The 2026 NSAA State Track and Field Championships opened Wednesday in Omaha with Classes A and B beginning competition, and area athletes wasted little time making an impact.
Broken Bow’s Drew Ellis delivered one of the top local performances of the day, earning a Class B boys shot put state medal. After fouling on his first two throws, Ellis came through in a big moment on his third attempt with a toss of 54 feet, 6 inches, moving him into the finals and medal contention. That mark held through the championship rounds, securing Ellis a seventh-place finish and a state medal.
Broken Bow freshman Aiden Page also competed in the Class B boys shot put, recording a top throw of 47 feet, 4.25 inches. The event title went to Eli Shada of Wahoo at 59 feet, 11.75 inches.
In the Class B girls pole vault, Broken Bow’s Charlee Myers made program history as the school’s first girls pole vaulter to compete at state. Myers cleared 9 feet, 6 inches to finish 16th overall. Northwest’s Amarae Krafka claimed gold after clearing 12 feet, 6 inches.
The Broken Bow girls 4×800 relay team of Lauryn Hansen, Ashlyn Schauda, Izzy Shelton, and Halle Quinn also represented the Indians on opening day, finishing in 10:19.65. Elkhorn North captured the event championship in 9:20.03.
Other area highlights included Gothenburg’s Bryson Neels finishing runner-up in the Class B boys 400-meter dash in 48.84 seconds. Cozad’s Chayden Hoffmaster earned fourth place in the boys triple jump with a leap of 45 feet, 1.5 inches.
Gothenburg’s Evan Johnson advanced to the finals in the Class B boys 110-meter hurdles after running 15.29 seconds, while Cozad’s Bryson Snider qualified for the Class B boys 100-meter dash finals with a 10.9-second performance.
State track competition continues Thursday with the final day for Classes A and B. Broken Bow’s Gunner Baltz and Drew Ellis are scheduled to compete in the Class B boys discus beginning at noon.
For state track updates throughout the day, tune in to KBEAR 92.3 FM, and watch the KBEAR Facebook page for video coverage and updates from Omaha.
