Iola, Humboldt, Marmaton Valley, Uniontown, Yates Center, Crest, SCC have champions through the years
A new group of state championship hopefuls from Iola High School, Humboldt High School, Marmaton Valley High School, Uniontown High School, Yates Center High School, Crest High School and Southern Coffey County High School prepare to head to the 2010 Kansas High School State Track and Field Championships.
Every year student athletes from the seven area school and from high schools across the state of Kansas go after state medals. The ultimate goal is to hear their name at the end of “gold medal champion” over the public address system.
There is something special about having all six classifications (sizes) of schools at the same two-day meet. But there’s something even more special about this year’s all-class state track meet at Wichita State University’s.
Kansas is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the state high school track and field meet. To commemorate the event, the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) compiled a book of track championships spanning from 1911 to 2009. “A century of Milestones” by Carol Swenson gives a history of Kansas high school track and field plus the listings of every state champion in each event in each classification throughout the years.
All seven of the area high schools have had at least one state event champion. The very first year of high school track and field in Kansas Humboldt’s George Sweatt was a double champion. In 1911, there were no divisions; it was competition against every size and Sweatt won the shot put with a throw of 39 feet, 3 inches and the 440-yard dash in 55.8 seconds. Fred Hartwig, Humboldt, was a double champion in 1912 in the long jump, 17’9”, and shot put, 41’0”.
Iola High’s first state track champion was Floyd Papin. Papin won the long jump, going against all schools, in 1932 and 1933.
Iola’s boys have won two state meet team championships, 1976 under Dale Stiles in Class 3A and in 1993 under Marvin Smith in Class 4A. The 1976 team was led by Terry Catron, who won the 440-yard dash, and anchored two relay teams to gold medals.
In 1993, the Mustangs won all three relay races — 4×100, 4×400 and 4×800. They defended their titles in the 4×400 and the 4×800 in 1994.
Molly Lonergan was Iola High’s first girls’ state champion. She won the Class 4A discus event back-to-back in 1999 and 2000. Lonergan set a Class 4A state meet record in 2000 at 150’7”, which still stands.
Kansas held its first girls’ outdoor state track meet in 1972.
Humboldt’s Paula Stanley won three state hurdle championships. Stanley won the 110-yard high hurdles in Class 2A in 1977. In 1979, there were changes for high school track in Kansas. It went to 1A-6A size classes and switched to meters in running events. Stanley won the 100-meter high hurdles and the 200-meter low hurdles in 1979.
Jason Weilert of Humboldt won back-to-back Class 3A championships in the javelin in 1990 and 1991.
Marmaton Valley High hasn’t had a boys’ state champion, although Moran High School had four state event titles from 1939 to 1941. Kendra Lamb won Marmaton Valley High’s first state championship in 1997, winning the Class 2A 100-meter dash.
Stephanie King has five state event championships for Marmaton Valley High School. King was the queen of distance runners in 2005 and 2006. She won the 1600-meter and the 3200-meter runs in 2005 and successfully defended those titles in 2006 plus won the 800-meter race.
Yates Center High’s first state champion was Bernie Blevins, who won the shot put for Class A at the indoor state meet and again at the outdoor meet. Kansas had a state boys’ indoor meet from 1955 to 1978 and a girls’ indoor meet from 1975 to 1978.
Crest High’s Patty Holt won the girls’ Class 1A discus in 1976 and Audra Comstock won the Class 1A high jump in 1987. In 1997, David Eisenbrandt won the 1A 100-meter dash.
Southern Coffey County High has just one state champion, Cara Hess in Class 1A triple jump in 2004. Hess is a three-time state champion, winning the 1A long jump and triple jump as a sophomore at Gridley High School.
Le Roy High’s first state champion was Greg Gleue in Class 1A javelin in 1976. Gridley’s first champion was McGee in the 440-yard dash in Class B in 1942, Hess was Gridley’s last state champion and Tasha Harvey, who won the 1A discus, was Le Roy’s last champion in 2002. The next year the two schools combined becoming Southern Coffey County.
Uniontown High’s first state champion was Vince Ahrens in the Class 3A 800-meter run in 1984. Garin Williams and Bryan Holt owned the 1600-meter run in Class 2A in 1990 and 1991. Williams won that same race in 1993 as he had three state championships in three years.
Nikki Banwart had the UHS first girls’ track title in the triple jump in 1999 in Class 2A. Kaity Smith won the 100-meter high hurdles in Class 2A in 2007, a title her sister Abbie Smith is going after this weekend.
