Despite numerous weather delays, Moundridge High School displayed strong state track and field showings May 29-30, placing third in the boys team standings and tying for seventh in the girls standings at the Kansas State High School Activities Association Class 2A State Track and Field Championships at Wichita State University’s Crossland Stadium.
Moundridge High School senior Kaizer Kanitz leaps through the air during long jump. He notched the lone state championship for MHS, taking first with a jump of 22 feet, 2.75 inches. (photo by Shelby Graber)
Led by a state championship from senior Kaizer Kanitz and three runner-up finishes from senior Heath Churchill, the Wildcat boys amassed 49 points to finish behind only team champion Smith Center High School and runner-up Hutchinson Trinity Catholic High School among the state’s top Class 2A programs.
The Moundridge girls matched Marion High School for seventh place with 32 points, fueled by a four-medal performance from senior Cammi Unruh and points scored in six different events.
Arguably the biggest moment of the meet came from Kanitz, who claimed Moundridge’s lone state championship by winning the boys long jump with a leap of 22 feet, 2.75 inches.
The senior wasn’t finished there.
Kanitz also earned a bronze medal in the triple jump with a mark of 44-0.75, helping the Wildcats pile up crucial team points in the field events.
While Kanitz stood atop the podium, Churchill turned in an impressive all-around performance in Class 2A.
The senior earned runner-up finishes in three separate events, placing second in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.82 seconds, second in the 300-meter hurdles in 39.56 and second in the high jump after clearing 6 feet, 8 inches.
Moundridge freshman Annah Schrag fires off the starting line during her relay event. (photo by Shelby Graber)
His three silver medals accounted for 24 team points and were instrumental in helping Moundridge secure its third-place team finish.
The Wildcats also received a strong effort from junior Dan Kuder, who placed fifth in the boys 800-meter run with a time of 2:03.00.
Moundridge’s relay teams contributed important points as well.
The boys 4×400-meter relay—consisting of junior Andrew Porter, senior Elijah Roth, senior Fynn Burge and Churchill—advanced to the finals after posting the third-fastest preliminary time and finished sixth in 3:32.62. The boys 4×800-meter relay—Kuder, Burge, Porter and junior Josh Koehn—placed 11th, while the boys 4×100—sophomore Blaine Schriner, Kanitz, Porter and senior Brayden Elmore—relay finished 14th in preliminaries.
Elmore added another medal by placing seventh in the pole vault after clearing 13 feet. He also competed in the high jump.
On the girls side, Unruh closed out her high school career with one of the most productive state-meet performances by a Wildcat athlete.
She earned four medals, highlighted by a third-place finish in the triple jump at 34-9. Unruh also placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 16-8.75 and reached the finals in both her sprint races, finishing fifth in the 100-meter dash in 12.72 seconds and fifth in the 200-meter dash in 25.71.
Her ability to score in four separate events provided a significant boost to Moundridge’s seventh-place team finish.
Moundridge junior Aspyn Stos launches the shot put at State Track. She placed seventh in the event with a throw of 36-6.75. (photo by Shelby Graber)
The Wildcats also showcased depth throughout the girls lineup.
The girls 4×800-meter relay—made up of sophomore Mackie Conkling, senior Haylee Jantz, sophomore Baylee Schriner and junior Halle Hecox—secured a fourth-place finish in 10:04.38, while the girls 4×400 relay—Schriner, Conkling, Hecox and freshman Annah Schrag—earned a sixth-place medal in 4:14.33 after qualifying for the finals. The girls 4×100 relay—Schrag, Schriner, junior Landree Forester and freshman Paylin Dunn—narrowly missed advancing, finishing 10th during preliminary competition.
As a freshman, Schrag made an immediate impact at the state level, earning a medal in her first appearance at the championships. She finished eighth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:00.52.
Conkling added another medal with a seventh-place finish in the 800-meter run, crossing the line in 2:24.75.
Junior Aspyn Stos rounded out the Wildcats’ scoring performances by placing seventh in the shot put with a throw of 36-6.75.
Overall, the boys scored in hurdles, jumps, relays, distance running and field events en route to a third-place team trophy, while the girls accumulated points across sprints, relays, jumps, distance races and throws to earn a top-eight finish in the state standings.
By the end of the two-day meet, the Wildcats had claimed a state championship, seven top-three finishes and numerous medals, leaving Wichita with both hardware and momentum for next season.
The Wildcats were coached by Brian Holloway, Andrew Scheef, Dustan Kantiz, Shelby Beaudoin, Ryan Martin and Britney Stos. Team managers included sophomore Lennon Graber, junior Hattie Hecox and junior Allison Schrag.
