
Photo: Maxx Bradley/MileSplit Kansas
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Just as we expected, the first day of the 2026 KSHSAA State Championships delivered on all fronts, with meet records and all-time bests lighting up the scoreboard throughout the day.
As we head into the final day, here's a look at what teams are in the early running for state titles in Wichita!
6A Girls: After an opening day that only saw a handful of finals, Mill Valley jumped out to an early lead thanks to a pair of great performances in the high jump.
Two-time defending champion Miley Strathman cleared 5-7 to claim her third consecutive title, while teammate Faith Pittenger finished sixth after clearing 5-2.
Audrey Howard added to the haul in the 3200m, finishing third with a time of 10:49.56.
Not far behind the defending champions are Shawnee Mission East, Blue Valley West, and Olathe North, sitting at 21, 20, and 17.5 points, respectively, after the first day.
6A Boys: While the girls' standings had a pack of teams up top, the boys' list is topped by Gardner-Edgerton, with Blue Valley Northwest six points back.
The Blazers earned 23 points from the pole vault alone, led by state champion Mason Hill and followed by Ben Karlin and Ethan Reimer, who finished runner-up and fourth. The trio cleared 16-6, 16-0, and 14-0, respectively.
The Huskies in purple and white are down 20-26 as of now, but after Jacob D'Souza's 3200m dominance and Logan Clay's first discus state title, they're in a great spot.
5A Girls: Bishop Carroll, Basehor-Linwood, Pittsburg, and Salina Central are all within 10 points of each other, with the Golden Eagles ahead of the Bobcats, 26-20.
Carroll's day started with a 6-7-8 finish in the 3200m, as Sophia Thome (11:01), Gwen Sattler (11:08), and Nora Thome (11:10) opened things with a bang. Freshman Tess Martin cleared 5-4 to win her first high jump state title, while Clare Munn finished runner-up in the javelin with a throw of 127-1.
Basehor-Linwood is trying to keep Bishop Carroll from winning their first title since 2011, and Kimberlee Scott is doing everything she can. She won the shot put and triple jump state titles, with the former breaking a 30-year-old 5A meet record and becoming the No. 2 performer in state history.
Scott jumped 41-6.75 (+2.7), moving past Sasha Spann's 41-05w from Highland Park in 2003. The Bobcats also took the top seed in the 4x400m final, winning Friday's prelims in 3:56.23.
Pittsburg (18.5) and Salina Central (16) sit third and fourth, with Kylin Perry and Kyndal Bugni leading the way for the Dragons and Allison Robinett and Kaylie Shultz contributing for the Mustangs.
5A Boys: It's a tight battle at the top of the 5A standings, with St. Thomas Aquinas and Andover neck-and-neck. For a team that's won five state titles since 2006, the Saints are looking right at home with a few Day 1 state champions.
In the shot put, Klyn Curtis won his first title of the weekend with a toss of 63-2. Sophomore Bode Renner took third after throwing 53-11. The Saints had a similar showing in the triple jump, as Grady Richlin and Dallas Kayhill finished first and fifth.
Richlin jumped 47-3.75 on his final attempt, moving from third to first as the first competitor to clear 47 feet in Friday's competition.
4A Girls: As expected, Andale is doing what they do nearly every year, spreading points across the board in every way possible. Apart from sending a lot of their best athletes to tomorrow's respective finals, Andale picked up much-needed points in a variety of events.
Paige Brand and Reagan Winter finished third and eighth in the discus, Rylee Meyer was runner-up in the long jump, Kinley Spexarth and Abbey McNeal went 2-3 in the javelin, and both Hally Horsch and Bailey Bretthauer totaled seven points in the pole vault.
However, Buhler isn't panicking. Corbin Starkweather won the 3200m and Jenna Lackey took the pole vault title, canceling out much of Andale's early firepower. Isabella Friesen added more in the 3200m, and Jessa Losew contributed in the long jump, combining for 11 points between them.
4A Boys: Bishop Miege, Buhler, and Andale fill out the top three spots, sitting at 23-22-21, respectively.
Liam Tesmer is 2-for-2 on the day, winning both the high jump and long jump titles with marks of 6-6 and 22-11.25, and he's the sole reason Miege is keeping pace with the other contenders. The Stags are also sending both the 4x100m and 4x400m to Saturday's finals, along with a few more second-day qualifiers.
Gavin Lindahl and Garrett Gleason are helping Buhler keep up, with Lindahl finishing third in the 3200m and Gleason clearing 6-2 for second in the high jump.
Andale's Brayden Spexarth and Hunter Grimes finished first and fifth in the javelin, while Ethan Eck and Lane Parthemer took fifth and seventh in the long jump. All three teams have a lot of athletes competing tomorrow, but it's hard to root against the four-time defending state champions.
