Area track athletes are gearing up for Regionals and State coming up soon and to get prepared they meet up in league track meets. In Sabetha it was a showdown of the Big Seven with the eight teams converging to compete.

It was Hiawatha Red Hawk boys and Holton Wildcat girls each taking home the team league crowns, winning their respective titles both by double digit points. While those two teams won the team track league titles, each of the eight schools saw at least one individual event winner on the day in either the girls or boys competitions.

The Red Hawks of Hiawatha notched first in the boys competitions finishing with a team score of 103.5, 27 points better than the second place finishers, the Royal Valley Panthers who tallied 103.5 points good for second place. Rounding out the top three were the Perry Lecompton Kaws won finished with a team total of 94 points. The rest of the team standings finished like so: 4th Nemaha Valley (79.5), 5th Holton (67.5), 6th Sabetha (65.5), 7th Jefferson West (41.5) and 8th Santat Fe Trail (30).

Stealing the show on in the track event side was definitely Hiawatha as they won six of the 11 track events. Five of the wins came by two individuals that have been winning their respective events quite a bit this season, in Denzel Chilcoat and Cale Heiniger. Chilcoat sprinted his way to yet again victories in the 100 (10.77) and 200-meter (22.27) dashes, while his teammate Heiniger took home the distance crowns of 800 (2:02.81), 1600 (4:38.56) and 3200-meter (10:29.07) runs. The other first place finish for the Red Hawks was by their Relay team which won the 4x800-meter relay (8:38.30).

The rest of the running event titles went to Perry Lecompton and Royal Valley. The Kaws took home both the other relay team crowns, winning the 4x100 (44.90) and 4x400-meter (3:32.39) relays. Colin Coleman, also one an event for the Kaws running to victory in the 400-meter dash (52.65). While, Royal Valley's Nick Tuck swept the hurdles crowns winning the 110 (14.59) and 300-meter hurdles (40.51).

On the field side the events wins were spread out between the schools with Holton and Hiawatha each taking two. For the Wildcats it was Dustin Keen tossing his way to a win in the shot put (49'8") and his teammate, Cameron Karn leaping to a win in the triple jump (42'-5 1/4"). The Red Hawks, also got two winners in the field events, as Quentin Overdick threw his way to the win in the discus throw (153'-8") and Connor Bigham leapt to the win in the high jump (6'2").

The other field event wins were by: Gary Smith (Royal Valley) won the javelin throw (148'-10"); Chad Aberle (Sabetha) won the pole vault (11'-0") and TJ Kemble (Santa Fe Trail) won the long jump (20'-4 1/4").

It was a closer score in the team standings for the girls but the Holton Wildcats still came away with a double digit win for the team title, finishing with 139 total points. Second place went to Nemaha Valley Raiders with 125, while third went to the Sabetha Bluejays who also tallied over 100 points, finishing with 114.5 points. The rest of the team standings finished like so: 4th Hiawatha (64), 5th Jefferson West (63.5), 6th Perry Lecompton (62), 7th Royal Valley (33) and 8th Santa Fe Trail (7).

It was the first place team, Holton that won the most events track running events taking the 200 and 400-meter dashes, 800-meter run and 4x400 and 4x800-meter relays. Kimmie Snepp dashed her way to the win in the 200-meters (27.06), while her teammate Conner Strader won two events, the 400-meter dash (1:00.86) and the 800-meter run (2:29.74). Wildcats relay team won the 4x400 (4:14.91) and 4x800-meter relays (10:22.08). Nemaha Valley won the second most track events with three first place finishes; it was McKayla Brezina sweeping the hurdles crowns, winning the 100 (15.39) and 300-meter hurdles (48.14). Brezina's teammate, Ashley Rottinghaus won the 1600-meter run (5:37.88) for the Raiders, also.

The rest of the running event titles went to: Elizabeth Chilcoat (Hiawatha) won the 100-meter dash (12.74); Hiawatha Relay Team won the 4x100-meter relay (52.68) and Carrie Finson (Jeff West) won the 3200-meter run (12:34.24).

It was the Sabetha Bluejays winning the most field events in the girls competitions, taking home first place in the discus and javelin throws and also the high jump. Kayla Renyer won the discus (119'-4"), Heidi Heiniger took the crown in the javelin (126'-10") and Alli McNary won the high jump (5'0"). 

The rest of the field event titles went to: Haley Siess (Jeff West) won the long jump (16'1"); Kyrstie Miller (Holton) won the shot put (37'-0 1/2"); Jayna Smith (Holton) won the triple jump (33'-11") and Elizabetha Blevins (Royal Valley) won the pole vault (9'-0"). 

Full Results from the Big Seven League track meet are below: