Lady Raiders Take B-6 Track & Field Title

OGALLALA-- What seemed inevitable since the beginning of the Track & Field season came to pass on May 7, when the Sidney Lady Raider Track & Field team traveled to Ogallala to claim their title as B-6 District Champs.

Although windy conditions made it challenging at times, it was the Lady Raider team that blew away the competition, scoring 119 points, far ahead of second-place McCook with 85.5 points. The Gothenburg team placed third with 80.5 points.

Again it was senior Karsyn Leeling leading the way for Sidney, as the nation's number one female High School High Jumper not only won that event but also won the Long Jump, Triple Jump and was part of the second-place 4x100 Meter Relay team. Leeling will be very busy at the State Meet at Burke Stadium later this week qualifying for four events, but all eyes will be on her when she competes in the High Jump event, looking to set a new State Championship record. Senior Chloe Ahrens also had an outstanding day, winning the 100 and 300 Meter Hurdles, and also taking gold as part of the 4x400 Meter Relay team. Ahrens was also part of the second-place 4x100 Meter Relay team, qualifying her for four events.

The Lady Raiders qualified 12 individuals for the NSAA State Championships, and also three relay teams. In addition to Leeling and Ahrens qualifying, senior Talissa Tanquary won the 400 Meters, and 800 Meters, and was part of the first-place 4x400 Meter Relay and second-place 4x800 Meter Relay teams, qualifying her for four events. Senior Payton Schrotberger placed fourth in the 100 Meters and was part of the first-place 4x400 Meter Relay team and second-place 4x100 Meter Relay team, qualifying her for all three events.

Junior Jordan DeNovellis placed sixth in Discus, qualifying her for the State Tournament. Sophomore Katie Dowse was part of the first-place 4x400 Meter Relay team and second-place 4x800 Meter Relay team, qualifying her for both events.

For all the standout performances this season by the upper-class girls, it was the freshman group that was the real surprise and scored consistently for Sidney all season. The long list of freshman standout qualifiers is Kylee Kampfe in the Triple Jump, Rylan Misegadis in the High Jump, Reagan Nesbitt in Discus, Melody Sanchez in the 4x100 Meter Relay, Jordynn Schnell in the 4x800 Meter Relay and Taylor Sprenger in 4x800 Meter Relay.

The Red Raider boys team also had an outstanding day, but it was only good enough to earn them fourth place with 75 points, behind Cozad, Gothenburg, and first-place McCook. Again, there were a good number of outstanding performances that qualified eight Raiders for the State Meet at Burke Stadium. Senior Isak Doty continued his dominance in the sprints, winning the 100 Meters and 200 Meters and being part of the first-place 4x100 Meter and third-place 4x400 Meter Relay teams, qualifying for four events at the State Meet. Senior Luke Holly placed third in the 100 Meters and was part of the first-place 4x100 Meter Relay team, qualifying him for both events. Junior Owen Gillham qualified for the 4x100 Meter Relay and junior Kanon Palmer took third place in the Pole Vault, qualifying him for the State Meet.

Lance Holly led Sidney's strong sophomore showing, qualifying in the 200 and 400 Meters and the 4x100 Meter and 4x400 Meter Relay teams. Alek Doty qualified for the 4x400 Meter Relay and Keian Kaiser qualified for the High Jump. Sidney's lone freshman qualifier is Rhys Dorcey in the 4x400 Meter Relay.

The Red Raider teams had a big sendoff at Sidney High School on Tuesday morning. Expect the Raider teams to bring home gold medals, and there's a good chance, especially in the girls' events, of seeing some state-records fall.

Full results of the Sidney teams' performances will be in next week's Sun-Telegraph.