NORFOLK — Ponca and Tri County Northeast were well-represented on the medal stand at Thursday’s Norfolk Track and Field Classic.
The all-star meet featured the top performers in track and field in Northeast Nebraska, and both area schools performed well against some of the top athletes in the area.
Ponca’s Ava Brennan highlighted the local girls’ effort with a pair of first-place finishes. She anchored a come-from-behind win in the 3,200-meter relay, running down Pender and Pierce in the final 400 meters to help the Lady Indians’ tandem — which included Ellesyn Hrouda, Avery McAfee and Alexa Mcghee — finish in a time of 9:59.86. The team came into the race with the best time among the meet qualifiers and held their own to claim the win.
Brennan also got a first-place medal for herself, taking top honors in the 3,200-meter run. She took the lead in the third lap of the eight-lap race and never looked back, finishing in 12:10.04.
Ponca’s 1,600-meter relay of Olivia Taylor, McAfee, Hrouda and Mcghee finished fifth in the eight-team event that closed out the day’s competition.
For Tri County Northeast, the Lady Wolfpack had four medal-winning efforts. Kiya Tornez and Bre Millard both finished fourth in the 100-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles, respectively, while Rachael Bousquet trimmed a second off her personal best in the 400-meter dash to finish fifth. The trio joined with Joslyn Mackling for a fourth-place mark in the 400-meter relay.
In boys action, Tri County Northeast senior Bryan Isom had the best day among area competitors with three medals. He placed third in the triple jump, finished fourth in the 300-meter hurdles and was fifth in the 110-meter high hurdles.
Ponca finished the day with three medals. Zach Luze was fifth in the shot put, Zyan Conrad finished third in the 400 and Gannon Pfister was fifth in the 1,600.
Norfolk Track Classic
Area Girls Medalists
100: 4. Kiya Tornez, TCNE, 12.69.
400: 5. Rachael Bousquet, TCNE, 1:02.24.
3,200: 1. Ava Brennan, 12:10.04.
300 hurdles: 4. Bre Millard, TCNE, 46.91.
400 relay: 4. TCNE (Bousquet, Millard, Joslyn Mackling, Tornez), 50.75.
1,600 relay: 5. Ponca (Olivia Taylor, Avery McAfee, Ellesyn Hrouda, Alexa Mcghee), 4:18.41.
3,200 relay: 1. Ponca (Hrouda, McAfee, Mcghee, Brennan), 9:59.86.
Area Boys Medalists
Shot put: 5. Zach Luze, Ponca, 50-4.
Triple jump: 3. Bryan Isom, TCNE, 42-9 1/2.
400: 3. Zyan Conrad, Ponca, 51.55.
1,600: 5. Gannon Pfister, Ponca, 4:37.43.
110 hurdles: 5. Isom, 15.74.
300 hurdles: 4. Isom, 41.80.
