Area athletes already reigning in state medals

Dundy County-Stratton's Corbin Horner (left) and Southwest senior Jacob O'Dea both helped their 3200-meter relays reach Class D state at Burke Stadium, where both teams earned medals this morning.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

OMAHA, Neb. — State qualifiers weren't wasting any time as they started winning Class D track-field medals at Burke Stadium this morning.

Dundy County-Stratton's 3200-meter boys relay reached the top three to lead several area athletes earning shiny rewards.

Seniors Lincoln Waters, Serbando Diaz, junior Corbin Horner and Andrew Englot ran a time of 8:37.84 which finished third behind only champion Osmond (8:32.5) and runner-up Pawnee City (8:34.56).

Dundy County-Stratton freshman Jackson Kerchal cleared enough height to take sixth among Class D high jumpers this morning.

Diane Stamm/Johnson Publications

Yet they weren't the only quartet who proved they could run those eight laps around Burke's track at a medal-winning pace.

Southwest's 3200 team of seniors Jacob O'Dea, Matthew VanPelt, sophomores Cole Barnett and Carter VanPelt finished in 8:42.06 for eighth overall to secure that final medal. Not bad considering O'Dea recently recalled they "were thrilled to break 9:25" earlier this season.

The girls' 3200-relay race was also a huge RPAC girls' success as Maywood-Hayes Center finished fourth (10:35.6) and Cambridge took sixth (10:40.86).

Maywood-Hayes Center sophomore Olivia Hansen (right) and Cambridge freshman Jalen Kent (left) helped their 3200-meter relays take home Class D state medals this morning.

R.B. Headley/McCook Gazette

Senior Jaycee Widener capped the Wolves' quartet of sophomores Olivia Hansen, Ashlin Broz and freshman Elle Broz.

Cambridge's medal winners are all "younger" with sophomores Kori Koeppen, Breeze Miller, freshmen Brenna Deterding and Jalen Kent.

RPAC rival Alma also took eighth while Humphrey St. Francis won the 3200 state title in 10:10.58.

However, early state medal success wasn't limited to running events.

Medicine Valley sophomore Hayden Kramer reached the Class D high jump top five (fifth, 5'9") and DC-S freshman Jackson Kerchal captured sixth place (also 5'9").

The RPAC and district champion Trojans took another medal when junior Autumn Deterding pole vaulted 9' to place fifth overall. District rival Samantha Schemper from Loomis won the title as many expected, clearing 11'.

Medicine Valley senior Acelyn Klein made a strong surge to reach Omaha Burke, and it paid off this morning with Klein powering into fifth place among Class D shot putters.

Klein reached 36'7" for her first state medal.