard, 15th, 2:36

1,600 run: Leo Martin, 7th, 5:17; Landan Henry, 11th, 5:38; Ben Proctor, 12th, 5:43

3,200 run: Henry, 7th, 12:20; Proctor, 8th, 12:25

Long jump: Colyer Wingfield, 7th, 19-4; Isaiah Whitley, 8th, 18-11.75; Elias Pugh, 12th, 17-3

Triple jump: Trey Myers, 7th, 36-9

Shot put: Scott Thornton, 8th, 37-9; Jaymes Melton, 10th, 37-5; Chase Pritchard, 16th, 34-1

Discus: Ben O’Bryan, 8th, 106-3; Connor Lee, 9th, 105-10; Pritchard, 15th, 89-0

Louisburg senior Delaney Wright cruised to a victory in the 400-meter dash Thursday at the Louisburg Invitational.

Slowly making her way back from an injury suffered during basketball season, Delaney Wright is on her way to returning to form that she showed last season when she won state titles in three different events.

Wright participated in two of those Thursday during the Louisburg Invitational and took first in both the long jump and 400-meter dash.

In all, the Lady Cats finished third out of seven teams with 119 points and put together a strong performance at their home meet.

Wright scratched on three of her four attempts in the long jump, but she recorded one of 17 feet, which earned her the gold medal there. In the 400-meter dash, Wright blew away the competition in 1:01.62 and won by four seconds.

Junior Emma Lohse also won a pair of events for the Lady Cats in the sprints. She took gold in the 100 dash in 13.24 seconds as she edged out Prairie View’s Kinley Baker.

In the 200 dash, Lohse edged Spring Hill’s Gavyn Hurley to win that event in 27.36 seconds. Lohse also helped Delaney Wieland, Mackenzie Rooney and Emma Vohs to a third place finish in the 4×400 relay in 4:31.

Wieland (14.26) and Annmarie Walton (30.83) finished sixth in the 100 and 200, respectively.

Rooney scored points in both hurdle events for Louisburg as she took second in the 300 hurdles with a time of 52.28 and sixth in the 100 hurdles in 19.12.

Vohs led the Lady Cats in the distance races as she won the 800 run in 2 minutes and 31 seconds. Junior Ashley Branine was fourth at 2:47 and senior Aubryn Berck took fifth in 2:48.

Vohs, Branine, Berck and Maddy Rhamy also won the 4×800 relay in 10:48.

Rhamy was third in the 3,200-meter run in 13:13 and sophomore Erin Apple was sixth in 15:28. Junior Nova Ptacek was fifth in the 1,600 run in 6:42.

In the field events, Katie Elpers recorded her best throw in the javelin with a mark of 110 feet, 9 inches to win the event for the first time this season. Teammate Emma Prettyman was sixth at 94-4 and also finished sixth in the shot put at 31-4

Louisburg also took gold in the pole vault when sophomore Maddy Carpenter-Ross cleared a personal best mark of 8-11.

Wieland scored points in the long jump as she took fourth at 15-7.75 and Walton was fifth in the high jump at 4-6.

Louisburg is back in action today when the Lady Cats travel to the Spring Hill Invitational. Events are set to begin at 4 p.m.

Other results are: 

100 dash: Katherine Carter, 18th, 16.74

200 dash: Carter, 17th, 35.15

800 run: Nova Ptacek, 8th, 3:01

1,600 run: Erin Apple, 7th, 6:48

100 hurdles: Kate Frederick, 8th, 19.64

300 hurdles; Frederick, 10th, 57.29

Long jump: Annmarie Walton, 14th, 13-5

Shot put: Maddy Fuller, 19th, 22-11

Discus: Emma Prettyman, 7th, 82-4

Javelin: Aspen Coulter, 10th, 81-0; Frederick, 16th, 74-10; Ella Lancaster, 20th, 63-8

Louisburg junior Mason Dobbins clears a height in the high jump Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational in Garnett. Dobbins finished second overall after clearing 6 feet.

GARNETT — The Louisburg boys track and field team has competed at a high level since the start of the season and that continued last Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational.

The Wildcats finished second in the team standings with 151 points and finished less than 10 points behind Eudora for the top spot.

