Lynn Wilhelm
CherryRoad Media
Record after record fell and Syracuse High School athletes kept raising the bar at the Nebraska Capitol Conference Track Meet on Saturday, May 3, hosted by Conestoga High School.
Junior Nolan Gartner lit up the track in the 400-meter dash with a blazing time of 50.69, besting his previous record of 51.02 and finishing first. He didn’t stop there — Gartner also won the 800m (1:59.93), the 1600m (4:45.02), and anchored the 4x400m relay team to a meet-record win in 3:29.38, breaking Wahoo’s 1990 mark of 3:29.9.
Junior Ashlynn Vestal continued her own historic season with a first-place finish and new school and meet record in the 300m hurdles, clocking in at 45.43 (her own previous record: 45.58). She also took 2nd in the 400m and the 100m hurdles.
Adding to the record-breaking frenzy, senior Gavin Kelch unleashed a massive discus throw of 180’3, surpassing the previous school record of 178’9 set by Jess Kirchhoff. His performance also set a new meet record, highlighting a dominant outing by the Rockets’ throwing squad. When looking back at his toss, Kelch remarks, “It could not have been done without the hard work and dedication of Coaches Pavlik, Clark, Janssen, and especially Coach K.”
Coach Jess Kirchhoff was a coach for the Syracuse throwers for many years and passed away in 2023. His wife Lori Kirchhoff commented on his behalf, “Jess would have been ecstatic for Gavin – he always wanted one of “his” kids to get the record and with Gavin being one of his lasts, I think it’s very fitting! I told Tammy (Gavin’s mom) yesterday afterward that Jess’s shout when they read off the mark would have echoed and the whole track meet would have heard it.” All who had Coach K as a coach, know his voice carried, especially when excited for his athletes.
But the fireworks didn’t end there. Senior Jayden Meyer delivered an incredible individual performance, taking first place in four events: the 400m dash, 800m, long jump, and triple jump.
Despite a disqualification in the boys 4x100m relay due to an exchange zone violation, the Syracuse boys knew the 4x400m was crucial. Going into the final race, they led Fort Calhoun by just 8 points (122-114). The team of Will Janssen, Xavier Apel, Dayton Graves, and Gartner delivered under pressure with a meet record time of 3:29.38, clinching the meet victory and the conference team championship in dramatic fashion.
Head Coach Phil Janssen praised the team’s resilience and drive, “We talked all week about how competitive of a meet it was going to be and if we wanted to win, we would need a complete team effort. The emphasis was that every point mattered, whether it was a gold medal or a sixth-place finish. Because of that, we asked some kids to step out of their comfort zone and do things they may not have done before and it paid off.
A strong start in the field events, highlighted by our boys throwers and Jayden Meyer set the tone for the day. Success breads success and that was evident with the confidence our athletes showed throughout the day.”
GIRLS
Team Scores – Syracuse 135, Yutan 116, Arlington 75.5, Fort Calhoun 72, Conestoga 47, Raymond Central 31, Logan View 22.5, Douglas County West 14, Louisville 12
100m Dash – Kathleen Donovan, 1st, 12.44; Tatumn Walters, 4th, 13.25; Chessa Tompkins, 5th, 13.34
200m Dash – Kathleen Donovan, 2nd, 26.17
400m Dash – Jayden Meyer, 1st, 59.47; Ashlyn Vestal, 2nd, 1:00.75
800m Run – Jayden Meyer, 1st, 2:22.14; Capri Hansen, 3rd, 2:34.38
1600m Run – Bryn Boitnott, 6th, 6:06.28
3200m Run – Ava Mohr, 2nd, 12:42.80
100m Hurdles – Ashlynn Vestal, 2nd, 16.17
300m Hurdles – Ashlynn Vestal, 1st, 45.43
4x100m Relay – 2nd, Kathleen Donovan, Ashlynn Vestal, Bridget Donovan, Tatumn Walters, 51.30
4x400m Relay – 3rd, Tatumn Walters, Capri Hansen, Bridget Donovan, Kathleen Donovan, 4:19.58
4x800m Relay – 2nd, Brandy Johnson, Hailey Pfeiffer, Claire Noerrlinger, Capri Hansen, 10:47.79
Shot Put – Natalee Wemhoff, 4th, 32’5
Pole Vault – Bridget Donovan, 5th, 9’
Long Jump – Jayden Meyer, 1st, 16’9.25; Tatumn Walters, 5th, 16’1
Triple Jump – Jayden Meyer, 1st, 35’6
BOYS
Team Scores – Syracuse 132, Fort Calhoun 120, Yutan 66, Douglas County West 54, Raymond Central 52, Arlington 37, Conestoga 34, Louisville 21, Logan View 10
400m Dash – Nolan Gartner, 1st, 50.69
800m Run – Nolan Gartner, 1st, 1:59.93
1600m Run – Nolan Gartner, 1st, 4:45.02; Dayton Graves, 2nd, 4:48.41
3200m Run – Dayton Graves, 3rd, 10:06.68; Bryan Morquecho, 5th, 10:55.57
110m Hurdles – Oliver Eylar, 2nd, 16.30
300m Hurdles – Oliver Eylar, 6th, 45.78
4x400m Relay – 1st, Will Janssen, Xavier Apel, Dayton Graves, Nolan Gartner, 3:29.38
4x800m Relay – 2nd, Lawson Stark, Bryan Morquecho, Xavier Apel, Dayton Graves, 8:40.29
Shot Put – Hunter Holle, 1st, 51’3.5; Ryan Kirchhof, 2nd, 50’7.5; Gavin Kelch, 3rd, 48’7
Discus – Gavin Kelch, 1st, 180’3; Hunter Holle, 2nd, 155’8; Ryan Kirchhoff, 4th, 146’3
High Jump – Logan Jazbec, 4th, 5’8’
Triple Jump – Logan Jazbec, 5th, 37’9.25
Long Jump – Will Janssen, 4th, 20’6.5; Gideon Stark, 5th, 20’; Tieran Cox, 6th, 19’5.5
UPCOMING:
May 9: Johnson County Central Invite, Tecumseh
May 13: District Track, Tecumseh
May 23-24: State Track, Omaha
