Westside recognizes two track state champions

Westside High School welcomed their 534th and 535th state champions from the track and field team. Junior Lademi Davies and sophomore Stella Miner became the first Warriors to win gold medals in the sport, since Jaelyn Knight captured the 100 meters in 2018. 

Davies won the long jump at Burke Stadium with a leap of 19-6¼. 

“Winning a state championship is really cool,” Davies said. “It feels like a combination of a lot of years of preparation, and trusting the program and trusting the process.”

On the day of the meet Davies was just shy of her personal record, which was 19-7½. Davies hopes to improve on her distance as a senior.

“To keep learning new things about technique and about how to jump and run better,” Davies said.

Davies picked up another medal in the field events, when she placed third in the triple jump. Davies continued her success on the track, where she finished second in the 200 meters and set a school record with a time of 24.37.

Miner broke future Olympian and Elkhorn High School graduate Alice Schmidt’s state meet record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:12.05, which was set in 2000.

“It is a super exciting feeling, “ Miner said. “ I have so much respect for all the others in my event, winning that gold medal is very exciting and I am very proud of myself.” 

Miner earned three more medals in the distance events. The Westside junior finished as the runner-up in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:57.60. Miner also collected medals in the 1600 and 3200 meter relays and credited her teammates for much of her success.

“The other distance runners on the team, all the work they were putting into it pushed me to do more,” Miner said.

With a great season behind these two athletes their coach thinks a bright future awaits. 

“Stella is extremely talented and she is getting a lot of attention from some of the top distance programs in the nation to come and run in college,” Preister said.

With five school records already broken, Coach Preister thinks that Lademi could be successful breaking more records in the future as her high school career continues.

“She has five of our school records and is on the top ten charts in both the long jump and 200 all time in Nebraska.  She will more than likely end up on the 100 and Triple Jump charts as well.” 

Mi ner is currently hopes to win her second state championship. She took the gold medal in 2021, as a freshman at Marian High School.

Miner and Davies are looking forward to the 2023 track and field season, when they could collect more gold medals at Burke Stadium.