The Louisburg girls also had a strong finish despite having small numbers as the Lady Cats were third with 85 points. Eudora won the meet with 183 and Spring Hill was second at 125.

Louisburg won seven events on the boys side, while seniors Tom Koontz, Jaden Vohs and junior Nathan Vincent each won a pair of individual events.

“We are hitting the middle of the season,” Louisburg coach Andy Wright said. “Some of the boys are settling in and figuring out what events they will excel at. We performed well and got a small glimpse of what our regionals could look like. We didn’t have our best marks of the season, but we competed in each event.”

Vohs shined in the 1,600-meter run as he took first in 4 minutes and 46.93 seconds and held off a late charge from Eudora’s Cody Loganbill, who finished just .07 seconds behind Vohs.

The Louisburg senior also captured the title in the 3,200 run in 10:21. His teammate, freshman Jerynce Brings Plenty, took second in the 3200 in 10:26 and also place fourth in the 1,600 in 4:50.

“Jaden has now run the 800, 1600 and 3200 with good times,” Wright said. “Now we have to decide which races to run at the end of the year. With the weather hopefully getting better, I only see his times improving.”

Hurdles continue to be a strength for the Wildcats as Koontz won both the 110-meter hurdles (15.38) and 300 hurdles (40.13). 

Juniors Mason Dobbins and Nathan Apple also scored points in the event. Dobbins (15.78) and Apple (16.5) took second and third, respectively, in the 110s. Dobbins finished third in the 300 hurdles in 42.59 and Apple was fifth at 43.74.

Koontz, Dobbins, Caden Caplinger and Ethan Ptacek ran to gold in the 4×100-meter relay in 44.26 seconds.

Koontz, Ptacek, Hunter Heinrich and Colyer Wingfield were third in the 4×400 relay. In the 4×800 relay, Heinrich, Hayden Ross, Andrew Brown and Noah Cotter were also third in 9:17.

“The 4×100 did set a personal record, but still have room to improve,” Wright said. “The 4×4 didn’t run their best times and will only get better the more races they run. In the 4×8, we are moving some runners around and should have a solid four in the next meet or two.”

Ptacek also scored points for the Wildcats in the 400-meter dash as he took third in 52.40. Freshman Ashton Moore was sixth in the 200 dash in 24.83.

In the field events, Vincent continues to take the top spot in the discus and javelin. He has won the two events in all of the meets so far this season.

On Thursday, Vincent won the javelin with a throw of 153 feet, 11 inches, just eight inches in front of Eudora’s Conor Dunback, who took second. Louisburg’s Scott Thornton (131-1) and Carson Wade (130-7) also scored points in fifth and sixth, respectively.

Vincent also took the top spot in the discus with a toss of 143-4.

“Nathan keeps improving every week,” Wright said. “His marks are not where he would want them to be, but he is throwing far enough to win his events.”

Dobbins cleared 6 feet for the first time this season as he took second in the high jump, while teammate Isaiah Whitley was fourth at 5-8. Whitley also went on to record a season-best in the long jump, 19-9.5, to also take fourth. Junior Trey Myers was sixth in the high jump at 5-8.

Caplinger, a sophomore, took third in the pole vault after he cleared 13 feet. Junior J.R. Rooney was fifth in the shot put at 42-8.

Although the girls did not win any events, the Lady Cats still brought home plenty of medals and it was evident with their third place finish.

“We had a strong showing at Anderson County with questionable weather conditions again,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “Who knows what will happen when we have a nice day.

“Even though we did not win an event, we brought home more medals than we have in a long time. We continue to show improvement in all areas of the track and the field.”

The Lady Cats scored a lot points in the distance races as sophomore Emma Vohs finished third in both the 800 (2:32) and 1,600-meter (5:44) runs.

Sophomore Maddy Rhamy took third in the 3,200 run in 13:24 and sixth in the 1,600 in 6:06. Sophomore Erin Apple was also sixth in the 3,200 in 14:49.

Apple, Nova Ptacek, Aubryn Berck and Ashley Branine finished runner-up in the 4×800 relay in 11:40.

In the sprints, junior Emma Lohse had another strong performance as she was second in the 200 dash in 28.06 and third in the 100 dash in 13.48.

Freshman Mackenzie Rooney scored points in both hurdle races. Rooney was second in the 300 hurdles in 52.93 and fifth in the 100 hurdles at 18.66.

