By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Tanner Newkirk's performance in last weekend's state track and field championships may not have been the best ever.
Affter all, there have now been 111 boys and 50 girls state meets contested in Kansas, with many of the greatest athletes in state history putting their talents on display.
Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk finishes off his victory in Saturday's Class 4A 1,600 meters at Cessna Stadium, setting his second 4A state-meet record. [Photo by Brent Maycock/KSHSAA Covered]
Hayden senior Tanner Newkirk begins his final lap of the Class 4A 800 meters Saturday at Cessna Stadium. Newkirk won the event in 1:55.00, his third state title of the state meet. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But there's no doubt that the Hayden senior superstar left an indelible mark on the state meet, which was his goal in only his second and final state appearance.
The Kansas signee won all three of his individual events en route to pulling off the distance triple while setting a pair of Class 4A state meet records and adding a fourth state medal in a relay.
"I feel like in my career before this year there was a little something missing,'' Newkirk said. "I mean one state title and no track titles, so I wanted to come out here and just show people what I'm made of off this track season and just end it with a bang. I've been on a really good roll this track season and I'm really happy to end it off in this way.''
After earning a pair of state medals as a freshman, Newkirk missed his sophomore track season due to COVID-19 and was forced to pull out of the state meet the day of the meet his junior season with an injury.
"Last year thinking about it feels really bad, but now it's a great comeback story, really,'' Newkirk said. "It really added to the hunger that I had for this meet.
"It just feels so good after not being able to run her last year to make my legacy what it really should be and show everyone that I really am a great runner.''
Newkirk set the tone for his huge weekend in Friday's meet-opening 3,200-meter run when he steadily pulled away for a decisive win in 8 minutes, 58.88. seconds, moving to No. 5 all-time in Kansas in the event and demolishing the 4A state meet record by nearly 27 seconds.
After running an impressive 1:57 split Saturday morning to help Hayden post a fifth-place finish in the 4 x 800 relay (8:30.60), Newkirk added another dominating, state-meet record performance in the 1,600 in 4:12.25 before finishing off his individual sweep with a gutsy win in the 800 late Saturday afternoon in 1:55.00 -- Newkirk's fourth race between 800 and 3,200 meters in approximately 34 hours.
"I was definitely tired, but when you get out there in the adrenalin I felt good and I knew this triple crown was going to be a really special thing that kind of added to my legacy, so I really wanted to go get it,'' Newkirk said. "I was hurting after the first lap but I think that was a really fast second lap so I was really happy that I was able to do that and come away with (the triple).''
Newkirk was overcome with joy after the 800 but said he was also overcome with relief after finishing what he set out to do.
"I'm really relieved,'' Newkirk said. "I'm more relieved than anything to be done for the weekend.
"You've got one more race left and nothing to lose and really not too much expectations. I tried not to get too nervous because there's really nothing you can do about it when you're in my position, but I was like, 'Last race, give it all you got and let's end it on a win. You don't want to end it on a loss.' ''
