WICHITA — A smaller, yet no less electric, atmosphere is in store for area track and field athletes as they head to the state meet at Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium.
In a departure from years past, the state meet is being split up into three days because of concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The state’s largest schools from Class 6A and Class 5A will compete Thursday.
Schools from Class 4A, including Iola, and Class 3A will compete on Friday.
Saturday’s events are for students in the smallest schools in Class 2A, including Humboldt and Yates Center, and Class 1A, which encompasses, Marmaton Valley, Crest and Southern Coffey County.
FRIDAY’S activities for Iola High begin at 11:30 a.m. with Iola’s Jesse Taylor competing in the boys 3200-meter run.
Callie Murcko begins competing in the girls pole vault at noon before Iola’s 4×800-meter relay teams take center stage. The girls quartet of Sage Barney, Audrey Coltrane, Cara Porter and Averie Sharon run at 1:40 p.m. The Mustang runners, Eli Adams, Jack Adams, Riley Jay and Taylor are scheduled to run at 2:06.
Jack Adams then wraps up Iola’s participation when he runs in the boys 1600-meter run at 3:46.
SATURDAY’S schedule is packed from start to finish.
Marmaton Valley’s Janae Granere gets things started at 8 a.m. when she competes in the girls 1A triple jump.
Humboldt’s Jada Dangerfield and Jessica Myers compete in the girls shot put and long jump, respectively, at 10 a.m., while Drew Wilhite heads to the boys high jump area. Also at 10 a.m., Southern Coffey County’s Aiden Voorhees competes in the boys triple jump.
Crest’s Ursula Billings runs the girls 3200-meter run at 11 a.m.
Maddox Johnson of Humboldt hits the discus throw at noon, at the same time Granere hits the long jump runway.
Marmaton Valley’s Kristyna Snyrychova and Yates Center’s Liberty Cavender begin at 12:28 with the girls 100-meter hurdle preliminary races. If they qualify, the finals will be held about two hours later, at 2:26 p.m.
Humboldt’s Levi McGowen and Drake Harrington will compete in the boys triple jump at 2 p.m., at the same time teammate Blake Walker competes in the boys shot put. Voorhees also returns to action at 2 o’clock in the high jump.
