Longhorns shine in Omaha, repeat as state champions

At a meet that celebrated multi-year, four-gold winning athletes, it was the Chase County girls’ track teams’ depth that gave it a third consecutive state championship last weekend.
Fans can only wonder what a stacked Longhorn team could have done at the 2020 state meet that was canceled due to COVID.
Instead the team adds a third title to 2019 and 2021 state championships.
While Bryn McNair garnered the most attention in Omaha, eastern Nebraska media and coaches were left wondering where the rest of the Longhorn points came from.
CCS Head Coach Troy Hauxwell said he likes it when his team flies under the radar and reminds his athletes that their best efforts are what’s important.
That strategy worked out.
Kaylie Lotspeich quickly got CCS team points with a sixth place finish in discus. As the final thrower in the final flight, Lotspeich’s first throw, 123’5” earned her a spot in the finals. Once there she had a personal best throw of 124’7” to lock down a medal. Hauxwell called it a clutch performance.
The meet began Friday with a fourth place finish by the 3,200-meter relay team of Lucy Spady, Olivia Spady, Landree McNair and Jordan Jablonski.
Jablonski had to take a break from pole vault to run the race which may have cost her a podium spot in pole vault. Jablonski finished ninth and Ali McNair set a personal record while finishing 11th.
Jerzee Milner started her state meet off with 100-meter hurdle prelim and qualified for Saturday’s finals. Her prelim run of 15.05 bettered Robyn Clevenger’s 1995 school record by over 0.2 seconds. In the finals Milner finished third.
Milner had little time to recover, heading back to the start line for the 100-meter dash prelims. Milner tied for the seventh fastest time in prelims and advanced to Saturday’s finals. With a short turn around once more, Milner placed fifth.
Milner ran against four-event winner Adrianna Rodencal in both races.
Friday afternoon continued with B. McNair’s prelim run in the 400-meter dash. B. McNair had the second best time in prelims behind Sutherland’s Story Rasby. Close on their heels was Hartington Cedar Catholic’s Laney Kathol
B. McNair got the better of her SPVA opponent in Saturday finals, repeating as the event’s Class C champ with a time of 58.18.
Following the 400, L. Spady took to the track for her first individual event, the 3,200-meter run. The senior ran an outstanding race, finishing with a PR and third place medal. Hauxwell said she ran a smart, tactical race that caught teams by surprise.
Milner and the team’s Friday ended with her prelim in the 300-meter hurdles, where she did not advance to finals.
Hauxwell called Milner a warrior. He was pleased with her mental toughness to run her 100-meter hurdle prelim next to the girl that fell in last year’s finals and cost Milner a higher placing. He also appreciated Milner’s willingness to run the 100-meter dash.
Saturday started off cold but B. McNair warmed up fans throughout the stadium with her performance in high jump. Coming in at 4’10” with the rest of the field, B. McNair cleared her first three heights with no misses. After an initial miss at 5’4”, she was left with one last competitor. McNair cleared 5’6” on her first attempt, while Centura’s Sydney Davis took two tries. With the bar moved up to 5’8” and the stadium rhythmically clapping, B. McNair cleared it on her second attempt. Not only was the jump a personal best, it broke the school record of 5’7”, which she had shared with Celeste Pankonin, and won the All-Class gold medal.
B. McNair was also the first Longhorn on the track, lining up for the 800-meter run. Kathol got off to a fast start in the race, but McNair had closed the gap and the pair ran neck and neck to the finish line. Like last year, B. McNair finished second by 0.03 seconds.
Chloe Dillan, Jablonski, A. McNair and Milner were next up on the track and took fifth place in the 400-meter relay. Hauxwell said the wind throughout the season has made it tough to perfect handoffs, but the group still managed to be close to a PR.
As the meet moved through the finals, Chase County continued to hover near the top of the team standings as L. Spady hit the track for the 1,600-meter run. With another solid race, L. Spady collected another third-place finish.
With the team championship in the bag, the Longhorns could “run free,” Hauxwell said, in the 1,600-meter relay. With Jablonski’s strong first lap, Peyton Owens, in her first state meet, had a cleaner race to run. A. McNair and B. McNair finished off the race and capped the meet with a second-place finish.

Class C Top 10 Teams—1. Chase County, 70; 2. Lincoln Lutheran, 53; 3. Superior, 49; 4. Bishop Neumann, 36; 5. Crofton, 35; 5. Hartington CC, 35; 7. Wisner-Pilger, 27; 8. Hastings St Cec, 21; 9. Sutherland, 20; 9. Arcadia-Loup Cty, 20.
100 Meters—1. Adrianna Rodencal, 12.41, Lincoln Lutheran; 5. Jerzee Milner, 12.80, CCS.
400 Meters—1. Bryn McNair, 58.18, CCS.
800 Meters—1. Laney Kathol, 2:18.27, Cedar Catholic; 2. B. McNair, 2:18.30, CCS.
1600 Meters—1. Jordyn Arens, 5:17.98a, Crofton; 3. Lucy Spady, 5:32.39, CCS.
3200 Meters—1. Jordyn Arens, 11:28.48, Crofton; 3. L. Spady, 12:05.95, CCS.
100m Hurdles—1. Rodencal, 14.33, Lincoln Lutheran; 3. Milner, 15.35, CCS.
300m Hurdles—1. Adrianna Rodencal, 45.60, Lincoln Lutheran; Milner, 48.54, CCS.
4x100 Relay—1. Norfolk Catholic, 50.48; 5. CCS (Chloe Dillan, Jordan Jablonski, Ali McNair, Milner), 51.20.
4x400 Relay—1. Cedar Catholic, 4:06.37; 2. CCS (Jablonski, Peyton Owens, A. McNair, B. McNair), 4:08.58.
4x800 Relay—1. Bishop Neumann, 9:54.02; 4. CCS (L. Spady, Olivia Spady, Landree McNair, Jablonski), 10:19.69.
Discus—1. Jessica Stieb, 137-11, Arcadia-Loup City; 6. Kaylie Lotspeich, 124-07, CCS.
High Jump—1. B. McNair, 5-08.00, CCS.
Pole Vault—1. Marissa Rerucha, 11-06.00, GICC; Jablonski, 10-00.00, CCS; A. McNair, 10-00.00, CCS.