The O’Neill Eagles turned in a strong performance Thursday at the Class C-5 District Track and
Field Championships hosted by West Holt High School, as several athletes earned the
opportunity to compete at the NSAA State Track & Field Championships next week in Omaha.
The O’Neill boys team placed third overall with 70 points behind champion Battle Creek High
School and runner-up West Holt High School. The O’Neill girls finished fifth overall, while West
Holt captured the girls district title.
Leading the way for the Eagle boys was junior Ryker Sudbeck, who qualified for state in the
400-meter dash with a runner-up finish and a new school record time of 49.54. Teammate Colten
Shoemaker also medaled in the event, placing fourth in 51.81.
In the distance races, Alonso Hernandez placed fourth in the 1600-meter run with a time of
4:53.26, while Tomas Arciniega finished fifth in 5:01.21.
Ian Yates earned a state berth in the 110-meter high hurdles after placing third in 15.40. Drake
Brandt also medaled in the event with a sixth-place finish in 16.32. Maguire Heiss added another
medal for the Eagles by placing sixth in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.
O’Neill’s relay teams delivered a historic day on the track. The 4x100-meter relay team of Colten
Shoemaker, Ryker Sudbeck, Maguire Heiss, and Porter Mathews broke the school record while
placing second in 43.36 to qualify for the state meet.
The Eagles also shattered the school record in the 4x400-meter relay. Colten Shoemaker, Porter
Mathews, Paul Fonseca, and Ryker Sudbeck combined to place second in 3:26.13, earning
another state qualification.
The boys 4x800-meter relay team of Paul Fonseca, Alonso Hernandez, Tomas Arciniega, and
Angel Sanchez placed second with a season-best time of 8:46.23.
In the field events, Colten Shoemaker placed third in the high jump by clearing 6 feet. Grady
Welke captured the district title in the pole vault with a winning clearance of 12 feet, 8 inches to
qualify for state. Sudbeck added a sixth-place medal in the long jump with a leap of 20 feet, 9
inches.
For the O’Neill girls, Mady Heiss placed fifth in the 100-meter dash in 13.00 seconds. Kiarra
Kennedy secured a trip to state with a fourth-place finish in the 1600-meter run in 5:42.44.
The girls 4x100-meter relay team of Mady Heiss, Tenzlie Sorensen, Serena Chavez, and Blakely
Sudbeck ran a season-best 51.05 to place fourth.
O’Neill’s 4x400-meter relay team of Mady Heiss, Mia Lindsay, Mollie Corkle, and Kiarra
Kennedy earned third place with a time of 4:13.08.
The girls 4x800-meter relay team of Kiarra Kennedy, Raegan Kaufman, Hannah Hilker, and
Mollie Corkle qualified for the state championships after placing fourth in 10:15.93.Mariah Kallhoff earned a runner-up finish in the shot put with a throw of 39 feet, 11½ inches to
qualify for state. Taylor Young added a fifth-place medal in the shot put at 35 feet, 5 inches and
placed sixth in the discus with a throw of 103 feet, 3 inches.
Blakely Sudbeck qualified for state in the high jump after finishing runner-up by clearing 4 feet,
11 inches. Reese Boetcher also medaled in the event, placing fifth with the same height.
Mady Heiss delivered one of the top performances of the meet, breaking the school record in the
long jump with a winning leap of 17 feet, 11½ inches to qualify for the Class C state
championships. Mia Lindsay placed fifth in the event with a jump of 15 feet, 10½ inches, while
Taylee Wade finished sixth at 15 feet, 1½ inches.
Serena Chavez punched her ticket to Omaha in the triple jump after placing third with a career-
best mark of 35 feet, 7¾ inches.
The O’Neill Eagles will next compete at the Nebraska NSAA State Track and Field
Championships May 22-23 at Burke Stadium.