Although neither varsity track team came away with many points at the difficult Millard South Invitational Saturday, April 12, both teams had several athletes medal at the Titan Classic, which took place at Papillion-La Vista South on April 17.

The boys team, led by distance runners, jumpers, and thrower Tom Young, came out with fourth place, with 67 points. The boys team champion, Grand Island, had 122. The girls team came away with 55 points; the champion, home team Papillion-La Vista South, had 114.

In the 800-meter dash, senior Stuart Willett, a two-time state qualifier, placed fourth out of 18, with a time of 2:04.47, four seconds off the personal best he ran at state last year. Senior Max Knight was seventh, with a time of 2:06.76. He is ranked seventh in the district overall, and Willett is ranked fifth. The top three finishers in each event at districts will be guaranteed trips to state.

Willett also placed second out of 20 in the mile, running a personal best of 4:33.43. This time, which was nearly 10 seconds faster than Willett’s previous record in the event, makes Willett currently the top-ranked miler in District 1. Five Westside boys milers are ranked in the top 10.

In the two-mile race, senior Jordan Wheeler placed second out of 13, matching his previous best time of 10:09. He is ranked third in the district in the event. Sophomore Jakob Phillips ran a personal best in the two-mile, clocking in at 10:18. He placed fourth in the Titan Classic meet, and is ranked fifth in the district.

To top off the boys distance runners’ success in the meet, the 4 x 800 relay team placed second out of six. The team ran the fastest it has all season, with a time of 8:26.13. The boys on the relay team at the Titan Classic were Knight, Wheeler, Phillips, and sophomore Alec Reilly.

Senior Tom Young, who should be a contender at state, placed second in the shot put, with a mark of 51-02.00. He is ranked fourth in the district. Young won the discus, throwing a personal best of 151-06. He is ranked second in the district in this event.

In the long jump, junior Njali Kowa placed second out of 19, with a height of 20-07.50, while junior Kavon Neelon placed third, with 20-02.50. Neelon’s jump placed him sixth on the chart for District 1, and Kowa’s mark of 21-08.00 from earlier this season is the best in the district so far, and 10th in the state.

The girls also saw several successful finishes. Sophomore Nachia Olsen ran a wind-assisted 12.99 in the 100-meter dash, and finished sixth out of 21. In the 200, junior Regan Johnson finished third out of 20, in 26.86 seconds (also wind-assisted.)

Freshmen Julia Barger and Joslyn Frost, new team members who may have a chance to qualify for state, were sixth and seventh in the 400, with times of 1:03.76 and 1:04.53, respectively. The two are regular members of the 4 x 400 relay team, which is ranked third in the district for a 4:13.23 finish earlier in the season.

Senior Megan Peterson, who hopes to qualify for state in the open 800, placed ninth out of 21 at the Titan Classic, and matched her 2:32 personal record. Peterson is a regular member of the 4 x 800 team, which recently ran its best time, a 10:13.34, with Peterson, freshman Taylor Butler, and seniors Sarah Snyder and Catie Thull running.

Thull didn’t run the relay last Thursday, but ran a 5:35.06 personal best in the mile to become the top-ranked miler in the district. Thull has never qualified for state in an individual event, but has a strong chance this year; in addition to her top ranking in the mile, her two-mile time of 12:21, while not a personal best, puts her fifth in the district.

The only girls varsity hurdler, sophomore Bridget Mizener, placed fourth out of 13 in the 100-meter hurdles, with a time of 16.97, and third out of 14 in the 300 hurdles, with a time of 47.13. Mizener should easily qualify for state, being the No. 3 seed in the district in the 100 hurdles and No. 2 in the 300.

Junior Hayley Krumwiede continued her success in the jumping events, winning the long jump by a large margin with her best mark all year, 17-02.00, and placing third out of 17 in the triple jump, with a distance of 34-10.50. Krumwiede is ranked second in the district in the triple jump.

With three individuals currently ranked in the top four in District 1 in a total of five unique events, as well as two relay teams, the girls team will likely see a few state qualifiers this year. So will the boys, who currently have five top-four rankings in the district from four individuals, as well as a promising 4 x 800 team. A number of athletes who are ranked not far down from the top four will also look to improve their performances before districts.

Three varsity meets remain before track districts, which will take place Wednesday, May 14 at Kearney.