Lohse, Rooney, Emma Vohs and Delaney Wieland also took fourth in the 4×400 relay in 4:32.

In the field events, sophomore Maddy Carpenter-Ross set a personal record in the pole vault after she cleared 8-6 and took second overall.

Senior Corinna McMullen recorded a throw of 113-11 in the discus to finish second and junior Emma Prettyman was fifth at 98-4. 

Another senior, Davis Guetterman, took third in the javelin with a toss of 108-1. Katie Elpers (97-10) and Prettyman (95-7) finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Prettyman was also fifth in the shot put at 30-3.5.

Louisburg is back in action this Thursday when it hosts the Louisburg Invitational. Events are set to begin at 4 p.m.

Other results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Delaney Wright, 8th, 13.74; Delaney Wieland, 17th, 14.88

800 run: Ashley Branine, 9th, 2:50; Aubryn Berck, 12th, 2:54; Nova Ptacek, 14th, 3:03.65

Long jump: Wieland, 8th, 14-7

Discus: Davis Guetterman, 21st, 68-5.5

BOYS

100 dash: Ashton Moore, 7th, 12.31; J’Lee Collins, 12th, 12.48; Gavin York, 13th, 12.60; Hayden Feikert, 19th, 12.78; Toby Espina-Roca, 24th, 13.01; Ayden Deterding, 41st, 13.73

200 dash: Cooper Hipp, 10th, 25.02; Collins, 16th, 25.85; Espina-Roca, 19th, 26.08; Deterding, 34th, 27.03

400 dash: Hunter Heinrich, 7th, 56.20; Hipp, 18th, 1:00; Michijah Pankau, 23rd, 1:01

800 run: Hayden Ross, 8th, 2:16; Leo Martin, 20th, 2:37

1,600 run: Andrew Brown, 11th, 5:14; Martin, 16th, 5:23

3,200 run: Noah Cotter, 9th, 11:16; Landan Henry, 13th, 12:30

Pole vault: Remington Rice, 8th, 10-0

Long jump: Feikert, 8th, 18-11; Colyer Wingfield, 9th, 18-10; Elias Pugh, 13th, 18-4

Triple jump: Wingfield, 8th, 37-7.25; Pugh, 9th, 36-7.50; Trey Myers, 13th, 35-3.5

Shot put: Jaymes Melton, 11th, 38-5.75; Conner Lee, 12th, 38-4.25; Scott Thornton, 19th, 35-5.75; Chase Pritchard, 20th, 35-4.5; Reid Justesen, 23rd, 33-3.5; Ben O’Bryan, 30th, 29-6; Will Hutsell, 37th, 26-10.5

Discus: Layne Ryals, 7th, 121-7; Pritchard, 8th, 121-5; J.R. Rooney, 13th, 110-9; O’Bryan, 15th, 106-10; Hutsell, 23rd, 96-7; Thornton, 24th, 94-6; Justesen 27th, 83-10; Melton, 41st, 66-4

Javelin: Ryals, 11th, 124-6; Brecon Klugman, 12th, 123-2; Brayden Yoder, 13th, 116-3

Here is the Louisburg Sports Zone Athlete of the Week for week four of the spring sports season, sponsored by Louisburg Family Dental.

NATHAN VINCENT, JUNIOR, TRACK AND FIELD

Louisburg junior Nathan Vincent has dominated the javelin and the discus ring so far this season. Through three meets, Vincent has won the two events each time out and that included his performance Thursday at the Anderson County Invitational.

Vincent won the javelin with a throw of 153 feet, 11 inches to help the Wildcats to a second place team finish. He also found success in the discus as he took first with a toss of 143-4. Vincent is a returning state medalist in the javelin for the Wildcats.

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: Lexi Hampton

Week 2: Sabra Brueggen

Week 3: Emma Lohse

Louisburg freshman Jerynce Brings Plenty runs the 3,200-meter run during a meet earlier this season. Brings Plenty won the 3,200 run Thursday in Paola and recorded a personal best time in the process.

PAOLA — Bone-chilling temperatures. Forty-plus mile-per-hour wind gusts. Not exactly the ideal conditions for a track and field meet.

