These Saline County high school track and field athletes qualified for state

Tickets are being punched for next week's state track and field championships at Cessna Stadium in Wichita.

Southeast of Saline was the first school to compete at regionals on Thursday. Salina Central, Salina South, Sacred Heart and Ell-Saline competed in their regionals on Friday.

The top four finishers in each event qualify for state.

Here's who's qualified for state.

Salina Central

Central will have 16 athletes who qualified for state at the Emporia regional Friday.

The Mustangs have three girls in four events with two of them claiming regional championships.

Elle Denning won the 400-meter dash with a time of 1 minute, 1.69 seconds. She also will be going to state in the 200-meter dash after finishing third. She'll also be on the Mustangs' 400-meter and 1,600-meter relay teams that took third and second.

"I think it's really cool to go in four (events) with my other teammates," Denning said. "I just feel really proud of us for working hard and helping our team get better."

Mykayla Cunnigham claimed a regional title in the high jump by clearing 5-6. She also is on the 400 and 1,600 relays and will compete in the long jump after finishing fourth with a mark of 16-2.

"It feels good," Cunningham said. "I came to regionals and redeem myself."

Saniya Triplett qualified for state in the 100 and 300-meter hurdles taking third in both with times of 15.87 and 48.20. She'll also be a part of Central's 400 and 1,600 relays.

Katelyn Rupe swept the distance races. She won the 1,600 in 5:26.21 and the 3,200 in 11:26.26 and will be going to state for the first time.

"I'm super excited," Rupe said. "I thought the weather was actually really good today. I was nice to kind of have a little break from the heat."

Anna Hogeland was the Mustangs' final regional champion by winning the pole vault clearing 10-0.

"I'm really excited to go back, since it'll be the normal schedule," Hogeland said.

Also going to state for the Central girls are Camila Lopez Galindo in the 400 relay and Haley Freeman in the 1,600 relay.

On the boys side, Central was led by Will Griffith who qualified in the 1,600 and in the 3,200 and 1,600 relays. Griffith took third in the 1,600 with a time of 4:31.89. The 3,200 relay made up of Griffith, Cooper Affholder, Zack Tibbits and Isaac French finished fourth with a time of 8:53.08. The 1,600 relay made up of Griffith, Affholder, Jameer Moore and Sam Payne finished third, recording a time of 3:31.22.

Dez Gibson and Kamryn Jones both finished second and third in the 100 with times of 10.96 and 10.97. Both are also going to state as a part of Central's 400 relay that finished third with a time of. Gibson and Jones were joined by Moore and Payne.

Moore finished fourth in the triple jump with a mark of 42-10 3/4

Alex Shea took second in the high jump clearing 5-10.

Brady Hemmer finished fourth in the 110-meter hurdles, recording a time of 16.62.

Salina South

South will have 10 athletes competing at state that qualified at the Emporia regional.

Aunisty McNeal led South as she qualified for all three throwing events for the second consecutive year. She won the discus with a toss of 121-11, took third in the javelin with a throw of 118-11 and was fourth in the shot put with a mark of 34-1 1/2.

"Going in, I was just hoping for the best," McNeal said. "It feels really good to know that I am capable of knowing who I am and what more is to come."

Bethany Hicklin and Harley Sierminski will be going to state in the pole vault after clearing 9-6 for second and third finishing behind Hogeland.

"I think it's really great for our program," Hogeland said. "We practice together and we're kind of like a family even though we're (attending) different schools."

Carter Copes cleared 5-10 in the high jump, finishing in a tie for second with Shea.

Dylan Bice cleared 12-0 in the pole vault and took third.

The 3,200 relay of Grace Allen, Kylie Arnold, Olivia Mancino-Hinde and Libby Kierscht finished third with a time of 10:24.49. Allen will also be going to state in the 800 after finishing fourth with a time of 2:29.57.

Tamia Cheeks qualified for state in the 300 hurdles with a fourth-place finish with a time of 48.72 and also took fourth in the high jump with a clearance of 5-2.

