Area athletes turned in another strong day on the track Thursday, May 7, competing at the Hastings St. Cecilia Invite, Paxland Last Chance Meet, Ord High School Invite, and Centura Invite. Athletes from Pleasanton, Amherst, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller, Burwell, Arcadia-Loup City, Ravenna, Centura, Ansley-Litchfield, and Twin Loup combined for multiple event championships, personal bests, and relay victories across central Nebraska.
At the Paxland Last Chance Meet, Sumner-Eddyville-Miller senior Taryn Arbuthnot led the way with a dominant performance on the girls side. Arbuthnot captured titles in the 100 meters in 13.09 seconds, the 200 meters in a personal-best 26.73 seconds, and the high jump at 5-foot-1, while also placing third in the long jump. Freshman Avery Harder added a third-place finish in the 400 meters and fourth in the 3200 with two personal-best performances. Freshman Kyler Jones placed third in both the shot put and discus, including a personal-best throw of 97 feet, 9 inches in discus.
On the boys side for SEM, Samuel Venegas-Villanueva finished runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles and fourth in the 300 hurdles, while Caden Williams posted a personal best in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 3.75 inches. Cooper Elsen added personal-best marks in the triple jump and strong finishes in both throwing events.
Pleasanton and Amherst both had standout performances at the Hastings St. Cecilia Invite. Pleasanton’s Brennan Lindner swept the boys sprint titles, winning the 100 in 11.05 seconds and the 200 in 22.50. Amherst’s Gavin Davis won the 400 meters in 51.29 seconds and added a long jump championship with a leap of 20 feet, 4 inches. Pleasanton also captured titles in the boys 4×100 and 4×400 relays, while Sam Smith won the triple jump with a personal-best mark of 41 feet, 9 inches.
The Amherst girls also produced several event champions. Kylinn Daugherty won the 400 meters in a personal-best 1:00.91, while Broxlynn Fast claimed the 800-meter title in 2:24.68. Avery Cast swept the throwing events, winning the shot put and discus. Pleasanton’s Emme Westland captured the 100-meter hurdles title and placed second in the 300 hurdles, while Lily Chandler won the pole vault at 11 feet, 8 inches and finished runner-up in the triple jump.
At the Ord High School Invite, Arcadia-Loup City’s Tyce Calleroz continued his strong spring season with a runner-up finish in the 400 meters in 51.56 seconds. Dutch Miller added a second-place finish in the 1600 with a personal-best 4:40.94, while Carter Schmidt placed second in the 800 meters in another personal best effort. The Rebels also saw strong performances in the field events from Wyatt Stieb, who took third in shot put and second in discus with a personal-best throw of 143 feet, 4 inches. Freshman Chayden Sekutera added top-six finishes in both throwing events with personal-best marks.
Burwell’s girls were led by Addie Critel, who won both the 800 and 1600-meter runs. Mieke van der Walt posted a runner-up finish in the 100 hurdles and helped the Longhorns win the 4×400 relay. Lena Spencer also added a third-place finish in the 1600 and second in the 3200.
The Centura Invite featured several strong performances from area teams. Ravenna sophomore Jack Kucera won the 300 hurdles in a personal-best 40.78 seconds and placed second in the 110 hurdles. Twin Loup’s Emmet Grint finished second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 110 hurdles, while the Wolves also claimed the boys 4×400 relay title in 3:46.32. Oran Grint placed third in the 200 and fourth in the long jump for Twin Loup.
Ravenna’s Mannox Martin dominated the throwing events, winning the shot put with a throw of 60 feet, 7.5 inches and the discus at 161 feet, 8 inches. Centura’s Gavin Whitefoot and Jace Campbell both added top-five finishes in the shot put, while Jax Campbell finished third in discus.
On the girls side at Centura, the Centurions sprint squad controlled the meet. Taya Taukiuvea won the 100, 200, and long jump, while Lauren Suntych added runner-up finishes in the 100 and pole vault. Centura also won the girls 4×100 relay. Ravenna freshman Ebony Bock finished third in the 100 and fifth in the 200, while Ansley-Litchfield’s Caydence Feldman captured the 3200-meter title and finished third in the 1600. Twin Loup’s Alli Smith placed runner-up in the 3200.
