At Free State High’s annual Barrier Breakers meet, the coaches come up with specific marks or times in each event that are considered the goal for every athlete to reach.

In the girls pole vault Friday at FSHS, the target height on the sheet read: 8 feet.

Firebirds senior Callie Hicks watched for roughly 45 minutes while other vaulters shot for and eclipsed the barrier, then took her first stab at the event by clearing 10 feet, 6 inches.

photo by: Richard Gwin

LHS senior Kyleigh Severa stretches out in the girls triple jump Friday at Free Sate.

“Yeah, I was fine,” Hicks said, with a smile, after scoring one point for her team and earning a Barrier Breakers medal, just like every vaulter who turned out a mark of 8 feet or better at the uniquely scored meet — won by Olathe East’s girls and boys.

Vaulting didn’t always come so easily for Hicks, who began competing in the event as a sophomore, following prompting and encouragement from some of her peers in gymnastics.

“I think this meet is a really great thing that’s kind of unique to our school,” Hicks said of Barrier Breakers, in which the FSHS girls and boys finished seventh. “And just with the barrier, I think it’s a good way for athletes to set goals for themselves. As a pole vaulter, it’s a pretty good feeling when you start scoring points for your team.”

Hicks, who committed to Kansas University track earlier this week, has done so with ease this season. Friday, she had the top mark of 11 feet. She elected to skip 11-6 and give 12 feet a crack before coming up just short in her first-place performance at the unconventional meet.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Lawrence High senior Amani Bledsoe puts the shot during a track Invitational Friday at Free Sate.

“I guess I could’ve backed off a little bit,” Hicks said of her gutsy choice on her home-field runway, “but I was feeling extra energized.”

The same could be said of Lawrence High senior Caroline Dykes after she set a personal record of 5-4 in the girls high jump. LHS placed ninth in the team standings.

“The last few meets I’ve been trying to get 5-4, so I’m really happy that I made it,” said Dykes, who had been painfully close to bettering her previous mark of 5-2. “I was ready to just get my PR and move on to the next one.”

Indeed, Dykes nearly went ahead and delivered a personal record on the spot, clearing the bar at 5-5, but just bumping it out of place with a shoulder, her backside or the back of her knee.

Now Dykes, who also competed in the triple jump (30-11.5) and 300 hurdles (49.75), doesn’t think 5-6 is too far away for her.

“I always want to push myself to get better and beat my previous goal,” the LHS senior said.

Another LHS senior, J’Mony Bryant, set a personal record of 10.76 seconds (stopwatch-timed, following issues with Free State’s timing system at the meet) in the 100-meter dash, after entering as the ninth seed.

“I’m usually in the fast heat,” said Bryant, who went on to finish sixth, behind teammate and fellow senior JD Woods’ first-place sprint of 10.41. “When Coach (Jack) Hood told me, I was, like, ‘Why they underestimating me? I’ve been running this same speed the whole year.’ I did what I had to do.”

photo by: Richard Gwin

Free State's Malia Kema clears 4-8 in the girls high jump Friday at Free Sate.

Bryant said the Lions’ sprinters, who still think they should have brought home a Class 6A state championship in the 4×100 last season, constantly push each other to get better at practices.

“Last year we were the fastest team going into state, we won our prelims, and we were in lane four for the finals,” Bryant said, before pausing. “Stuff happened. Now we’re trying to bounce back from that, get right back in lane four and finish the race like we should have.”

Bryant, Woods, sophomore Jalen Dudley and junior Trey Moore sped past the competition at Free State to take first in the 4×100 (42.82), with Woods taking off down the straightaway on the final leg.

“We know what our goal is for the end of the season,” Bryant said, referencing a state title, “and we know to get there we’ve gotta push each other to exceed, keep PR-ing, keep PR-ing.”

Team scores (barriers broken, boys and girls combined): 1. Olathe East, 89; 2. St. Thomas Aquinas, 83; 3. Shawnee Mission East, 66; 4. St. James Academy, 65; 5. Emporia, 62; 6. Shawnee Mission North, 55; 7. Free State, 54; 8. Blue Valley Southwest, 52; 9. Lawrence, 49; 10. Bishop Miege, 41; 11. Washburn Rural, 39; 12. Blue Valley West, 35; 13. Topeka West, 25; 14. Schlagle, 8; 14. Wyandotte, 8; 15. HCA, 3.

Event winners and city results

Girls

100 hurdles: 1. Dacia Harris, O-East, 15.12

100: 1. Destiny Ray, SME, 12.22; 21. Marlee Coleman, LHS, 13.27; 22. Destiny Downing, FSHS, 13.35; 28. Emma Barberena, FSHS, 13.55; 30. Teresa Wright, FSHS, 13.65.

300 hurdles: 1. Jazmin Williams, SMN, 45.78; 5. Caroline Dykes, LHS, 49.75; 8. Talima Harjo, LHS, 50.54; 13. Kaitlen White, LHS, 52.51; 14. Victoria Robinson, LHS, 52.9.

800: 1. Allison Vermilion, O-East, 2:22.10; 9. Abby Zenger, FSHS, 2:29.9; 15. Hannah Stewart, LHS, 2:32.5.

4×100: 1. St. James, 50.93.

3200: 1. Kayla Davis, O-East, 11:15.4; 3. Kiran Cordes, FSHS, 11:31.4; 21. Erin Liston, FSHS, 13:25.73.

