Home track.
Home meet.
New school record.
Against a competitive field, the Blair girls track team earned third overall Friday at Krantz Field during the Mike Lehl Invitational. Coach Bryan Soukup's Bears trailed Lincoln Pius X and Omaha Westside in the standings, but won three events, including one relay with a school-record time.
Abby Osborn, Reese Beemer, Erika Roehrs and Grace Galbraith took just 49.73 seconds to win the 400-meter relay, besting second-place Westside by 0.65 and the 10-year-old BHS school record by 0.18. The Bears set the new mark where they practice and with special alumni in attendance.
“It's cool to break that in front of the Class of '71,” Galbraith said.
The 1971 Blair girls track team was invited home Friday to celebrate their state title, 50 years after it was earned. The 2011 Bears owned the 400 relay record for a decade, but the '71 lineup of Pam Moore, Rhonda Stave, Janet Wrich and Vickie Warrick had it for 38 years, according to BHS records.
A new record seemed meant-to-be. It was the 2021 Bears' goal.
“I thought about it a lot last night, actually,” Osborn said. “I knew we had a good (relay team) going into it.”
Timing was impeccable as the senior started in the blocks before Beemer took the baton down the first straightaway.
“Handoffs were absolutely perfect,” said the second leg of the race.
Roehrs then took the handoff from Beemer, taking on the final curve — her favorite.
“I see all these girls in front of me and I'm just, like, 'Go get them,'” Roehrs said. “It's so fun.”
Next, Galbraith finished it off. She crossed the finish line first and stood by for her team's time.
“It's a waiting game once you cross the finish line,” Galbraith said.
When she heard 49.73, she knew.
“Right away,” the senior said. “I was like, 'Oh gosh. That was it.' We beat it.”
Beemer also beat everyone in the 200-meter dash. The sprinter won comfortably, but was nervous before the race after both she and Westside's Chloe Green ran their prelim 200s in 26.52.
“When I turned the first corner (of the finals) I knew right away that I had that,” Beemer said. “I was just taking off away from her.”
The Bear stopped the clock in 26.21 seconds.
Blair's Hailey Baker, meanwhile, won her team's first home gold. After battling injuries for a week, the senior Wayne State recruit won the shot put with a throw covering 38 feet, 5.75 inches.
“I did better than I thought I would, so that's good,” the Mike Lehl champ said. “But it's just been a rough week. A rough couple of practices and, now, looking at what I did today, I can focus on what I need to do for conference next week and, hopefully, get better for districts.”
The Eastern Midlands Conference meet is today at Norris High School. Field events begin at 1:30 p.m.
3,200 relay, Fricke lead BHS boys
While the Blair girls finished third at home, the boys team was ninth — eight spots behind first-place Pius X. The Bears scored 19 total team points with the 3,200 relay team and Dawson Fricke combining for 16 of them.
Nolan Slominski, Zach Keeling, Nick Wayman and Mason Bell earned silver in the 2-mile relay, finishing in 8:26.28. Omaha Skutt, meanwhile, earned first in 8:21.86.
Fricke, meanwhile, was third in the individual 3,200 run and fifth in the mile. His times were 10:08.6 and 4:46.17, respectively.
MIKE LEHL INVITATIONAL
Friday at Krantz Field
TEAM SCORES
Boys: Lincoln Pius X 89, Bennington 76, Omaha Skutt 75, Omaha Westside 74, Aurora 56, Seward 47, Plattsmouth 37.5, Elkhorn 26, Blair 19, Elkhorn Mount Michael 16, Elkhorn North 7.5, Omaha Roncalli 4
Girls: Pius X 107, Westside 97, Blair 87, Elkhorn North 71, Elkhorn 46, Seward 36, Bennington 28, Aurora 26, Skutt 13, Plattsmouth 7, Roncalli/Duchesne 5, Omaha Mercy 4
EVENT WINNERS & TOP 6 BHS FINISHERS
Boys
100-meter dash: 1, Avante Dickerson, Westside, 10.96 seconds.
200 dash: 1, Dylan Mostek, Bennington, 22.82.
400 dash: 1, Sam Easley, Pius X, 50.77. 6, Gage Casanova, Blair, 52.46.
800 run: 1, Easley, Pius X, 1:58.79. 6, Nolan Slominski, Blair, 2:05.88.
1,600 run: 1, Kaleb Wooten, Plattsmouth, 4:42.85. 5, Dawson Fricke, Blair, 4:46.17.
3,200 run: 1, Isaac Richards, Skutt, 10:02.25. 3, Fricke, Blair, 10:08.6.
400 relay: 1, Bennington, 43.62.
1,600 relay: 1, Pius X, 3:27.56. 6, BHS (Casanova, Ben Holcomb, Zach Keeling, Slominski), 3:35.95.
3,200 relay: 1, Skutt, 8:21.86. 2, BHS (Slominski, Keeling, Nick Wayman, Mason Bell), 8:26.28.
110 hurdles: 1, Dominic Melrose, Skutt, 15.48.
300 hurdles: 1, Melrose, Skutt, 41.34.
High jump: 1, Robert Delgado, Aurora, 6 feet, 7 inches.
Long jump: 1, Mostek, Bennington, 22-7.
Triple jump: 1, Reece Grosserode, Pius X, 45-2.5.
Pole vault: 1, Caden Carlson, Aurora, 13-7.
Discus: 1, Gage Griffith, Aurora, 163-4.5.
Shot put: 1, Griffith, Aurora, 57-1.5.
Girls
100-meter dash: 1, Lademi Davies, Westside, 12.14 seconds. 3, Reese Beemer, Blair, 12.75. 4, Grace Galbraith, Blair, 12.77.
200 dash: 1, Beemer, Blair, 26.21.
400 dash: 1, Sydney Stodden, Elkhorn North, 58.98. 4, Reece Ewoldt, Blair, 1:01.38.
800 run: 1, Stodden, North, 2:22.13. 6, Hailey Amandus, Blair, 2:25.42.
1,600 run: 1, Julia Karmazin, North, 5:25.42.
3,200 run: 1, Claire White, Westside, 11:28.31. 4, Chloe Schrick, Blair, 11:57.79.
400 relay: 1, BHS (Abby Osborn, Beemer, Erika Roehrs, Galbraith), 49.73.
1,600 relay: 1, Elkhorn North, 4:08.34. 3, BHS (Makayla Baughman, Amandus, Beemer, Ewoldt), 4:09.83.
3,200 relay: 1, Elkhorn, 9:55.23. 2, BHS (Ewoldt, Mary Roskens, Amandus, Baughman), 10:00.4.
100 hurdles: 1, Kate Campos, Pius X, 15.32.
300 hurdles: 1, Campos, Pius X, 45.06. 3, Roehrs, Blair, 48.63. 5, Roskens, Blair, 50.32.
High jump: 1, Sara Iburg, Pius X, 5 feet, 3 inches. 5, Roskens, Blair, 4-11.
Long jump: 1, Davies, Westside, 18-7.5.
Triple jump: 1, Addie Thomas, Elkhorn, 36-0.5.
Pole vault: 1, Anna Vedral, Pius X, 12-1. 5, Galbraith, Blair, 10-1.
Discus: 1, Ruby Secora, Westside, 116-6.5. 4, Hailey Baker, Blair, 107-5. 5, Baughman, Blair, 100-6.
Shot put: 1, Baker, Blair, 38-5.75. 3, Kylie Quick, Blair, 35-5.5.