Despite that, Louisburg traveled to the Paola Invitational on Thursday and the cold, windy temperatures didn’t seem to bother the Wildcats much.

The Louisburg boys won the team title with 198 points — 50 points ahead of runner-up Spring Hill. The Lady Cats also finished strong as they won four events and finished fourth overall with 86 points.

In all, the Wildcat boys won eight events, including a sweep of the distance races and hurdles.

“The conditions were not the greatest, all we asked from them to do was to complete and they did.,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “We actually had a few personal bests from the meet. So, I was really proud of all of them.”

On the track, the Wildcats took first in all three distance races, led by Jaden Vohs. The Louisburg senior won the 800-meter run in 2:13 and the 1,600 run in 4:53.

Freshman Jerynce Brings Plenty recorded a season-best time in the 3,200 run, despite the conditions, and took first in 10:33.

Vohs, Brings Plenty, Hayden Ross and Andrew Brown also took second in the 4×800 relay in 9:09.

“With the weather they were all about running a smart race,” Wright said. “Both were mentally prepared to run the conditions. It wasn’t his best time, but Jaden did what was needed to win both races. Jerynce actually ran his personal best time of the season, which was impressive due to the wind, cold and being a half a lap ahead of everyone.”

In the hurdles, senior Tom Koontz continued his success in both the 110 and the 300. Koontz recorded a time of 15.10 seconds and finished first in the 110, and later won the 300 hurdles in 42.17.

Junior Nathan Apple ran a personal best time of 15.74 seconds in the 100 hurdles to finish third, and he later took sixth in the 300 hurdles in 45.87.

Koontz won three events on the day as helped Mason Dobbins, Caden Caplinger and Ethan Ptacek to a win in the 4×100 really in 45.36. Koontz, along with Hunter Heinrich, Colyer Wingfield and Ptacek took runner-up in the 4×400 in 3:44.

Also on the track, senior Cooper Hipp finished third in the 200 dash in 24.58 and sophomore J’Lee Collins was seventh in 25.14. 

Ptacek (55.45) and Heinrich (56.24) took third and fourth, respectively, in the 400 dash.

In the field events, junior Nathan Vincent won a pair of events for the second straight week. Vincent won the javelin with a throw of 141-1 and took first in the discus with a toss of 134-5.

Junior Layne Ryals was fifth in the javelin at 128 feet and sophomore Scott Thornton was sixth at 126-1. Ryals also finished sixth in the discus at 109-7.

Another junior, J.R. Rooney, took third in the shot at 42-9.5, while sophomores Connor Lee and Jaymes Melton each had personal-best throws. Lee (40-2) and Melton (40-0), were sixth and seventh, respectively. 

Wingfield got the Wildcats a lot of points in the jumps as he was second in the triple at 39-8 and runner-up in the long jump with a personal-best mark of 20-1.5.

Hayden Feikert finished fifth in the long jump at 19-8. Trey Myers and Elias Pugh finished seventh and eighth, respectively, at 36-3 and 34-9.

“Colyer is starting to figure out the jumps,” Wright said. “In the triple jump, Colyer and another jumper were going back and forth for the first place spot. He came up short for first place in triple jump, but it was fun seeing him compete and go for it. It is still early in the season, we have some technique to work on, so I only see him becoming more exciting as the season moves forward.  

“It also helps having two teammates (Isaiah Whitley, Hayden Feikert) that are right behind him in long jump. It’s going to be exciting to watch these three compete with each other this season.”

In the high jump, junior Isaiah Whitley cleared 6 feet, which was a personal best mark, and took second overall. Junior teammate Mason Dobbins took fourth at 5-10 and Myers finished sixth at 5-6.

Caplinger led the Wildcats in the pole vault as he took second at 12-6 and senior teammate Remington Rice was sixth after he cleared 9 feet.

On the girls side, Emma Lohse gave the Lady Cats a big boost in the sprints as she recorded a pair of first place finishes.

Lohse won the 100-meter dash in 12.98 seconds, after being seeded fifth coming into the race. The Louisburg junior later went on to win the 200 dash in 27.46 and held off Eudora’s Madison Karten (27.89) for the win.

At the end of the meet, Lohse went on to team up with Mackenzie Rooney, Delaney Wieland and Emma Vohs to take third in the 4×400 relay in 4:38.