1600: 1. Samantha Taylor, SMN, 5:16.06; 8. Kiran Cordes, FSHS, 5:28.82; 12. Claire Sanner, FSHS, 5:33.9; 17. Abby Zenger, FSHS, 5:42.7; 31. Anna DeWitt, LHS, 5:56.38.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Free State junior Kiran Cordes passes a competitor during the 3,200-meter run on Friday at FSHS.

400: 1. Maddy Palodichunk, HCA, 59.2; 3. Evann Seratte, LHS, 1:01.74; 9. Cameryn Thomas, FSHS, 1:04.3.

200: 1. Destiny Ray, SME, 25.4; 2. Kyleigh Severa, LHS, 25.74; 8. Evann Seratte, LHS, 26.68; 12. Cameryn Thomas, FSHS, 26.97; 13. Myah Yoder, LHS, 27.14; 18. Alauna Hawkins, FSHS, 27.63; 27. Destiny Downing, FSHS, 28.13; 33. Marlee Coleman, LHS, 28.5.

Long jump: 1. Jazmin Williams, SMN, 18-10.5; 3. Kyleigh Severa, LHS, 18-2.5; 5. Cameryn Thomas, FSHS, 17-5; 16. Malia Kema, FSHS, 15-0.5.

High jump: 1. Caroline Dykes, LHS, 5-2; 7. Malia Kema, FSHS, 4-10.

Triple jump: 1. Odalis Hernandez, Emporia, 39-1.5; 5. Kyleigh Severa, LHS, 35-11; 13. Malia Kema, FSHS, 33-1; 19. Caroline Dykes, LHS, 30-11.5.

Shot put: 1. Hannah Walter, FSHS, 38-4.5; 2. Caylee Irving, FSHS, 35-11.5.

Discus: 1. Allie Webb, St. James, 114-4; 3. Caylee Irving, FSHS, 97-10; 5. Kedra Green, LHS, 93-8; 10. Lexi Anglin, LHS, 90-6.

4×400: 1. St. James, 4:07.02; 2. LHS, 4:08.

Boys

Shot put: 1. Amani Bledsoe, LHS, 56-7; 14. BJ Murray, LHS, 41-9; 20. Tanner Liba, FSHS, 40-5

300 hurdles: 1. Byron Gardner, Schlagle, 39.23; 2. Trey Moore, LHS, 40.32; 9. Tayvien Robinson, LHS, 42.82.

110 hurdles: 1. Noah Green, BVSW, 13.83; 3. Trey Moore, LHS, 14.97; 8. James Reeder, LHS,

100: 1. JD Woods, LHS, 10.41; 6. J’Mony Bryant, LHS, 10.76; 7. Tommy Jacobs, FSHS, 10.77; 10. Ronald White, FSHS, 10.8; 13. Jordan Patrick, FSHS, 10.99; 14. Bryce Torneden, FSHS, 11.03; 24. Nate Thomas, FSHS, 11.22.

800: Matthew Mallir, St. Thomas Aquinas, 1:57.1; 6. Ethan Donley, FSHS, 2:00.07; 12. Tanner Hockenbury, FSHS, 2:02.9; 17. Ben Otte, LHS, 2:04.4; 31. Jared Hicks, FSHS, 2:07.11; 41. Erik Shackelford, LHS, 2:09.5.

photo by: Richard Gwin

Free State High's Cameron Hodge approaches for his vault during a track Invitational Friday at Free State.

200: 1. JD Woods, LHS, 22.15; 5. J’Mony Bryant, LHS, 22.4; 10. Ronald White, FSHS, 22.58; 15. Jordan Patrick, FSHS, 22.98; 16. Tommy Jacobs, FSHS, 22.99; 23. Nate Thomas, FSHS, 23.3; 43. Malachi Starr, LHS, 24.02.

4×100: 1. LHS, 42.82.

3200: 1. Nick Skinner, O-East, 9:27.91; 12. Avant Edwards, FSHS, 10:11.78; 17. Grant Holmes, FSHS, 10:26.23.

400: 1. Noah Green, BVSW, 49.8; 4. Ethan Donley, FSHS, 51.17; 9. Nichlaus Williams, LHS, 52.55; 15. Tristen Gillespie, LHS, 53.29.

Pole vault: 1. Daniel Zolotor, SMN, 13-0; 5. Cameron Hodge, FSHS, 11-0.

High jump: 1. Travis Pickert, St. James, 6-2.

Long jump: 1. Greg Sloan, Schlagle, 21-6; 5. Peter Afful, LHS, 21-0; 7. Jalen Atkinson, LHS, 20-7.5; 8. Jalen Dudley, LHS, 20-4; 16. Nichlaus Wiliams, LHS, 19-6.5; 18. Shemar Kamara, LHS, 19-5.5; 36. Azariah LeBrun, LHS, 18-6.

1600: 1. Noah Stevenson, SMN, 4:20.53; 5. Tanner Hockenbury, FSHS, 4:28.13; 12. Ethan Donley, FSHS, 4:36.89; 25. Jared Hicks, FSHS, 4:48.06; 26. Landon Sloan, FSHS, 4:48.54; 39. Grant Holmes, FSHS, 4:53.42.

4×400: 1. O-East, 3:22.85.