3A Girls: It's still anyone's title on the 3A Girls side, whether it's Lakin, Beloit, Riley County, or Hesston. We probably won't know who's hoisting the trophy until the final few events of the day, but there are a few stars who will have a big say in how things play out.
Obviously, Ashley Lehman could very well put up 40 points on her own tomorrow, and paired with what could be a top-three finish from Reese Quinn, the Swathers could win their first-ever team title.
For Beloit, Brecken Boudreaux and Bently Pruitt got them on the board with 16 combined points in the long jump and shot put. Pruitt threw 41-0.75 to win the shot, while Boudreaux jumped 17-4.5 to take third.
Lakin's Aryn Michaelis, Riley County's Sarah Effiong, and Hesston's Tylee Coleman have already got the ball rolling for their respective teams, and it's way too soon to tell.
3A Boys: Beloit has the biggest lead heading into tomorrow, leading Holcomb and Girard 34-19-18. Per usual, the Trojans piled up points in the shot put and discus, 29 to be exact.
In the shot put, Griffin Johnson, Kross Kemmerer, and Brody Litton went 2-3-4, throwing 61-1.5, 58-1.5, and 54-9.75. Kemmerer and Johnson did it again in the discus, finishing second and seventh.
Gunner Gray added five more points with a fourth-place finish in the triple jump.
Holcomb and Girard are the two closest adversaries, and each has a lot riding on an athlete who already took care of business Friday. Brody Deniston won the 3200m and has the 1600m, 800m, and a leg of a contending 4x800m relay still ahead.
Girard's William Bishop won the shot put, and Gannon Clark finished second in the javelin.
Timmy Ritchie figures to do everything he can to keep Wichita Collegiate in the podium conversation. If he can sweep the 100m, 200m, and 400m on Saturday, the Trojans could sneak onto the podium.
2A Girls: There's not much to say when only 11 points separate the 21 schools that have had at least one All-State performer, but we'll try.
Madison Howland was the biggest Smith Center contributor of the day, earning eight points with a runner-up finish in the 3200m.
Northern Heights' Ellei McCrory, who won her first title at the 2A level after claiming two in 1A, is responsible for nearly all of the Wildcats' points after her 3200m win.
Brooklyn Jackson won the shot put with a throw of 38-8.75, helping Arma-Northeast sit tied for second with Northern Heights heading into Saturday.
A dark horse podium contender is none other than the reigning champions, Hoxie. With Camryn Gourley in position to sweep the hurdles and sprints (100mH, 300mH, 100m, 200m), their second-day performers could pull another team into the mix.
2A Boys: Smith Center leads the pack after Day 1, and it's no surprise why. Gavin Hickert set the tone early with a 3200m title, crossing in 9:44.71, and Brant Wilson added a discus crown to give the Redmen 20 points heading into Saturday.
Berean Academy sits second at 17, with the Busenitz brothers putting up 15 points in the pole vault thanks to Brendan's win and Caden's fourth-place finish.
Trinity Catholic sits in third with 14 points, with John and Jacob Lindstrom going 2-3 in the 3200m to put the Celtics into early contention.
1A Girls: Wallace County and Clifton-Clyde are separated by just one point heading into Saturday, and both have plenty more cards to play, and they're going to need them with the number of teams right on their tail.
Mackenzie Woolf won the discus and contributed in the shot put for Wallace County, and Kallie Richardson has the pole vault and high jump still ahead.
Clifton-Clyde's Sevy Wurtz is the name to watch (as she typically is) and had a busy Friday. Wurtz won the long jump and qualified for the 100m and 200m finals tomorrow, and also has the triple jump on deck. Calyn Baker added a runner-up discus finish and a sixth in the shot put.
Onaga sits just a point back at 28, thanks to Emmarsyn Fordham winning the shot put and Lillie Weiser taking the pole vault title while also scoring in the high jump and long jump.
Finally, South Gray is right in the mix as well, with 27 points after day one, led by Jenna Simmons' 3200m win and a 2-6 finish in the pole vault from Jacee Deges and Kyndal Stapleton.
1A Boys: South Central holds the early lead after one day with 19 points, but their path forward is complicated. Jack Herd won the javelin, but the Hornets have no one competing on Saturday, so the likelihood of them holding on is technically possible, but statistically unlikely.
However, that means the door is open for Quinter, Hill City, and Victoria to make their move. Vincent Zohner gave Hill City a discus title, while Caedmon Bridges was runner-up in the same event for Quinter.
Victoria's Nick Sander finished second in the high jump, and Weston Scherrer added points with a fifth-place finish in the javelin. With South Central's day essentially done, whoever runs the table Saturday takes home the trophy.

Photo: Maxx Bradley/MileSplit Kansas
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