WICHITA — Hurdles are no problem for Sam Aguirre.
Aguirre, a Yates Center High junior, has found his stride running the high and intermediate hurdle races. For the second consecutive year, Aguirre was on the biggest stage of Kansas high school track — the Kansas High School State All-Class State Track and Field Championships.
Aguirre is a double-state medal winner in Kansas Class 2A after the competition Friday and Saturday at Wichita State’s Cessna Stadium. Yates Center sophomore Mindi Holloway collected her first state track meet medal Saturday.
Aguirre qualified for both the 110-meter high hurdles and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles for the second straight year. On Friday, he advanced to the finals of both races in Class 2A competition.
“I had a lot of confidence coming into today’s race. I knew I didn’t have the top time but knew I needed to push myself in the race,” Aguirre said right after taking fourth in the 110-meter high hurdles Saturday morning. He ran the race in 15.79 seconds.
Aguirre had almost five hours before he had to run the 300-meter intermediate final. Yates Center head track coach Dan Berg said Aguirre “went to his sister’s and chilled out and kept calling to find out where the competition was then he came back to the stadium.”
With temperatures reaching the lower 90s Saturday, competitors were finding ways to stay cool.
“I just stayed in the shade and made sure I had plenty of fluids,” said Holloway, who was in her second state meet.
Holloway pushed her way to the front of the pack as the 2A 800-meter started and stayed there. She posted her personal-best time of 2:28.34 to earn the seventh-place medal.
“It felt amazing to get a state medal. When you think about it that there was just three seconds seperating me from first place. It was a great race,” Holloway said.
Aguirre came back and worked through some nervous tension. He had run his best time of 41.50 seconds in the preliminaries on Friday in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.
“After winning the 300s in regional I really became more comfortable running them,” Aguirre said. “I tried my best and got second but I’m pleased with my performance and can’t wait to get back there next year.”
Agurirre ran the finals in 41.85 seconds for the silver medal.
Also in Class 2A competition, Marmaton Valley High senior Zach Louk was 10th in the1600-meter run in 4:50.32 and 12th in the 3200-meter run in 10:45.22. Senior Chase Dudley was 13th in the triple jump at 39’8 1/2”.
Uniontown High’s Abby Dixon placed 13th in the discus with a throw of 92’7” and Da’Nisha Robinson was 15th in the shot put with a toss of 31’3 1/2”.
