PANORA — The Woodward-Granger girls track team left Thursday’s State Qualifying Meet at Panorama knowing one thing for certain: The 4×800 team would be competing at the state meet next week.
The feeling also has to be good for Emma Drake, who finished third in the 800 in 2 minutes, 26.48 seconds, almost certainly fast enough to secure one of eight at-large bids. Official confirmation will come Friday afternoon.
Kaitlyn Peters and Anna Tague ran the first two legs of the 4×800, with Natalie Helbling handing off after her third leg to anchor runner Drake, who crossed at the 10:35.41 mark. Panorama won the relay in 10:28.88, but the top two spots in each event are assured spots at Drake Stadium, setting off a joyous celebration by the Hawks on the infield.
Panorama won the girls side with 135 team points, with AC/GC second at 110 and Madrid third at 108. W-G was eighth in the 11-team field with 36 points.
Madrid’s 142 points won the boys meet, with Woodward Academy second at 118 and South Central Calhoun third at 96. W-G was 10th in the 12-team field with 21.5 points and did not qualify for state in any event.
Drake, Tague, Peters and Mae Anderson were fifth in the 4×400 (4:32.37), with Anderson, Drake, Tague and Helbling sixth in the sprint medley (2:06.63). Kaitlyn Bandstra, Alyssa Bice, Chloe David and Anderson were eighth, in 2:03.68, in the 4×200, with Bandstra, Chloe and Savannah David and Maddi Danti eighth, in 1:20.52, in the shuttle.
Peters was sixth in the 1500 in 5:35.38, with Tague seventh in the 400 at 1:09.13.
Field event points came for the Hawk girls came from Emma Buckman in the discus and Helbling in the high jump. Both finished fifth, with Buckman producing a spin of 100 feet, 7 inches while Helbling cleared 4’8.
Cale Pritchett tied for seventh in the boys high jump at 5’6, with Chandler Cavanaugh fifth in the 400, in 53.74, while J.P. Nixon crossed sixth, in 1:00.78, in the 400 low hurdles.
Cavanaugh, Marcus McConahay, Bryce Achenbach and Ian Thompson placed fourth in the 4×800 in 8:42.07, with Achenback, Thompson, Cavanaugh and Josh Saak fifth in the 4×400 in 3:40.43.
Saak, Nixon, Reese Jamison and Jack Grell finished seventh in the distance medley in 4:04.17, with the 4×200 unti of Thompson, Saak, Achenbach and McConahay eighth in 1:40.3.
