By CONOR NICHOLL
Prairie View sophomore Bree Allen scored 31 points, including sweeping the distance events, at the Class 3A state track and field meet. Allen’s huge showing, coupled with key performances from senior Maddie Baker and the 3,200-meter relay, produced PV’s first girls’ team championship in any sport.
Prairie View previously had one all-time team championship, the 1970 football title.
In the closest 3A girls’ team race since at least 2013, Prairie View scored 41.5 points. That narrowly bettered two-time defending champion Smoky Valley and Phillipsburg’s 41 points. Norton tallied 40, Eureka 37, and traditional power Beloit 35. The top-10 teams all tallied at least 31 points.
Prairie View set a new school record in the 3,200 relay and finished eighth in the event for a critical point.
Kyle Littrell, also PV’s successful football coach, serves as head track coach.
Most 3A team races have been lopsided in recent history. From ’14-22, the champion also scored at least 66 points. The 2013 race had Garden Plain’s winning 41.5 points, followed by Cheney’s 41, Scott City at 39, and Thomas More Prep-Marian with 38, per KSHSAA archives.
Allen had already enjoyed a brilliant career. As an eighth grader, Allen finished as national runner-up in the Nov. 2020 Cross Country Coaches National Youth Championship in Kentucky. Allen won the 3A state cross country title last fall after she was second in 2021.
In 2022, Allen was third in the 800, third in the 1,600 and second in the 3,200. She led PV to a third-place team showing in state cross country in ’21. Buffs’ girls track took fifth last spring with 30 points. Smoky Valley rolled to a pair of crowns with 85 and 82.5 points.
Prairie View has come close to state titles in recent season, including softball with fourth place in ’17 and state runner-up in ’22. Girls’ wrestling was fourth in 2022.
This season, Allen was the first PV track titlist since Jayce Phelps won the 4A boys’ pole vault in ’12 and ’13, per KSHSAA results.
She is the first PV girl to win a track title since 1985 when Kerry Stine won the 1,600 and Susan Stine captured the 3,200. In ’84, Kerry Stine won the girls’ 3A cross country championship and Stine finished second.
This track season, Prairie View won back-to-back regional titles and Pioneer League crowns. Allen entered state as the 3A favorite in the 1,600 and 3,200 and was among the 800 favorites.
Entering state, Allen had posted a season-best of 5:11.38 in the 1,600, which led 3A by a sizable margin. Her 11:40 in the 3,200 was also first in 3A, according to Kansas track historian Carol Swenson.
Allen delivered great times at state.
In the 3,200 on Friday morning, Allen posted a 10:55.92, which was top-10 for all classes. She won by nearly 39 seconds. Allen controlled the race throughout and had nearly a seven second lead at the 1,600-meter mark.
Allen won the 1,600 in a personal best of 5:09.17, which ranked in the top-25 for all classes. Allen ran a 1:14 on her last lap, which was nearly four seconds faster than the rest of the field and provided a comfortable margin of victory.
Allen earned the 800 in 2:19.37. She edged Marysville’s Brynn O’Neil and Norton junior Mackenzie Clydesdale. The top-five girls were virtually tied at the midway point, but Allen ran a 1:09 for her last lap, which was the fastest in the field.
Allen ran 2:24 in the regional 800.
In the 100 hurdles, Baker finished third in 15.85 seconds, one better than her seed.
In the high jump, Baker cleared five feet and earned 4.5 points. She cleared five feet on her first attempt. Baker and Halstead junior Dominique Schutte, a top basketball player, shared fourth place.
The 3,200 relay was seeded 13th with junior Kelsey Konitzer, sophomore Wylie Teagarden, sophomore Kally Stroup and Allen. They ran 10:30.70 at the regional. The 3,200 relay easily bettered its seed mark with a critical eighth place finish and one point. PV posted a 10:19.64, which set a school record. Allen ran a 2:23 opening split.
In non-scoring events, Delanie Fox ran in the 400, Baker in the 300 hurdles and Mary Jane Britz in the shot put. Britz was tenth in the shot put with a personal best throw of 34-8.
In an incredibly close competition, every point matters. Prairie View received help in the 3A javelin.
Goodland senior Lindsey Cure threw 151-4, while Norton junior Jenessa Ruder posted 150-3. Both broke the 3A javelin record of 148-1 that was set in 2012.
Cure enjoyed a remarkable career, including SIK Small Schools (3A-1A) Defensive Player of the Year for 26-0 Goodland. She is going to Division II Regis volleyball. Ruder has Division I track offers from Boston College and Army.
If Ruder won the event, that would have been two more points and propelled Norton to first place.
Both broke the 3A javelin record of 148-1 that was set in 2012.