“The girls overall competed well,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “In the cold, wet, windy conditions, it is more about controlling what you can control and be your best on the day. By looking at how they competed, that is exactly what they did. Times and distance do not show their effort.

“Emma ran very well and what some may not realize is how she held off the second place sprinter in the 200. She is a competitor.”

In the field events, senior Corinna McMullen won the discus for the second week in a row as she took first with a throw of 102-11 and junior Emma Prettyman was eighth at 86-8. Prettyman also took seventh in the shot put at 32 feet.

Sophomore Maddy Carpenter-Ross won the pole vault based on number of misses after she tied with Prairie View’s Jane Hough and Fort Scott’s Ellie Trim at 8 feet.

Senior Davis Guetterman was runner-up in the javelin with a toss of 111 feet and sophomore Katie Elpers’ throw of 95-5 was good for eighth.

The Lady Cats also scored points in the distance races as sophomore Emma Vohs was third in the 800 run in 2:37. Sophomore Maddy Rhamy took third in the 3,200 run in 13:25 and fellow sophomore Erin Apple was sixth at 15:18.

Rhamy, Vohs, Aubryn Berck and Ashley Branine also finished runner-up in the 4×800 relay in 11:38.

Freshman Mackenzie Rooney scored points in the hurdles for Louisburg as she took fourth in the 300 hurdles in 56 seconds.

Louisburg is back in action Thursday when it travels to Garnett for the Anderson County Invitational. Events are set to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Other results are: 

GIRLS

100 dash: Delaney Wieland, 12th, 14.13

800 run: Aubryn Berck, 9th, 2:59

1,600 run: Erin Apple, 9th, 6:31; Nova Ptacek, 10th, 6:53

100 hurdles: Mackenzie Rooney, 9th, 19.85

Long jump: Wieland, 9th, 13-8.5

Javelin: Aspen Coulter, 21st, 71-9

BOYS

100 dash: J’Lee Collins, 9th, 12.01; Hayden Feikert, 13th, 12.23; Toby Espina-Roca, 15th, 12.35

200 dash: Hunter Heinrich, 9th, 25.22

400 dash: Cooper Hipp, 13th, 1:04

800 run: Hayden Ross, 12th, 2:27; Andrew Brown, 15th, 2:36

1,600 run: Noah Cotter, 10th, 5:31; Leo Martin, 12th, 5:38

3,200 run: Martin, 11th, 12:07

110 hurdles: Mason Dobbins, 10th, 29.91

300 hurdles: Dobbins, 9th, 48.53

Long jump: Isaiah Whitley, 10th, 19-3

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

EMMA LOHSE, JUNIOR, TRACK AND FIELD

Louisburg junior Emma Lohse is off to a strong start this season for the girls track and field team. Lohse won two events last Thursday at the Paola Invitational and helped a relay to a top 3 finish in less than ideal weather conditions.

Lohse won the 100-meter dash in 12.98 seconds and was seeded fifth going into the race. She continued her success in the 200-meter dash as she won with a time 27.46 seconds. In the relays, Lohse joined Mackenzie Rooney, Delaney Wieland and Emma Vohs to take third in the 4×400.

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: Lexi Hampton

Week 2: Sabra Brueggen

Louisburg junior Nathan Vincent won both the javelin and the discus Friday during the Leavenworth Invitational as the Wildcat boys finished second overall

LEAVENWORTH — The Louisburg boys track team picked up right where it left off Friday following its state championship run from a year ago.

At the Leavenworth Invitational, going up against mainly bigger schools, the Wildcats more than held its own as it finished second overall with 155 points, while Mill Valley won the meet with 173.

Senior Tom Koontz and junior Nathan Vincent each won a pair of events to lead the Wildcats in what was a strong outing to its 2022 season.

“I think we have an idea of where we could be at the end of the season,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “With not as many reps or workouts that we would like before the first meet, I think we went out and competed well. 

“We were the smallest school that attended the Leavenworth meet. Placing second behind Mill Valley, I think it proved to the kids that we can compete as a team at our meets, and built excitement about what we can become.”

The Wildcats dominated the hurdle events as they finished in first, second and third place in both the 110 and 300 hurdles. Koontz led the way as he won both races with a time of 15.12 seconds in the 110 and 40.66 in the 300.

