LADY VIKINGS EARN TOP SPOT COMING INTO 7 EVENTS

By William

LINDSBORG – While you do not want to get overly excited about the upcoming State Class 3A Track/Field Meet on Friday in Wichita, it is hard for the Smoky Valley teams to not get pumped up.

Overall, Smoky Valley will have 22 Vikings competing in 16 events total.

“We are looking forward to the meet as we have one of our largest groups going to state,” noted Viking head coach Jay Myers. “Maybe the largest group we have had and we will be busy all day and that is exciting as well.”

For the Lady Vikings they will go into the meet with entries in 10 events, including three with two Lady Vikings competing. Better yet, in each of those 10 events the Smoky Valley girls entered all rank in the top five postings at regionals, and that includes bringing the top posted athlete in six of those events. If they were to finish the state meet as they come in ranked from regionals, the Lady Vikings would rack up 98 points minimum, the reason why the excitement is high.

If you go by the rankings coming out of regionals, the Lady Viking’s own Belle Peters could possible be responsible for up to 38 team points alone as she is ranked the top incoming athlete in the 100-meter hurdles, 200 meters, and pole vault while being ranked second in the 100 meters.

Besides Belle, other Lady Vikings ranked as top in their event going into the state meet are Gracie Lambert in the 800 meters and both the 4×800 meter relay team of Keira Mullen, Gracie Lambert, Abby Rose and McKinley Johnson, and the 4×400 meter relay quartet of Mullen, Lambert, Rose and Kajsa Peterson.

In the pole vault, a younger Peters, Breanne, is ranked the second best coming into the state meet and ironically a third Peters athlete, Noelle, had a top-eight pole vault state-wide in the regionals but only finished sixth and will not be at the meet.

While the Viking boys team struggled in the regional meet, they also come in with high hopes of a top-ten finish highlighted by the 4×800 meter relay team of Tytus Reed, Justice Gardner, Ryan Heline, and Stephen Peterson that comes into the event ranked the fourth best time from regionals.

The Viking boys will be entered in six events and bring a top-10 regional ranking in each of them.

Coach Myers concluded his pre-state meet reflections by adding, “Our girls are the favorites and we have been taking care of business and handling emotions. One of the neatest things about both our teams is how our kids get along and care for one another. They make me proud of them by their work ethic and all the little things as much as anything. Hopefully, we will stay injury free and have our best chances for success.”

SMOKY VALLEY ENTRIES TO THE 2021 CLASS 3A STATE TRACK/FIELD MEET =

LADY VIKINGS (Ranking out of Regionals) =

100 Meter Hurdles = Belle Peters (1).

4×800 Meter Relay = Team of Keira Mullen, Gracie Lambert, Abby Rose, and McKinley Johnson (1).

100 Meters = Belle Peters (2) & Breanne Peters (5).

4×100 Meter Relay = Team of Breanne Peters, Noelle Peters, Gracie Lambert, and Abby Rose (4).

400 Meters = Abby Rose (3).

800 Meters = Gracie Lambert (1) & McKinley Johnson (4).

200 Meters = Belle Peters (1).

4×400 Meter Relay = Team of Keira Mullen, Gracie Lambert, Abby Rose, and Kajsa Peterson (1).

Long Jump = Breanne Peters (3).

Pole Vault = Belle Peters (1) & Breanne Peters (2).

Alternates = Clara McElroy, Gabby Behanna, and Ellise Peterson.

VIKING BOYS (Ranking out of Regionals) =

3,200 Meters = Ryan Heline (6).

4×800 Meter Relay = Team of Tytus Reed, Justice Gardner, Ryan Heline, and Stephen Peterson (4).

1,600 Meters = Ryan Heline (6).

400 Meters = Ki Blanchat (9).

4×400 Meter Relay = Team of Ki Blanchat, Wyatt Johnson, Ryan Heline, and Stephen Peterson (7).

Javelin = Kort Sjogren (6).

Alternates = Garret Huffman, and Vincent Pickering.