OMAHA - A winning effort for Beatrice’s Cory Sugden in the Class B boys high jump Friday at the Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships in Omaha turned into an All-Class Gold Medal performance by the end of the day.
Sugden won the Class B high jump with a winning jump of 6-7 and then withstood efforts by Class A and C jumpers to take away the all-class gold Friday afternoon.
“Cory jumped very well,” Beatrice assistant coach Jim Weeks said. “He had two great days of practice getting ready for the state meet.”
Weeks said Sugden didn’t miss a jump until he made a school-record attempt after already winning Class B.
Sugden attempted 6-9 3/4, which would have given him to the Beatrice school record, but failed on three attempts.
The Beatrice record is held by Randy DeBuhr, a 1980 graduate, at 6-9 1/2.
The 6-7 jump is a personal best for Sugden, whose previous best was 6-6 at an indoor meet at Doane College earlier this season, Weeks said.
“Cory really competed,” Weeks said. “He was never close to missing until 6-9 3/4 and he had one really good attempt at that.”
Weeks said Sugden is a “technican” when it comes to the high jump and works hard at the event.
Beatrice’s Tommie Bardsley also had a personal-best in the high jump Friday, finishing sixth overall at 6-4.
Bardsley also competed in the triple jump Friday, but failed to place with a best effort of 42-4 1/4.
Senior Ben Paben picked up the Orangemen’s other state medal Friday, finishing fourth in the 3200-meter run with a time of 9:44.44.
Jordan Rector competed in the 3200-meter run but did not place, finishing with a time of 10:30.78.
Paben, Rector, Jason Haddix and Ted Fischer also competed in the 3200-meter relay, but failed to place with a time of 8:24.20.
Holly Bishop earned the only state medal Friday for the Beatrice girls, placing fifth in the discus with a throw of 124-9.
The Lady Orange’s Gemma Pretzer qualified for the finals in two events. She finished second in her heat in the 100-meter dash in 12.79 and won her heat in the 400-meter dash in 59.65.
Pretzer also competed in the 200-meter dash but failed to qualify, finishing fourth in her heat in 26.60.
Beatrice’s Kayla Busboom competed in the long jump but did not place with a best effort of 15-11.
Competing in preliminaries for the Lady Orange, but failing to qualify for the finals were:
Lindsay Fujan, who finished seventh in her heat in the 300 hurdles in 50.12.
Kelsie Post, who finished seventh in her heat in the 100-meter dash in 13.12.
Shelby Walton, who finished sixth in her heat in the 300 hurdles in 50.51.
Stephanie Rudder, who finished sixth in her heat in the 100 hurdles in 16.80.
The 3200-meter relay of Taylor Garton, Laura Jantz, Kelsey Schlake and Kristina Wilson, who finished with a time of 10:09.88.
Medaling for Sunland schools in Class B were:
Fairbury’s Devan Schmidt, who was fourth in the triple jump with a best effort of 44-7 1/2.
Fairbury’s Janessa Kobza, who finished second in the girls discus with a best effort of 128-1.
Firth Norris’ 3200-meter relay of Sonny Adkins, Sarah Hoefler, Annelise Madison and Jami Pritschau, which placed fourth in 9:50.27.
Qualifying for Saturday’s finals for Sunland schools in Class B were:
Fairbury’s Brian Dein, who finished second in his heat in the 400-meter dash in 50.79.
Fairbury’s Schmidt, who finished fourth in his heat in the 100-meter dash in 11.30.
Fairbury’s Kenzie Helmink, who finished third in her heat in the 300 hurdles in 48.16.
Norris’ Cameron Dudley, who finished fourth in his heat in the 300 hurdles in 40.094.
Norris’ Stevie Grossenbacher, who finished second in her heat in the 300-meter hurdles in 48.08.
Norris’ Abby Kroese, who finished second in her heat in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.14.
Norris’ Gretchen Kroese, who finished second in her heat in the 100-meter hurdles in 15.87.
Norris’ Abby Olsen, who finished second in her heat in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.14.
Sunland athletes failing to place or qualify for Saturday’s finals included:
Fairbury’s 3200-meter girls relay of Kalee Cromer, Whitney Ebke, Cassie Leonard and Amanda Osborne, who finished in 10:12.22.
Fairbury’s KiLee Edson, who failed to place in the long jump with a best effort of 15-10 1/4 and failed to qualify in the 200-meter dash, finishing seventh in her heat in 26.99.
Fairbury’s Helmink, who failed to qualify in the 100-meter hurdles, finishing fifth in her heat in 16.55.
Norris’ Dudley, who failed to qualify in the 110-meter hurdles, finsihing third in his heat in 15.46.
Norris’ Blake Huls, who failed to place in the high jump with a best effort of 6-2.
Norris’ Rudy Mignon, who failed to place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:03.61.
Norris’ Madison, who failed to place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 12:53.13.
Norris’ Pritschau, who failed to qualify in the 200-meter dash, finishing eighth in her heat in a time of 27.68, and who failed to qualify in the 400-meter dash, finishing fourth in her heat in a time of 1:01.90.