By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
WICHITA -- Saturday was a special day all the way through for Hayden's boys track team at Cessna Stadium, but the Wildcats saved their best for last, setting a meet record in their final event of the day.
Hayden junior Finn Dunshee (left) crosses the finish line with the Class 4A state championship in the 100-meter dash. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden's Jake Muller (right) and Eudora's Conor Dunback run virtually even late in the Class 4A 300-meter hurdles event Saturday at Cessna Stadium. Muller won the state title in 38.41 seconds. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Hayden sophomore Jensen Schrickel celebrates the Wildcats' victory at the end of Saturday night's Class 4x400 relay at Cessna Stadium. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
The Wildcats got individual Class 4A state championships from senior Jake Muller and junior Finn Dunshee, who also teamed with sophomores Jensen Schrickel and Liam Stegman to add a pair of relay wins as Hayden posted a top-five team finish.
Dunshee set the tone for the day when he was the top qualifier in the 4A 100-meter dash and followed that up with his first state championship in a time of 10.84 seconds.
"Based off my first run in our prelims I felt pretty good,'' Dunshee said. "I knew if I went out there and ran my race -- just didn't fall out of the blocks or false start -- I had an OK chance but it was my first time in the finals of the 100 so anything can happen.''
Dunshee was competing in his second state meet, making it to state as a freshman before spending his sophomore year at St. Martin's Academy in Fort Scott to play rugby.
"I'm definitely a lot faster than I was so I knew I had a better chance of doing something good,'' Dunshee said. "I think I was a lot more confident. This felt great.''
Muller added the second 300-meter hurdles championship of his career later in the day after winning the state title as a sophomore and finishing second last season.
Saturday's final was very similar to the 2022 final, except that Muller was able to win by a few inches Saturday after losing by a few inches a year earlier.
Muller clocked a winning time of 38.41 seconds while Eudora's Conor Dunback was second in 38.43.
And like the '22 race, Muller didn't know for sure who won until the results flashed on the scoreboard.
"I didn't know,'' Muller said. "I was just trying to focus on myself. I knew I was running fast, but I didn't know if I got him or not.''
Muller said the win was especially sweet considering the heartbreak of the loss his junior season.
"It feels really good,'' he said. "Ever since that day I wasn't really disappointed because I ran a good race but losing hurts and I just didn't want to lose again. I competed all year, I worked my tail off and it paid off.''
Hayden's Liam Stegman, Jake Muller, Jensen Schrickel and Finn Dunshee won Class 4A state titles in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays Saturday in Wichita. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
Muller and Dunshee picked up their other two gold medals on the day in the 4x100 and and 4x400 relays, teaming with Stegman and Schrickel in both events.
The Wildcat foursome won the 4x100 in a time of 42.65 seconds and then scorched the Cessna Stadium track in the 4x400 relay for a 4A meet record in 3 minutes, 20.99 seconds.
Hayden eclipsed the state meet record of 3:21.21 in 2012 by Buhler.
Muller, the lone upperclassmen on the Wildcat relays, gave Hayden coach DeJuan Gardenhire credit for helping the Wildcats become a relay power.
"We really focus on that,'' Muller said. "Coach Gardenhire, he puts a mentality into us that it's a team thing. He's loves our team and is a great coach and he pushes the relays because it's a team effort and he enjoys that team atmosphere.''
Schrickel added a third-place finish in the 4A open 400 dash in 49.63 seconds.
Hayden junior Natalie Hillebert exchanges congratulations with Andale senior Maddie Schrandt after Saturday's Class 4A girls 400-meter dash in Wichita. [Photo by Kyle Grunert/Special to TSN]
On the girls side, Hayden junior Natalie Hillebert placed second in the 400 in 58.83 seconds while Wildcat freshman Rae North earned a state medal with an eighth-place finish in 64.86.
Other Shawnee County 2A and 3A state individual medalists on Saturday included Cair Paravel's Ben Roeder, fourth in the 2A boys 200 (23.43) and fifth in the 400 (50.70); Rossville's Amelia Foster, sixth in the 3A girls 800 (2:24.53) and eighth in the 400 (61.37), and Silver Lake's Kaibryn Kruger, sixth in the 3A girls triple jump (34-10).
Silver Lake's team of Ella Bolan, Mariah Farmer, Ava Rottinghaus and Jaiden Wise posted a fourth-place finish in the 3A girls 4x400 relay (4:11.98).
On Friday Rottinghaus placed sixth in the 3A girls javelin (126-2).
