Eleven Raiders heading to Omaha

Last week at the Bayard BCD Meet in Alliance, Sidney’s Morgan Linneman and Logan Lewis were named Athletes of the Meet. But that was just the warm-up act.

For the show stopper, the pair set out to demonstrate how some hard work and talent can earn an all-expenses paid trip to Omaha. And for some added showmanship, several others have joined the troupe.

For Nebraska Class B high school track athletes, the day of reckoning had come Thursday in the District Track Meet at Bearcat Stadium in Scottsbluff. Postponements, cancellations and missed-practice time were all moot points now. It was time to perform.

For some, this was a realistic chance to earn a trip to the 2013 NSAA State Track and Field Championships at Burke Stadium in Omaha, May 17-18. For others it was their last chance to reach heights never before achieved, no matter what place they finished.

The top three finishers in each individual event and the top two relay teams would earn a berth in the state championship meet. Additional placings are awarded to fourth-place finishers (or third place in relay’s) with the best results from among the other class B meets held around the state.

When the curtain closed, the Sidney girls placed third in the district with 92.5 points. McCook was the district champion with 123.5 points and host Scottsbluff was runnerup with 112. All tolled, eight Red Raider girls qualified in 12 events for state’s.

The host team proved best of the boys with 128 points while McCook (99) edged out Alliance (98) for second. Sidney was fourth with 56 points. Three Sidney boys are making the trip to Omaha.

(Girls)

On the track Linneman and Karissa Segelke, both seniors, led the girls by qualifying in each of the four events in which they competed. Linneman qualified by winning the 100 (12.87) and 200-meter (26.01) dash’s. She was the runner up in the 400 meters (59.42).

“It was a good day,” Linneman said. “I didn’t know what to expect in the 400 because I saw some times that were pretty close to mine.”

Molly Sughroue of McCook won the 400 in 57.21.

Linneman will also join Gabbie Addleman, Segelke and Kali Robb in Omaha to compete in the 4 x 100-meter relay. The Sidney four won the sprint relay in 50.71 seconds.

As for Segelke, she qualified with second place finishes in the 100 (16.30) and 300-meter (47.44) hurdles. In addition to the aformentioned 4 x 100, Segelke was on the 4 x 400-meter relay team with Alli Ehler, Genessa Schilz and Abby Heller which finished second in a dramatic race.

Despite qualifying for Omaha in the 300 hurdles, Segelke didn’t exactly look much like celebrating.

“I felt I was supposed to win that one,” Segelke said.

Savanna Rosenbaum is returning the show after finishing second to Megan Upp of Gering in the high jump. Though Rosenbaum equalled the winner’s jump, she was awarded second based on a tie breaker. While her jump of 5-0 is her best this year, she jumped 5-4 last season.

As for her expectations, “I finished ninth last year so I really want to place this time at staes,” Rosenbaum said.

The top eight finishers in each event are awarded medals in Omaha.

Though the day started out miserably for Robb in the discus, she rebounded quickly to qualify in two events. Her day began with the discus throw - an event she has routinely medaled in. Her best throw of 105-02 is a good 25 feet from what she might have expected. At the Best of the West Meet, held at this venue, she won with a 130-8.

Her day took a turn for the better when her final shot put (41-5 1/4) was less than six inches from her career best. Had she continued throwing, perhaps she could have reached a new best. On each of her throws in the finals, she threw farther than her previous attempt.

Though perhaps too competitive to be completely satisfied, “I wanted to do a 42 (feet),” she said.

The girls meet ended with the 4 x 400-meter relay. The 4 x 400-meter relay ended with Heller as the anchor leg. After taking the baton from Schilz the team stood a close third - likely out of the running for Omaha. Heller took the baton and sped past the runner in front of her.

In the final meters of her run she had look on her face of both agony and determination. The determination won out.

“After I passed her, I culd picture her in my mind right behind me the whole way,” Heller said still a little wobbly legged.

Said Schilz, “I was a little nervous without Morgan (Linneman) on the team but it worked out just fine.”

In the toughest beat of the day Jami Flores equalled the mark (8-7) of third-place finisher Arin Reimers of Ogallala in the pole vault. She lost out on a tie breaker which was decided by an earlier miss.

(Boys)

Logan Lewis will be busy when he gets to Omaha as he qualified for three individual events. Though only having exceeded 50 feet in the shot once before, Lewis twice did the trick Thursday. His best of 50-00 3/4 was good enough for third and his first ticket to Omaha.

“I was a little nervous before the meet started but I feel good now,” Lewis said after his first event. “I’ve been (to Burke Stadium) before as a spectator but never as a competitor. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Lewis earned his other places in the big show with his legs. He first took second in the 100-meter dash with a personal best time of 11.14. In the 200-meter dash his third-place finish earned him another invite. His time of 22.82 was also a personal best.

“I thought I had a really good shot at third,” Lewis said of his 100 meters. “I wasn’t even really thinking about second.”

As for the future of the boys shot put at Sidney, there appear to be no worries. Freshman Jake Heeren exceeded his lifetime best by more than a foot at 47-00 1/2. He finished fifth.

It was just about a week ago Lucas Rosenbaum was thinking about how he could go higher than his personal best of 13 feet in the pole vault. That was more than a foot ago. Rosenbaum will join his sister on the bus to Omaha with his second-place finish and new personal best (14-1).

“I just put it all together today. I had to do it today,” Rosenbaum said.

Rosenbaum actually broke two personal bests at districts. His personal best of 13-7, however, lasted only a matter of minutes.

Though Nick Conger is credited with second place in the high jump, his leap of 6-3 was the equal of winner Zac Bibb of Gering. Conger lost out on the win through a tie break. Since both Conger and Bibb failed at 6-5, the tie was broken by going back to a previous height in which Conger needed two attempts to clear.

Conger, who moved to Sindney from Lincoln, won’t mind the higher humidity or lower altitude of Omaha.

At press time Coach John Ganser was still waiting on whether or not others have qualified based on time. Sam Arterburn, who passed one runner in the stretch and was gaining on a second, finished fourth in the 1,600 meters. He shaved another five seconds off his lifetime best with his 4.43.25. Last week he shaved seven seconds off his personal best.

“I’m confident, I think I could get in on time,” Arterburn said. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Lucas Rosenbaum was fourth in the 400 meters (52.39) and is playing the waiting game too.