Austin powers Pawnee City in quest of Class D championship

Daily Sun sports

OMAHA - Pawnee City’s Indians got their quest for a Class D State championship started off in style Friday at the Nebraska State High School Track and Field Championships in Omaha.

The Indians scored 18 points in two field events as junior Bryan Austin won the high jump and junior Ian Slama finished second in the shot put.

Austin won the high jump with a leap of 6-4.

Three jumpers all cleared the 6-4 mark with Austin winning the state title based on the misses.

Slama came through with a put of 51-7 1/4.

Austin also completed in the 100-meter dash, but failed to qualify for Saturday’s final, finishing sixth in his heat in 11.85.

Pawnee City’s John Musil competed in the high jump, but failed to place with a best effort of 6-0.

Brad Gyhra competed in the preliminaries of the 400-meter dash for the Indians, but failed to qualify for the finals, finishing seventh in his heat in 55.12.

Pawnee City’s 3200-meter relay of Jace Bausch, Kent Kunn, Gyhra and Kent Niss also failed to place, finishing with a time of 8:45.59.

In girls action, Brooke Burgess finished in a seventh-place tie in the pole vault with a best effort of 8-6.

Ky’Lee Engelken qualified for the finals in the 400-meter dash for the Lady Indians, finsihing third in her heat in 1:01.40.

Pawnee City’s girls 3200-meter relay of Dani Burgess, Engelken, Jordan Lang and Trisha Sejkora failed to place with a time of 10:55.90.

Several athletes earned medals for other Sunland Class D schools Friday.

Sterling’s Brandon Nieveen finished fifth in the boys 3200-meter run with a time of 10:21.21.

Lewiston’s Maggie Kramer finished eighth in the Class D girls long jump with a best effort of 15-6.

Sterling’s Courtney VanGroningen qualified for the finals 100-meter hurdles, finishing second in her heat in 16.70.

Other Sunland athletes to did not place or qualify for Saturday’s finals included:

Diller-Odell’s Kelly Theye, who finished second in her heat in the 400-meter dash in 1:02.53.

Daykin Meridian’s Reid VanWesten, who did not place in the triple jump with a best effort of 39-5 3/4.

Meridian’s Mariah Filipi, who did not place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 13:42.30.

Meridian’s Kristen VanWesten, who did not place in the discus with a best effort of 87-7.

Sterling’s VanGroningen, who did not place in the long jump with a best effort of 13-6 3/4; who failed to qualify in the 100-meter dash, finishing third in her heat in 13.00, and who false started in the 200-meter dash.

Sterling’s A.J. Magill, who failed to place in the 3200-meter run with a time of 13:07.11.