Photo: Maxx Bradley/MileSplit Kansas
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For the fourth year in a row, private schools are the top dogs of 5A on both the boys and the girls side. This year, Bishop Carroll and St. James came out on top.
BISHOP CARROLL GIRLS WIN FIRST TITLE SINCE 2011 WITH WHOLE-TEAM EFFORT
There were a handful of true team contenders that had their eyes set on a state championship, but when it was all said and done, Bishop Carroll left nothing up to chance and dominated 5A as they stood atop an all-private school podium.
The Golden Eagles did a little bit of everything as they totaled 92.5 points, but a few athletes put up double-digit points all on their own.
Photo: Maxx Bradley/MileSplit Kansas
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One of those athletes was Lauren DeGroot, a junior who won the 300mH (43.98) title while finishing third and fifth in the 100mH (15.31) and long jump (16-11.5), putting up 20 points in total.
Freshman Tess Martin and sophomore Reese Whiteley added state titles as well, with Brown winning the high jump (5-4) and Whiteley claiming the 100mH (14.79) title.
Senior Clare Munn contributed eight points from her runner-up finish in the javelin (127-1). Ashlynn Sauer (12.35) earned All-State honors in the 100m, 200m (25.73), and 400m (58.83).
This marked Bishop Carroll's first title since 2011 and second in program history.
Kapaun Mt. Carmel and St. James battled it out for second-place honors, with the Thunder holding off the Crusaders, 57-52.
A big reason St. James ended up on the podium was the trio of titles that senior Ellie Wurtenberger won on the track, clocking 12.09, 25.19, and 56.72 across the three sprints. A runner-up finish in the 800m (2:16.22) for Allison Meyer and a state championship in the 4x400m closed out the meet, with the Crusaders running 3:56.86 in the win.
Just like St. James, much of Kapaun Mt. Carmel's success stemmed from one athlete in particular: sophomore Ava Claasen. She burst onto the scene in the fall and rapidly became arguably the best runner in state history, nearly breaking 10:00 in the 3200m earlier this month.
In Wichita, Claasen was as dominant as ever, running 4:45.15 and 10:04.27 to win the 1600m and 3200m by a combined 43 seconds. She also ran a leg on their title-winning 4x800m, which crossed in 9:18.71 for a 16-second victory.
Taylor Barringer had a strong day in the mid-distance events as well, finishing runner-up in the 400m (57.74) and fourth in the 800m (2:18.72).
NOAH SCHOWENGERDT, THUNDER RELAYS LEAD ST. JAMES TO SECOND TITLE SINCE 2023
From the jumps to the throws to the sprints, St. James enjoyed bright spots throughout the meet as they won their second title in program history and first since 2023.
The Thunder had five state champions in all, with three coming from a clean sweep of the relays. In the 4x100m final, they barely edged out Leavenworth at the line, 41.97-42.00, following that up with dominant wins in the 4x400m (3:17.43) and the 4x800m (7:51.03).
Noah Schowengerdt, who won gold in the 4x400m and 4x800m, also claimed an individual title in the 400m (48.39), his first individual state championship. Adam Sydzyik's win in the long jump (22-5.5) and third-place showing in the high jump (6-4), along with Henry Wiley's pair of runner-up finishes in the 100m (10.84) and 200m (22.00), ultimately proved to be too much to handle.
That's not to say they weren't challenged. Kapaun Mt. Carmel gave it their best shot, finishing 15.5 points back of the champs. Daniel Enriquez's state titles in the 1600m (4:07.92) and 3200m (8:59.18) accounted for 20 of the Crusaders' points and were accompanied by Caleb Coffey's seventh and third-place finishes in the 100m (11.03) and 200m (22.24). Mason Collins was third in the javelin (179-4), Lucian Winters was runner-up in the 400m (49.24), and the 4x400m (3:19.62) and 4x800m (7:57.18) finished second and third, helping keep Andover far enough back to secure second.
The Trojans came within 20 points of Kapaun but in the end had to focus on holding St. Thomas Aquinas, Piper, and Blue Valley Southwest at bay, with the quartet finishing 57-54.5-47-43.
Shal Ruud was the lone champion for Andover, winning the high jump with a 6-6 clearance to pair with the team's 17-point effort in the long jump, thanks to Gatlin Tilson (22-4.25), Beau Tilson (22-3.75), and Will Quinn (22-0.75) finishing 2-3-6. Quinn was part of a strong showing from the hurdle crew as well, finishing third in the 300mH (39.04).
Distance legend Aidan Braun closed out his Andover career with two third-place finishes in the 1600m (4:17.69) and 3200m (9:10.12).
Photo: Maxx Bradley/MileSplit Kansas
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Additional Top Performers:
-Whether she was running, jumping, or throwing, Basehor-Linwood's Kimberlee Scott was largely unbeatable. The senior won the long jump (18-6.5), triple jump (41-6.75), and shot put (40-9.75), and capped her weekend by helping the Bobcats to a runner-up finish in the 4x400m (3:57.81).
-Basehor-Linwood senior Ty Darting swept the 100m and 200m titles in exhilarating fashion, running 10.75 and 22.00 over St. James' Wiley. His 200m victory came by just hundredths of a second, edging Wiley 21.996 to 22.000.
-Any other year, Seaman's Brody Anderson would likely be winning triple gold in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m, but settled for two personal bests, two runner-up finishes, and an 800m state title. Anderson clocked 4:12.48 and 9:05.70 (PB) behind Kapaun Mt. Carmel's Enriquez before breaking the tape in his final race of the weekend, running 1:52.08 (PB) to win the 800m.
-One of the best throwers in St. Thomas Aquinas history wrapped up his career in navy and gold with a pair of state titles, as Klyn Curtis won the shot put and discus with throws of 63-2 and 177-11. Curtis ends his prep career with six top-two finishes at the state championship between the two events combined.
Photo: Maxx Bradley/MileSplit Kansas
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