By CHARLES SPURLOCK
Special to TopSports.news
Topeka West served as the host of a Class 5A track and field regional track and field meet on Friday at Hummer Sports Park, with city schools Seaman and Topeka West both competing.
The top three qualifiers of each event advanced to the 2026 state meet next Friday and Saturday (May 29-30) at Wichita State's Cessna Stadium. The remaining qualifiers will be the six best qualifiers from across the state's four regionals.
Seaman junior Jack Esser began the meet by winning the boys high jump by clearing 6-foot-4.
Topeka West's Jayden Lindsey won a Class 5A regional title in the 200-meter dash Friday at Hummer Sports Park. [File photo/TSN]
The city contingent had one other regional champion, with Topeka West senior Jayden Lindsey winning the boys 200-meter dash in a personal-best time of 22.34,
where seven of the eight runners all finished within the 22-second window.
Seaman junior Brynn Spencer qualified for the Class 5A state meet in both the 1,600 and 3,200. [File photo/TSN]
Seaman junior Brynn Spencer qualified for the state meet in a pair of girls distance events.
In the girls 1,600 meters, Spencer finished third in a personal best of 5:15.09.
“I knew all the times were close going in and I was pretty nervous going through the day, but I was trying to make the most of it,'' Spencer said. "I wanted to get out fast and get a lead on the ones behind me and stick with the ones in front of me. I think I executed pretty well and stayed focused.”
In the 3,200 meter race, Spencer also finished third in a time of 11:28.99.
Her strategy was a little different in the 3,00 race.
“I knew the times were going to be more spread out, so my main goal was to run a fast time and not worry too much about the placement,'' Spencer said. "I knew the two girls in front of me were going to get out and go, so I wanted to make sure I kept a lead over the girl behind me.”
Seaman senior Brody Anderson followed up his three race sweep at the United Kansas Conference with three qualifying times in the boys 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter races.
His first event of the day, the 1,600 meters, he finished second with a time of 4:15.23, just two-hundredths of a second behind winner Daniel Enriquez of Wichita’s Kapaun Mt. Carmel (4:15.21).
“The race was smooth and at the end I wanted to save a bit for the 800 and qualify,” Anderson said.
The 800 meters was a highly contested race, with four runners going under two minutes. Anderson finished in third with a time of 1:55.12.
“The 800 felt super smooth and in the last 100 meters, I let those guys go (the top two finishers) knowing I had eight more laps to run (in the 3,200 meters),” Anderson said.
His final event of the meet was the 3,200 meters, where he also placed third in a time of 9:29.78.
“It was matter of hanging on as I was hurting the last couple of laps after the long day,'' Anderson said. "This was just my second time running in three events in one meet, so I was pleased to qualify in three events next week.''
Anderson will have an advantage next week by not having to run all three events on the same day. The 3,200 will take place on Friday morning with the remaining two events happening on Saturday.
Friday's morning session will have the preliminaries for classes 4A-6A and will begin with the finals of the 3,200 at 7:45 a.m.
The afternoon session will begin at 2:10 with the preliminaries for classes 1A-3A with the final event of the day, the 3,200 meter finals, starting at 7:00 p.m.
Championship Saturday will begin with the preliminaries of the 100 meter dash at 8:30 a.m. and conclude with the 4x400 relays at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Other city qualifiers:
• Seaman freshman Baylee Ayres finished second in the girls high jump with a clearance of 5-2.
- The Seaman boys 4x800 relay team -- Gage Geiger, Drake Spurlock, Conner Bloom and Trindon Jones -- qualified for the state meet by finishing fourth in a season best time of 8:16.32.
- Sophomore Alyssa Babcock of Topeka West finished third in the girls discus with a personal best throw of 114-0
- The girls 4x400 relay team from Seaman -- Brynn Scheid, Kinley Robinson, Jemah Cebulski and Julia Molleker -- qualified for the state meet by finishing third in a time of 4:11.72.
