QUEST FOR EXCELLENCE: BHS thinclads rev up for state meet
Bartlesville High School's 2023 track season consists of many compelling storylines.
Sixteen (and possibly more) Bartlesville athletes are due to compete in this weekend's Class 6A state meet, in 13 different events.
Bartlesville head coach David Ayres has the option of changing personnel on his three state relay teams (girls 4x200m, girls 4x800m and boys 4x400). He's allowed to declare eight athletes to fill the four spots on each of the relays. Ayres indicated Wednesday he likely wouldn't make many, if any, alterations.
Of the state-bound relay teams, the boys' 4x400m group is one of the interesting stories for Bartlesville.
In putting together the boys 4x400m relay for the regional, Ayres dealt from the middle of the deck to pair up a basketball player-turned-high-jumper-turned-sprinter (Jack Wahl), with a recruited soccer player (Connor Bastings), a cross country specialist (Reed Gorman) and a hurdler (Colton Walls). That eclectic amalgamation of talents formed a foursome that blazed to that could be a force at state.
Wahl, Bastings, Gorman and Walls are seeded No. 4 in the 4x400m field.
Although Ayres could alter this relay lineup for state (he might want to save Wahl's legs for the high jump or Walls' stamina for the hurdles, for example), what this wide-ranging, galloping quartet achieved at the regional adds to the chromaticity of a remarkable Bartlesville track season.
Junior Campbell Barta has qualified for the maximum-allowed four events -- the girls' 100m dash, 200m dash, long jump and 4x200m relay. At the regional, Barta broke the school record in both the 100m dash (:11.92) and the 200m dash (:25.0).
Three-event qualifiers include Kadance Barnett (girls' 4x200m relay, long jump and high jump); and Gentry Turner (girls' 4x800m relay, 3200m and 1600m).
Barta owns the team's lone No. 1 seed (100m). Bartlesville athletes going in as No. 2 seeds include the girls 4x200m relay team (Barnett, Barta, Chloe Robbins, Morgan Wasemiller), the girls 4x800m relay team (Katherine Manley, Reese Savage, Lauren Shoesmith, Turner), and Jack Wahl (boys high jump).
Wahl is the lone returning state champion in the Bartlesville contingent.
He'll try for gold again -- but as part of that quest he also wants to set the school record (currently 6-foot-10-inches), Ayres said.
Wahl has cleared 6-foot-8 multiple times and nearly surmounted 6-foot-10.25 on a couple of occasions.
Walls displayed great grit in qualifying with a substantial showing in the 300m hurdles.
He finished second in the regional despite hitting about four hurdles, Ayres noted, adding Walls has potential to go even faster.
Pole vaulter Kade Bostwick has made amazing progress from the last two years and finished second in the regional at 14-feet-even. This season, he's already flown above 14-feet-six-inches and could soar even higher at state.
Turner burst to the regional title in the girls' 3200m and among the higher seeds at state.
Following is a list of Bartlesville's state qualifiers, not including any alternates Ayres might name to the relay teams._
GIRLS
(State seeding in parentheses)
KADANCE BARNETT: 4x200m relay (2nd), long jump (3rd), high jump (14th).
CAMPBELL BARTA: 100m (1st), 4x200m relay (2nd), long jump (4th), 200m (6th).
SHARELL JONES: Discus (17th).
EMILY LECHUGA: 3200m (15th).
KATHERINE MANLEY: 4x800m relay (2nd), 1600m (15th).
CHLOE ROBBINS: 4x200m relay (2nd).
REESE SAVAGAE: 4x800m relay (2nd).
LAUREN SHOESMITH: 4x800m relay (2nd).
GENTRY TURNER: 4x800m relay (2nd), 3200m (4th), 1600m (9th).
MORGAN WASEMILLER: 4x200m relay (2nd).
_
BOYS
(State seeding in parentheses)
CONNOR BASTINGS: 4X400m (4th).
KADE BOSTWICK: Pole vault (3rd).
BEN COLLIVER: High jump (5th).
REED GORMAN: 4X400m (4th).
JACK WAHL: High jump (2nd), 4X400m (4th).
COLTON WALLS: 4X400m (4th), 300m hurdles (13th).
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville High track team set for state meet this weekend