Junior Mason Dobbins finished second in both races (15.48 and 42.39), while Nathan Apple was third in both (15.96 and 43.33).

“Tom ran two solid races,” Wright said. “He was absent the last two days of school attending FBLA state. He was a little stiff, but raced really well.  The one, two, three punch was nice to have for the 110 and 300 hurdles. They push each other every day at practice, and it builds an awesome culture of competition.”

In the field events, the Wildcats scored a lot of points in the javelin and discus, which was led by Vincent. The Louisburg junior won the javelin with a throw of 158 feet, 3 inches, while junior Layne Ryals (139-1) and sophomore Scott Thornton (127-4) were third and sixth, respectively.

Vincent continued his success in the discus as he won with a toss of 133-1 and senior Chase Pritchard was right behind him in second with a toss of 127-11. Ryals was fourth at 121-0.

In the shot put, junior J.R. Rooney recorded a personal-best throw of 46-1 to finish second overall.

“Nathan is going to have a solid season,” Wright said. “He was happy to win both events, but not satisfied with his distances. I think we had a total of 47 points from the throwers. Coach (Rich) Lane and coach (Alex) Gentges are making sure that the athletes are prepared and ready for competition.”

In the distance races, Jaden Vohs had strong start to his senior season as he took third in the 800-meter run in 2:07.92. He was also third in the 1,600 run in 4:33.

Freshman Jerynce Brings Plenty scored points in the 3,200 run with a third place finish in 10:35.

“Jaden had some tough competition in the 800 and 1600, and I know he will only continue to improve throughout the season because of his work ethic,” Wright said. “Jerynce running in his first outdoor high school track meet and ran a solid 3200 race. I see him only maturing as a runner, and look forward to watching him grow as a competitor.”

In the sprints, junior Ethan Ptacek finished runner-up in the 400-meter dash in 52.20. In the 4×400 relay, Ptacek, Koontz, Colyer Wingfield and Hunter Heinrich also took second in 3:34.

Caden Caplinger finished second in the pole vault after he cleared 13 feet, while Remington Rice was fifth at 10-0. Cooper Wingfield was sixth and cleared 9 feet.

Colyer Wingfield scored points in both the long and triple jumps. Wingfield was fourth in the triple with a mark of 40-2.5 and took fifth in the long at 19-9.

Junior Isaiah Whitley led the Wildcats in high jump after he cleared 5-8 to finish fifth overall and fellow junior Trey Myers was sixth at 5-6.

The Lady Cats squad also had a good showing for the first time out as as they had 10 place in the top six that scored team points. 

Senior Corinna McMullen won the lone event for Louisburg as she took home the discus title with a throw of 110 feet, 9 inches.

“The meet went well overall,” Louisburg girls coach John Reece said. “We had some veterans step-up in their respective events as well as strong performances in new events for them. Some of our new athletes outperformed my initial expectations.”

Louisburg had a lot of success in the throws as senior Davis Guetterman was second in the javelin with a toss of 115-5. Freshman Aspen Coulter was fourth at 102-1 and sophomore Katie Elpers was sixth at 100-5.

Junior Emma Prettyman scored points in the discus with a fifth place finish at 93-10 and was sixth in the shot put with a toss of 31-11.

“The throwers look to be strong this year,” Reece said. “Rinny threw great and I look for her to be a tough competitor at every meet. Davis had a great javelin outing and will lead a strong group that includes Aspen, Katie, and Emma. Emma threw well in both shot and disc and will be earning us points in both this season.”

On the track, freshman Mackenzie Rooney blazed her way to a third place finish in the 100-meter hurdles in 18.74 seconds. Junior Emma Lohse took first in the 100 dash in 13.55.

“Rooney ran great in the hurdles,” Reece said. “There are some things that she will be working on to get her even faster in the 100, as well as starting to work on the 300 hurdles.”

Ini the distance races, sophomore Emma Vohs was fifth in the 800 in 2:32, and fellow sophomore Maddy Rhamy took fifth in the 1,600 run in 6:08.

Louisburg will try and improve on those marks Thursday when they travel to the Paola Invitational.

