photo by: Emma Pravecek/Journal-World Photo

Lawrence Free State pole vaulter Isa Evans prepares to practice her approach run during the Barrier Breakers meet on Friday, April 22.

State championship showings by Free State High’s Isa Evans in the girls pole vault and Ben Shryock in the 3,200-meter run highlighted Day 1 at the all-class state track meet at Wichita’s Cessna Stadium for the track and field teams from Lawrence.

Evans, who lost just one meet all season — to a vaulter from Class 5A, no less — was the only competitor to clear the 11-foot mark on Friday. She got it on her third try after clearing her opening height of 10 feet, 6 inches in one attempt to enter the competition.

After fighting through a bit of a grind in the final couple of meets before state, Evans said she freed her mind Friday morning, allowing her to soar to victory.

“It was just like, ‘OK, I got to this point and I’m not going to worry about it or stress about it anymore,'” she said. “It was really cool. It wasn’t a (personal record) or anything, but I really fought for 11 feet and the effort I put into it made me really happy.”

Evans, a senior, who graduated earlier this week, said she never expected to qualify for state when her vaulting career began. To do it two years in a row with a state title showing at her last meet was as good of an ending as she could have envisioned.

“I’m glad I got to be a part of it, and I’m glad Free State track was my last experience of high school,” she said. “It was my favorite part so it was a fitting way to go out.”

Joining Evans on the medal stand in representing the FSHS vaulters were senior Ashley Mai, who took third at 10 feet, 6 inches, and junior Makenzie Vaughn, who did not even start vaulting until late April after coming back from a broken left foot, finished in sixth place after clearing 10 feet on her second attempt.

“Honestly, having all three of us up there, that was the best part of today by far,” Evans said.

Shryock’s winning time of 9:06.70 in the 2-mile run on Friday was more than 42 seconds faster than his winning time at last week’s regional time and is now the Free State school record.

After shining throughout his career in both track and field and cross country, Shryock will have two more chances to add memories to his storybook career on Saturday, when he runs a leg of the boys 4×800 relay around 12:30 p.m. and competes in the 1,600 at about 2:45 p.m.

Free State’s Michael Romito qualified for Saturday’s finals in both the 400 (50.79 seconds, sixth place) and the boys 4×400 relay. He’ll join teammates Roman Jasso, Elijah Sabatini and Jack Keathley-Helms in the chase for the 4×400 title on Saturday.

Free State senior Brian Lane missed a medal in the javelin by finishing in 10th place with a throw of 150 feet, 9 inches. The FSHS boys 4×100 relay team also finished in 10th, two spots out of a qualifying time. Marrah Spriggs took 11th (49.45) and 12th (16.96) in the 300- and 100-meter hurdles, Isabelle Pro finished 14th in the girls 3,200 (12:19.34), Madison Base and Tyler Gourley took 15th in the discus and shot put, respectively, and Trevor Sidabutar took 16th in the boys 110-meter hurdles.

In the Lawrence High camp, senior Gianna Cooper took fourth place in the triple jump with a leap of 36 feet, 1 inch, and senior Noah Smith placed sixth in the shot put with a throw of 50 feet, 2.75 inches.

“It feels like my three seasons of track were worth it and it was a great way to go out,” Smith said after the meet.

The LHS girls 4×400 relay team of Destiny Savannah, Brenna Schwada, Jaylie Hohman and Harper Dye finished prelims in sixth-place with a qualifying time of 4:06.54. They’ll run in Saturday’s finals at 6:55 p.m.

Lions jumpers Avion Nelson (20 feet, 1.5 inches in the long jump) and Camdyn Johnson (6 feet in the high jump) both finished in ninth place, missing out on a spot on the podium by one place.

Schwada also took 12th in the long jump at (16 feet, 4.5 inches) and 14th in the 200 prelims with a time of 27.23 seconds. Colin Sandefur finished 14th in the boys 200 in 23.46 seconds and the LHS boys 4×100 relay team of Nelson, Zeric Avery, Sam Sedo and Sandefur was disqualified because of an exchange violation.