Southeast of Saline

Southeast of Saline will be represented by 17 athletes who qualified for state at the Phillipsburg regional Thursday.

Dylan Sprecker qualified for state in four events, the 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs and the anchor of the 1,600-meter relay. Sprecker won the 800 in 1 minute, 57.37 seconds, the 1,600 in 4:17.93, and the 3,200 in 9:56.80. Sprecker was joined by Nakari Morrical-Palmer, Omar Calzada and Drake Augustine as the quartet won the 1,600 relay with a time of 3:27.47.

More: Ell-Saline's softball team is 23-0 and heading back to state. Here's how they did it.

Chase Poague qualified for state in three events. He swept the hurdle races winning the 110-meter in 14.93 and the 300-meter in 42.01. Poague is the reigning state champion in the 3A hurdle race. He'll also be in the 100-meter dash as he finished second, recording a time of 11.27, finishing behind teammate Michael Murray, who won the event in 11.13.

Murray also qualified for state in the 200-meter dash with a time of 22.90.

Morrical-Palmer finished behind Murray in the 200 (23.00) while winning the 400-meter dash (49.96).

Levi Allen qualified for state in the 1,600 by taking fourth (4:45.90) and the 3,200, taking third (10:23.99).

Damion Jackson took second in the 1,600 behind Sprecker (4:41.60)

Cayden Walker qualified for the 3,200 as he took fourth (10:24.66).

Tate Nurnberg will be the only Southeast athlete to compete in field events. He was the regional runner-up in both the triple jump (42-11 3/4) and high jump (6-4).

On the girls side, Jentrie Alderson will look to defend her state championships in the 1,600 and 3,200. She won both races at regional winning the 1,600 in 5:14.23 and the 3,200 in 11:11.26.

More: Here's how Saline County high school baseball, softball and soccer teams did at regionals

Ashley Prochazka qualified in both the 1,600 by taking fourth (5:48.88) and third in the 3,200 (12:21.91).

Abby Commerford will join both Alderson and Prochazka in the 3,200, as she finished fourth (12:23.58).

The 3,200-meter relay team of Brynn Hawbaker, Joni Schroeder, Mallorie Pearson and Cali Augustine finished fourth with a time of 10:21.92.

Sacred Heart

Six Sacred Heart girls will compete at state after qualifying at the Smith Center regional on Friday.

The 1,600 relay of Grazy Dorzweiler, Lauryn Mikkelson, Hayzelle Rodriguez and Caroline Stone claimed the regional title with a time of 4:17.39.

Maddie Ehrlich finished second in the 1,600 with a time of 5:37.92. She third in the 3,200 with a time of 12:14.97. Eva Matteucci took fourth, recording a time of 12:42.62.

Mikkelson finished third in the 300 hurdles with a time of 49.44 and took fourth in the 100, sprinting a 13.04.

Dorzweiler finished third in the 400 with a time of 1:01.49.

The 3,200 relay team of Dorzweiler, Ehrlich, Mikkelson and Rodriguez took third with a time of 10:35.19.

More: Here are the top high school athletic performers in Saline County for week of May 16

Ell-Saline

Ell-Saline will have 14 athletes competing at state after qualifying at the Smith Center regional.

The 3,200 relay of Carson Fouard, Kelton Kern, Garrison Zerger and Garrett Phelps finished first with a time of 8:36.02.

Brogan Rowley won the high jump clearing 6-4.

Phelps took third in the 400 with a time of 53.01.

Jonathan Calzada placed second in the shot put with a mark of 46-5 1/2.

The 400 relay team of Aiden Brockway, Joe Hiechel, Melvin Lutes and Ryan Duerr took third with a time of 45.58.

Zerger finished third in the 1,600 with a time of 4:48.16.

Fouard finished fourth in the 3,200 with a time of 10:50.18.

On the girls side, the 3,200 relay of Keala Wilson, Avery and Ally Richards and Darby Smith took first with a time of 10:21.45.

Ally Richards took second in the triple jump with a mark of 34-9 and was third in the long jump with a leap of 16-0.

Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Saline County athletes qualify for state track and field championships