Other results are:

GIRLS

100 dash: Delaney Wieland, 17th, 14.58

200 dash: Emma Lohse, 8th, 28.51; Mackenzie Rooney, 14th, 29.54

400 dash: Emma Vohs, 7th, 1:04

800 run: Ashley Branine, 10th, 2:44; Aubryn Berck, 16th, 3:00; Nova Ptacek, 17th, 3:02

1,600 run: Erin Apple, 9th, 6:35; Berck, 10th, 6:48

3,200 run: Maddy Rhamy, 8th, 13:19

High jump: Aspen Coulter, 16th, 4-4

Long jump: Wieland, 11th, 14-7.5

Pole vault: Maddy Carpenter-Ross, 7th, 8-0

Discus: Davis Guetterman, 22nd, 67-4

Javelin: Emma Prettyman, 9th, 87-11; Kate Frederick, 14th, 75-6

Shot put: Maddy Fuller, 25th, 18-2.5

BOYS

100 dash: Ethan Ptacek, 8th, 12.09; J’Lee Collins, 19th, 12.52; Hayden Feikert, 21st, 12.75; Toby Espina-Roca, 24th, 12.93; Isaiah Whitley, 25th, 12.95

200 dash: Cooper Hipp, 10th, 24.87; Hunter Heinrich, 14th, 25.22; Collins, 19th, 25.53; Espina-Roca, 23rd, 26.31

400 dash: Hipp, 12th, 58.01; Emmett White, 14th, 58.20

800 run: Andrew Brown, 12th, 2:17; Hayden Ross, 13th, 2:18; Landon Henry, 20th, 2:34

1,600 run: Jerynce Brings Plenty, 9th, 4:52; Noah Cotter, 17th, 5:23; Leo Martin, 19th, 5:39; Henry, 20th, 5:44

3,200 run: Cotter, 7th, 11:22; Brown, 8th, 11:26; Martin, 11th, 12:01

300 hurdles: Ashton Moore, 11th, 47.78

High jump: White, 12th, 5-0

Long jump: Feikert, 8th, 19-3.5; Elias Pugh, 18th, 17-4; Whitley, 21st, 16-10.5

Triple jump: Trey Myers, 11th, 35-6; Pugh, 12th, 34-7

Discus: Ben O’Bryan, 10th, 99-9; Scott Thornton, 14th, 97-5

Javelin: Carson Wade, 14th, 115-7; Will Hutsell, 19th, 109-9

Shot Put: Connor Lee, 10th, 38-6; Jaymes Melton, 12th, 38-3; Thornton, 14th, 36-9.5; Chase Pritchard, 18th, 34-6.

The 2021 season was one for the history books for both the Louisburg boys and girls track teams.

The Louisburg boys are coming off their second state championship in school history and hurdler Tom Koontz also won state in the 110-meters.

State was also kind to the Louisburg girls as they finished fifth at state, taking just a handful of athletes. Much of that was thanks to Delaney Wright as she won state titles in the 200 and 400-meter dashes and the long jump.

Even with all that success, both Wildcat teams are looking to match that, or even succeed it, in 2022 as several athletes return to try and create another special campaign.

“Practices have been going well,” Louisburg boys coach Andy Wright said. “We are coming off an amazing season in 2021. I would like to see us continue that high as we return nine state qualifiers, with seven state medalists. There will be some big shoes to fill in the sprints and distance events from last year’s seniors. I am confident that we have underclassmen that are up to the challenge.  

“I am really looking forward to another great season, with some great athletes to work with. As a team we have to continue to work hard, keep focused, stay healthy, and improve with each practice.”

Koontz returns after a strong junior year that saw him win state in the 110 hurdles and was also a state runner-up in the 300 hurdles. He was also a member of the 4×100 relay that took second at state and the 4×400 relay that finished third.

The Wildcats are hoping for big things out of their senior hurdler.

“Tom is a good leader,” coach Wright said. “He has been setting the tone at every practice. Tom wants to defend his 110 High hurdle state championship and also be a state champion in 300 Intermediate hurdles. He will also be a part of the 4×1 and 4×4 relays. With setting the tone at every practice, Tom is making sure that as a team we will be back on the podium with a team plaque.”

Louisburg figures to score a lot points in the hurdles this season as junior Mason Dobbins returns after taking third in the 110s and was also fifth at state in the high jump. Another junior, Nathan Apple, also returns as a state qualifier.

