By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
As Topeka West senior star Lenny Njoroge finished off a dominating win in Friday night's boys 3,200-meter run in the Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Invitational, another runner was announced as the race winner due to a mixup in hip numbers.
Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge runs alone in the 3,200 in Friday's Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Invitational en route to a win in 9:20.08. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN].
Topeka West senior Lenny Njoroge (left) begins his move past Shawnee Mission Northwest's Henry Born en route to a win in Friday's 1,600 meters in the Bob Camien/Claudia Welch Invitational in 4:17.71. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
But that temporary error, which was quickly fixed, was the only thing that went wrong for Njoroge in a banner night at Seaman.
"They said something Purvis, but that's OK, it's part of the process,'' Njoroge said. I'm not mad about that.''
Njoroge, who may be better known as a 3,200 meters and cross country runner, set the tone for his night when he bested a state-class field to win the 1,600 in a time of 4 minutes, 17.71 seconds, which was believed to earn Njoroge a share of the Topeka West school record in that event.
Shawnee Mission Northwest senior Henry Born finished second in 4:18.17 and Great Bend senior Kaiden Esfeld was third in 4:25.75.
"Freshman year coming in coach (Donnie Palmer) said, 'You're more of a two-miler than a miler,' but I just tell him that I love to do both -- mile for the speed, two-mile for the base,'' Njoroge said.
Njoroge came back later in the night to win the 3,200 by more than six seconds in 9:20.08 and admitted that Friday might have been the best performance of his prep career.
"Last fall in cross country (I was) asked, 'Is this your best race?' '' Njoroge. "Well now for four years this is my best race. I almost had two school records today.''
Shawnee Mission Northwest senior Evan Mitchell placed second in the 3,200 in 9:26.99 and Shawnee Mission North junior Micah Blomker was third in 9:30.66.
Njoroge said that Friday's double was just what he needed heading into the biggest meets of the spring -- city, United Kansas Conference, Class 5A regionals and the state meet at Wichita.
"The next four weeks it's championship season,'' Njoroge said. "The competition is going to get tougher and tougher every week leading up to state. I'm going to be facing some really good guys.''
Other boys meet highlights:
• Washburn Rural senior Josh Sulzen-Watson won the championship in the javelin by nearly seven feet with a top throw of 175 feet, 1 inch.
Senior Mathew Moeder of Great Bend finished second at 168-2 while Lawrence senior Jerron Shield was third at 167-8.
• Topeka West senior Jacob Reimer finished second in the discus with a best throw of 139 feet, 2 inches.
Lansing senior Jamale Williams won the event at 166-1.
• Highland Park senior Keijuan Johnson finished second in the 110-meter hurdles, clocking a time of 15.23 seconds.
Olathe North senior star Josh Parrish won the event inn 14.36.
• Seaman senior Sean Miller was the runner-up in the discus with a best throw of 50 feet, 2.75 inches.
Lansing's Williams won the event at 56-11.50.
• Seaman senior Branen Moore posted a third-place finish in the 800-meter run in a time of 2:00.12.
Wamego junior Harrison Cutting and senior Emery Wolfe went one-two, with Cutting winning in 1:56.81 and Wolfe second in 1:59.17.
• Seaman sophomore Peyton Holmes placed fourth with a personal-record effort in the long jump at 22 feet, 1 inch.
Holmes was one of five jumpers in the event to reach the 22-foot mark.
Leavenworth senior Isaac Ativie won the event at 23-11.
BOB CAMIEN/CLAUDIA WELCH INVITATIONAL
At Seaman
BOYS
Team scores
Olathe North 105.5, Manhattan 75, Shawnee Mission North 73, Wamego 66, Bishop Carroll 47, Shawnee Mission Northwest 45, Lawrence 39, Washburn Rural 36.5, Seaman 35, Lansing 29, Topeka West 28, Hiawatha 26, Leavenworth 24, Great Bend 19, Burlingame 14, Shawnee Mission South 10, Highland Park 8, Holton 6, Silver Lake 5.5, Perry-Lecompton 4, Junction City 4, Santa Fe Trail 1.5.
Individual results
100 -- 1. Reed, Lawrence, 10.47; 2. Dowling-Burnett, Manhattan, 10.64; 3. Howell, Lawrence, 10.84.
200 -- 1. Ativie, Leavenworth, 21.83; 2. Harris, Olathe North, 21.88; 3. Hansard, Bishop Carroll, 22.44.
400 -- 1. Hansard, Bishop Carroll, 49.56; 2. Cutting, Wamego, 49.75; 3. Steger, Lansing, 50.45.
800 -- 1. Cutting, Wamego, 1:56.81; 2. Wolfe, Wamego, 1:59.17; 3. Moore, Seaman, 2:00.12.
1,600 -- 1. Njoroge, Topeka West, 4:17.71; 2. Born, Shawnee Mission Northwest, 4:18.17; 3. Eseld, Great Bend, 4:25.75.
3,200 -- 1. Njoroge, Topeka West, 9:20.08; 2. Mitchell, Shawnee Mission Northwest, 9:26.99; 3. Blomker, Shawnee Mission North, 9:30.66.
100 hurdles -- 1. Josh Parrish, Olathe North, 14.36; 2. Johnson, Highland Park, 15.23; 3. Huff, Manhattan, 15.48.
300 hurdles -- 1. Jason Parrish, Olathe North, 40.73; 2. Eck, Bishop Carroll, 41.13; 3. Jones, Olathe North, 41.94.
4x100 relay -- 1. Manhattan, 42.86; 2. Olathe North, 42.99; 3. Shawnee Mission North, 43.41.
4x400 relay -- 1. Wamego, 3:25.75; 2. Bishop Carroll, 3:28.63; 3. Shawnee Mission Northwest, 3:29.21.
4x800 relay -- 1. Wamego, 7:56.40; 2. Shawnee Mission Northwest, 8:03.35; 3. Bishop Carroll, 8:05.62.
High jump -- 1. Heckman, Burlingame, 6-10; 2. Newcomer, Manhattan, 6-2; 3. Malone, Manhattan, 6-2.
Pole vault -- 1. Quarles, Olathe North, 15-3; 2. Boldt, Shawnee Mission North, 13-0; 3. Oberzan, Lawrence, 12-0.
Long jump -- 1. Ativie, Leavenworth, 23-11; 2. Josh Parrish, Olathe North, 23-9; 3. Yazzie, Shawnee Mission North, 22-6.
Triple jump -- 1. Josh Parrish, Olathe North, 44-2; 2. Yazzie, Shawnee Mission North, 44-0; 3. Elumogo, Manhattan, 42-5.
Shot put -- 1. Williams, Lansing, 56-11.50; 2. Miller, Seaman, 50-2.75; 3. Davis, Shawnee Mission North, 49-3.25.
Discus -- 1. Williams, Lansing, 166-1; 2. Reimer, Topeka West, 139-2; 3. Hildebrand, Wamego, 137-10.
Javelin -- 1. Sulzen-Watson, Washburn Rural, 175-1; 2. Moeder, Great Bend, 168-2; 3. Shield, Lawrence, 167-8.