CLASS 5A REGIONAL TRACK & FIELD
At Hummer Sports Park
GIRLS
100 meters - 1. Harper Webb (Arkansas City) 12.32; 2. Julian Bolden (Andover Central) 12.57; 3. Delaney Fuller (Newton) 12.57
200 meters - 1. Harper Webb (Arkansas City) 25.64; 2. Harley Smith (Emporia) 26.64; 3. Presley Payne (Andover) 27.23
400 meters - 1. Taylor Barringer (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 57.51; 2. Harper Webb (Arkansas City) 58.37; 3. Asia’h Sullivan (Andover) 58.93
800 meters - 1. Taylor Barringer (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 2:15.64; 2. Kinley Robinson (Seaman) 2:20.45; 3. Madelyn Wallace (Andover) 2:21.50
1,600 meters - 1. Ava Claasen (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 4:58.06; 2. Madelyn Wallace (Andover) 5:14.25; 3. Brynn Spencer (Seaman) 5:15.09
3,200 meters - 1. Ava Claasen (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 10:35.25; 2. Madelyn Wallace (Andover) 11:22.41; 3. Brynn Spencer (Seaman) 11:28.99
100 hurdles - 1. Allison Saunders (Andover Central) 15.13; 2. Ella Sims (Andover) 15.43; 3. Allison Aeschliman (Emporia) 15.53
300 hurdles - 1. Kaylee DeWitt (Emporia) 46.50; 2. Allison Saunders (Andover Central) 47.31; 3. Ashley McMullin (Newton) 48.76
4x100 relay - 1. Emporia 49.08; 2. Andover Central 49.36; 3. Newton 50.26
4x400 relay - 1. Kapaun Mt. Carmel 4:00.90; 2. Andover 4:10.85; 3. Seaman 4:11.72
4x800 relay - 1. Kapaun Mt. Carmel 9:38.73; 2. Andover Central 9:53.41; 3. Valley Center 10:05.86
High Jump - 1. Allison Saunders (Andover Central) 5-4; 2. Baylee Ayres (Seaman) 5-2; 3. Emmy Kaberline (Andover Central) 5-2
Pole Vault - 1. Elizabeth Rambo (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 11-0; 2. Piper McConnaughhay (Andover) 10-6; 3. Vivian Lieurance (Andover Central) 10-6
Long Jump - 1. Paige Newland (Emporia) 18-5.75; 2. Delaney Fuller (Newton) 17-8; 3. Janae Kelly (Andover) 17-3.75
Triple Jump - 1. Paige Newland (Emporia) 39-3.75; 2. Jaedyn Jones (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 36-9; 3. Ashley McMullin (Newton) 36-2.75
Shot Put - 1. Amiyah Beard (Newton) 37-8.25; 2. Jaela O’Neal (Andover Central) 35-10; 3. Olivia Gonzalez (Newton) 35-0.25
Discus - 1. Gabby Banta (Arkansas City) 124-7; 2. Ana Lawrence (Newton) 120-0; 3. Alyssa Babcock (Topeka West) 114-0
Javelin - 1. Brynn Eilert (Andover) 115-0; 2. Elena Alvarez (Valley Center) 109-9; 3. Cole Torgerson (Andover) 109-5
BOYS
100 meters - 1. Caleb Coffey (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 10.89; 2. Ronald Crowdis (Andover) 10.94; 3. Landyn Rains (Newton) 10.99
200 meters - 1. Jayden Lindsey (Topeka West) 22.34; 2. Caleb Coffey (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 22.37; 3. RayJ Logan (Valley Center) 22.67
400 meters - 1. Lucian Winters (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 49.64; 2. Connor Fleming (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 49.76; 3. Ethan Adams (Newton) 50.41
800 meters - 1. Daniel Enriquez (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 1:53.94; 2. Nathan Webb (Valley Center) 1:54.03; 3. Brody Anderson (Seaman) 1:55.12
1,600 meters - 1. Daniel Enriquez (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 4:15.21; 2. Brody Anderson (Seaman) 4:15.23; 3. Aidan Braun (Andover) 4:17.12
3,200 meters - 1. Daniel Enriquez (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 9:25.28; 2. Aidan Braun (Andover) 9:26.79; 3. Brody Anderson (Seaman) 9:29.78
110 hurdles - 1. Dominic Grabendike (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 14.98; 2. Ben Collins (Emporia) 15.05; 3. Jamar Ponder (Andover Central) 15.14
300 hurdles - 1. Will Quinn (Andover) 39.60; 2. Caden Rubio (Andover Central) 40.33; 3. Dominic Grabendike (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 40.40
4x100 relay - 1. Newton 42.47; 2. Valley Center 42.81; 3. Andover 42.91
4x400 relay - 1. Kapaun Mt. Carmel 3:20.90; 2. Andover 3:24.12; 3. Newton 3:24.55
4x800 relay - 1. Valley Center 8:07.25; 2. Kapaun Mt. Carmel 8:08.78; 3. Andover 8:08.91; 4. Seaman 8:16.32
High Jump - 1. Jack Esser (Seaman) 6-4; 2. Gatlin Tilson (Andover) 6-4; 3. Alvin Pondei (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 6-4
Pole Vault - 1. River Doemland (Emporia) 13-0; 2. Eli Miller (Valley Center) 12-6; 3. Carson Goentzel (Andover) 12-6
Long Jump - 1. Gatlin Tilson (Andover) 23-4.75; 2. Ethan Armendariz (Andover Central) 23-1.25; 3. Ryder Mapes (Newton) 22-4
Triple Jump - 1. Garrett LeBlanc (Emporia) 42-11; 2. Cody Quy (Seaman) 42-8.5; 3. Ryder Mapes (Newton) 42-1.5
Shot Put - 1. Karson Palmer (Arkansas City) 57-9; 2. Chance Duncan (Emporia) 50-5.5; 3. Tommy Inkelaar (Andover Central) 50-1.5
Discus - 1. Karson Palmer (Arkansas City) 174-5; 2. Chance Duncan (Emporia) 157-4; 3. Christian Henderson (Newton) 151-5
Javelin - 1. Mason Collins (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) 194-4; 2. Chance Duncan (Emporia) 182-2; 3. Rylan Brown (Andover) 177-8