Iola High School
Outdoor
1932 — Floyd Papin, long jump, 21’10’1/4”
1933 — Floyd Papin, long jump, 21’1 1/4”
1967 — Henry Henderson, long jump, 21’5 3/4”
1970 — David Roe, pole vault, 12’4”, Class 3A
1972 — Chuck Coblentz, discus, 171’8”, Class 3A
1974 — Medley Relay, 3:30.4, Class 3A (Gregg Riley, Gary Crabtree, Eddie Rogers, Terry Catron)
1975 — Terry Catron, 440-yd dash, 49.5, Class 3A
Medley Relay, 3:37.7, Class 3A (Gary Crabtree, Thurman Graham, Eddie Rogers, Terry Catron)
1976 — Boys’ Team Championship, Class 3A
Terry Catron, 440-yd dash, 49.5, Class 3A
Medley Relay, 3:40, Class 3A, (Gary Crabtree, Mike Irwin, Clay Beshore, Terry Catron)
880-yd Relay, 1:31.7, Class 3A (Mike Irwin, Danny Parrish, Gary Crabtree, Terry Catron)
1977 — Kevin Audley, discus, 161’3”, Class 3A
1978 — Mike Luttrell, 220-yd dash, 22.4, Class 3A
1979 — Robert Watts, long jump, 22’5 3/4”, Class 4A
1980 — Robert Watts, long jump, 23’6 3/4”, Class 4A
1982 — Juan Wallace, 100-m dash, 11.3, Class 4A
Juan Wallace, 200-m dash, 22.0, Class 4A, state record
1984 — Peda Samuel, 100-m dash, 10.9, Class 4A
Peda Samuel, 200-m dash, 22.1, Class 4A
1988 — Bill Hobbs, high jump, 6’6”, Class 4A
1992 — 4×100-m Relay, 43.96, Class 4A (Brian Ebert, Michael Johnson, Kevin Jukes, Webb Mechling)
1993 — Boy’s Team Championship (tied), Class 4A
Webb Mechling, 200-m dash, 22.68, Class 4A
Justin Faulhaber, 3200-m run, 9:44.6, Class 4A
4×100-m Relay, 43.78, Class 4A (Brad Walden, Michael Johnson, Kevin Jukes, Webb Mechling)
4×400-m Relay, 3:24.55, Class 4A (Chris Cason, David Williams, Webb Mechling Kevin Jukes)
4×800-m Relay, 8:08.55, Class 4A (David Williams, Chris Cason, Mike Marshall, Kevin Jukes)
1994 — Kevin Jukes, 800-m run, 1:55.91, Class 4A
4×400-m Relay, 3:24.97, Class 4A (Adam Church, Mike Marshal, Chris Cason, Kevin Jukes)
4×800-m Relay, 8:06.9, Class 4A (Chris Cason, Mike Marshall, Adam Church, Kevin Jukes)
1999 — Molly Lonergan, discus, 140’8”, Class 4A
2000 — Molly Lonergan, discus, 150’7”, Class 4A, state meet record
2003 — Tim Stauffer, 1600-m run, 4:26.64, Class 4A
2006 — Josh Honeycutt, triple jump, 46’3 1/2”, Class 4A
2007 — Jackie Rogers, shot put, 42’6 3⁄4”, Class 4A
2009 — Ethan Fulton, 110-m high hurdles, 14.77, Class 4A
Indoor Meet
1961 — Robert Looney, long jump, 21’10 1/2”, Class AA
1967 — Henry Henderson, 70-yd low hurdles, 8.3, Class A
1967 — Garold Endsley, pole vault, 12’11 1/4”, Class A
1970 — David Roe, pole vault, 13’6 1/2”, Class 3A
1971 — David Roe, pole vault, 13’9 1/4”, Class 3A, state meet record
1972 — Tracy Atherton, low hurdles, 8.0, Class 3A
1976 — Terry Catron, 440-yd dash, 50.6, Class 3A
Humboldt High School
Outdoor
1911 — George Sweatt, shot put, 39’3”, All-Classes
George Sweatt, 440-yd dash, 55.8, All-Classes
1912 — Fred Hartwig, long jump, 17’9”, All-Classes
Fred Hartwig, shot put, 41’0”, All-Classes
1963 — Stephen Palstring, high jump, 5’11 1/2”, Class A
Steven Orcutt, javelin, 182’6”, Class A
1977 — Paula Stanley, 110-yd high hurdles, 15.3, Class 2A
1979 — Paula Stanley, 100-m high hurdles, 15.1, Class 3A
Paula Stanley, 200-m hurdles, 24.8, Class 3A
1984 — Mark Dobbins, discus, 165’1”, Class 3A
1990 — Jason Weilert, javelin, 195’9”, Class 3A
1991 — Jason Weilert, javelin, 209’9”, Class 3A
Angie Clements, 300-m low hurdles, 45.59, Class 3A
Marmaton Valley High School
(Moran-Elsmore)
Outdoor
1939 — Mile Relay, Moran, 3:31.9, Class B
1940 — Warren Henderson, Moran, 200-yd hurdles, 23.0, Class B
Mile Relay, Moran, 3:41.7, Class B
1941 — Bowman, Moran, 880-yd run, 2:04.0; Class B
1997 — Kendra Lamb, MVHS, 100-m dash, 12.76, Class 2A
2005 — Stephanie King, MVHS, 1600-m run, 5:20.50, Class 2A
Stephanie King, MVHS, 3200-m run, 11:25.0, Class 2A
2006 — Stephanie King, MVHS, 800-m run, 2:22.71, Class 2A
Stephanie King, MVHS, 1600-m run, 5:22.23, Class 2A
Stephanie King, MVHS, 3200-m run, 11:48.28, Class 2A