Friday was about more than track for several LHS seniors, who had to focus on competing in the morning and race back to Lawrence in the afternoon to join LHS’s graduation ceremony, which had been rescheduled from earlier in the week because of rain.

The LHS seniors who just arrived in Wichita on Thursday afternoon jumped in a van less than 24 hours later to return to Lawrence.

“For me, throwing so early this morning, it shouldn’t have affected me, but it definitely did slightly,” Smith said of the looming roadtrip home. “It didn’t allow me to settle in all week, with all the uncertainty changing up my practice routine when we got there. But our administration has been great with us, making sure we get back in time (for graduation) and get back down (to Wichita) to be with our team.”

Here’s a rundown of the notable area state track results from Friday:

• Eudora High freshman Hanna Keltner finished second in the 3,200 in 4A (11:30.12). She was joined by Conor Dunback, who took second in the triple jump (43 feet, 7.75 inches), Kole Manley, who took second in the boys pole vault (14 feet) and Alyssa Chapman, who took second in the girls pole vault (10 feet). EHS’s Tyler Neis finished fifth in the shot put (50 feet, 8.75 inches) and Manley (175-10) and Dunback (167-3) finished fifth and seventh in the boys javelin. Sophomore Sydney Owens joined Keltner on the medal podium by finishing fourth in the girls 3,200 (11:45.84) and sophomore Zachary Arnold took sixth in the boys 3,200 in 9:52.42. Maya Pattison qualified for Saturday’s finals in the girls 200 with a sixth-place finish in 26.47 and she will run one leg of the girls 4×100 relay in Saturday’s finals after that group (Pattison, Madison Karten, Sophia Ewy and Leah White) qualified in second place with a time of 49.52 seconds The EHS boys 4×400 relay of Dunback, Jonas Staples, Octavius Lyles and Adrion Seals also qualified for the finals with a with a second-place finish in 3:29.98.

• Tonganoxie High on Friday was led by an eighth-place showing from Emma Sunderland in the girls high jump. Sunderland cleared 4 feet 8 inches. THS’s Isaiah Holthaus qualified for Saturday’s finals in the boys 300 hurdles with a time of 40.32 seconds, and the Chieftains’ boys 4×400 relay team of Holthaus, Jesse Young, Lukas Parizek and Eli Gilmore qualified for Saturday’s finals with a fourth-place showing in 3:30.33.

• Baldwin High was led Friday by Chaney Barth’s sixth-place finish in the high jump. Barth cleared 4 feet, 10 inches on her first attempt before bowing out at 5 feet.

• Perry-Lecompton High did not qualify anyone for Saturday’s finals after competing in four events on Friday. Thilo Wuesten’s 10th-place showing (52.77) in the boys 400 was the best of the day for the Kaws.

All of these schools will compete in another full day’s worth of running and field events on Saturday as this year’s state meet comes to a close.

photo by: Matt Tait

LHS senior Gianna Cooper.

photo by: Matt Tait

LHS senior Noah Smith.

photo by: Emma Pravecek/Journal-World Photo

Lawrence Free State pole vaulter Ashley Mai cheers for her teammte during the Barrier Breakers meet on Friday, April 22.

photo by: Emma Pravecek/Journal-World Photo

Lawrence Free State pole vaulter Makenzie Vaughn practices her approach run during the Barrier Breakers meet on Friday, April 22.

photo by: Matt Tait

Free State’s Michael Romito.

photo by: Matt Tait

From left to right, Free State’s 4×400 relay team, Roman Jasso, Michael Romito, Elijah Sabatini and Jack Keathley-Helms.

photo by: Matt Tait

Pictured from left to right, the LHS girls 4×400 relay team is: Gabrielle Reed, Destiny Savannah, Brenna Schwada, Jaylie Hohman and Harper Dye.