Six Eastern Midlands Conference teams contended for conference track and field titles under a cloudy sky Tuesday at Bennington High School.
The Elkhorn North girls and Norris boys succeeded, while the Blair girls took fifth and the BHS boys were sixth. Coach Bryan Soukup's girls bested Elkhorn, 46-42.
The Bears fell short of an event win on the Badgers' track, but three athletes — Makayla Baughman, Calin O'Grady and Allie Czapla — did earn silver medals.
Baughman, a senior who recently claimed her school's Rufus Olson Award as the female athlete of the year, earned top-six finishes in all four of her events. The Benedictine College (Kan.) basketball recruit was second in the discus, clearing a personal record 115 feet, 1 inch. She was also fifth in the shot put, and sixth in both the 400- and 800-meter foot races.
O'Grady, meanwhile, set a career best in the 1,600 run to earn his second. He clocked in at 4:41.64, while teammate Dawson Fricke was fifth in 4:48.33.
In the girls' 3,200 run, Czapla's career best was worth a silver medal, too. She finished in 12:36.09, while the Bears' Emily Lamoureux crossed the finish line in 13:06.58 for sixth.
Blair also earned four bronze medals during the EMC meet. Senior Erika Roehrs was third in the 300-meter hurdles, clocking in at 48.27 seconds, while Fricke placed in the same position during the 3,200 run. He stopped the clock in 10:09.1.
Fricke was also a member of the third-place 3,200 relay squad that finished in 8:29.3. He was joined by Caleb Funk, O'Grady and Ted Lueders.
Nolan Slominski was third in the 800 run, too, with a sub-2 minute time — 1:56.53.
BHS' Toby Ray (300 hurdles), Shelton Anderson (triple jump), Gabe Flynn (high jump), Sam Cemer (100 hurdles and pole vault), Schuyler Roewert (300 hurdles) and Paige Daggett (high jump) also earned team points for coach Soukup's team with top-six individual finishes. The Bears and their teammates next compete Tuesday in the Class B District 4 meet at Pawnee Park in Columbus. State championship qualifications will be on the line.
EASTERN MIDLANDS CONFERENCE MEET
Tuesday at Bennington High School
BOYS
Team standings: Norris 159, Waverly 144, Elkhorn North 69.5, Elkhorn 67, Bennington 51, Blair 34.5.
Top-6 Blair Finishers
800-meter run: 3, Nolan Slominski, 1:56.53.
1,600 run: 2, Calin O'Grady, 4:41.64. 5, Dawson Fricke, 4:48.33.
3,200 run: 3, Fricke, 10:09.1.
400 relay: 5, BHS (Zac Keeling, Zach Lindau, Gaven Hammond, Ben Holcomb), 45.45.
1,600 relay: 5, BHS (Caleb Funk, Slominski, Ted Lueders, Toby Ray), 3:37.29.
3,200 relay: 3, BHS (Funk, Fricke, O'Grady, Lueders), 8:29.3.
300 hurdles: 6, Ray, 43.76.
Triple jump: 6, Shelton Anderson, 38 feet, 5 inches.
High jump: 6, Gabe Flynn, 5-5.
GIRLS
Team standings: Elkhorn North 127, Norris 125, Bennington 113, Waverly 74, Blair 46, Elkhorn 42.
Top-6 Blair Finishers
400-meter dash: 6, Makayla Baughman, 1:02.15.
800 run: 6, Baughman, 2:24.47.
3,200 run: 2, Allie Czapla, 12:36.09. 6, Emily Lamoureux, 13:06.58.
400 relay: 4, BHS (Brynn Lundgren, Erika Roehrs, Audie Keeling, Greta Galbraith), 52.57.
1,600 relay: 5, BHS (Schuyler Roewert, Hailey Amandus, Reece Ewoldt, Roehrs), 4:16.92.
3,200 relay: 5, BHS (Kaitlynn Amandus, Ryleigh Schroeter, Lainey Bilau, Sophia Baedke), 10:12.66.
100 hurdles: 5, Sam Cemer, 17.19.
300 hurdles: 3, Roehrs, 48.27. 5, Roewert, 49.67.
High jump: 4, Paige Daggett, 4 feet, 9 inches.
Pole vault: 4, Cemer, 9-10.
Shot put: 5, Baughman, 35-9.25.
Discus: 2, Baughman, 115-1.