“Mason has been working hard in the off season,” coach Wright said. “Mason will be running the 110 hurdles ranked second and the 300s. I’m expecting big things from Mason this season. He is ranked as one of the top hurdlers in 4A and is also ranked in high jump. A new event for Mason this year will be the 4×1 relay. Nathan Apple is also ranked in the top 6th in the 110s this season. These three should be in the top six at most of the meets.”

The Wildcats also figure to score a lot of points in the field events as junior Nathan Vincent returns after taking fourth at state in the javelin and sophomore Caden Caplinger medaled eighth at state in the pole vault.

“They both have been working to improve this season,” coach Wright said. “Caden has been working all winter at an indoor practice facility for pole vault. He has improved his speed and I’m excited to see what he does this year.

“Nathan is ranked second in javelin going into the season and top 16 in discus. Both of these two are bigger and stronger than last year looking forward to what they accomplish this season.”

Vincent, along with Layne Ryals, will both throw the javelin and discus this year, while Carson Wade will also look to score points in the javelin. J.R. Rooney and Chase Pritchard will look to score points in the shot put, while Pritchard will also throw the discus.

In the jumps, junior Isaiah Whitley returns after qualifying for state in the long jump and will be joined by senior Hayden Feikert in the event. Newcomer Colyer Wingfield will participate in both the long and triple jumps.

Jaden Vohs will also look to improve off a strong junior season that saw him earn a state medal in the 800 and 1,600-meter runs a year ago.

“Excited to see what Jaden does this season,” coach Wright said. “Last year was his first year out for track and ended up placing in three events at state. Jaden has been running all offseason to prepare himself for his senior year.”

Vohs and teammate Hayden Ross were also a part of the 4×800 that also medaled at state, but Wright said they will be working throughout the year to put another 4×800 team together.

All three relays medaled at state a year ago, but each of them lost key pieces to their groups. This season, junior Ethan Ptacek, Koontz, Hunter Heinrich and Wingfield will run the 4×400.

In the 4×100, Caplinger, Dobbins, Koontz, Jase Hovey, Ptacek, Toby Espina-Roca, Hayden Feikert, Gavin York and Whitley are all competing for spots on the relay.

Ptacek will be the team’s top returning sprinter after he took eighth at state in the 400-meter dash and will also run the 100 and 200 dashes as well.

GIRLS TRACK

Delaney Wright had the best individual season in Louisburg girls track history as she won three state championships as is considered one of the top athletes in Class 4A.

Those accolades earned her attention from college coaches around the area and Wright signed to join the Kansas State University track and field program next season.

Unfortunately, a basketball injury will sideline Wright for the early part of the track season, but she still has plans to participate in all three events this year.

“Delaney will have a slow start to the season and it might be a few meets before she competes,” Louisburg coach John Reece said. “As of now we look for her to continue to do the 200, 400, and long jump. We could add another event for her with our new found talent and maybe put together a relay or three.”

The Lady Cats have 21 athletes out for track this season and return three state qualifiers in the process.

In the field events, Corinna McMullen (discus) and Davis Guetterman (javelin) both return for their senior seasons. McMullen earned her first state medal as she was fourth a year ago.

“Davis and Rinny are leading the way in the throws,” Reece said. “I expect them to do great things and return to state and improve upon their placings last year or even go in another event.”

Junior Emma Prettyman will also look to qualify for her first state meet this season as she competes in the shot put and discus.

On the track, sophomore Emma Vohs returns after earning a state medal in the 400-meter dash a season ago as she took sixth.

“Emma will be doing some different events throughout the season,” Reece said. “I look for her to continue with the 400 but move up to the 800 and possibly be a part of a strong 4×4 or 4×8. With a somewhat young team, we will have to see how we progress with training and times.”

Louisburg will also have some new faces in the distance races as Aubryn Berck, Maddy Rhamy, Ashley Branine and Nova Ptacek will join returner Erin Apple in those events.

Emma Lohse and Delaney Wieland will compete in the sprints, while freshman Mackenzie Rooney will took part in the hurdles.

“As a whole this is a good group,” Reece said. “We have several new upperclassmen out this year for the first time so after a few meets, we will really see the strength of our team.”