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Wise athletes prepare for state meet


STATE QUALIFIERS — Wise County’s 2023 UIL state track and field championship qualifiers include (left to right) Northwest’s Mackenzie Blue (pole vault), Slidell’s Khari Woodson (triple jump), Chico’s Brennan Anderle (high jump), Northwest’s Kenan Reil (110 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Northwest’s Andrew Lukenhaus (800), Boyd’s Riley Nedrow (1,600, 3,200), Alvord’s Hailee Janzen (100) and Northwest’s Anaya Potter (not pictured; 300 hurdles, high jump). MICAH MCCARTNEY/WCMESSENGER

Eight local athletes will compete for state titles this week at the 2023 UIL track and field championships at the University of Texas at Austin’s Mike A. Myers Stadium. 

Boyd senior Riley Nedrow will take the track for a pair of  races at the 3A state meet Thursday. 

He will run in the 3,200 at 9:15 a.m., followed by the 1,600 at 7:50 p.m. 

Nedrow advanced after finishing second in both races at the 3A Region II championships April 28-29 at Whitehouse High School, running 4:24.33 in the 1,600 and 9:20.82 in the 3,200. 

In his first state appearance last year, Nedrow claimed bronze in the 1,600 (4:23.17), and finished fourth in the 3,200 (9:43.37).

On Friday, Northwest’s Anaya Potter, Kenan Reil, Andrew Lutkenhaus and Mackenzie Blue will compete in the 5A state meet. 

Potter will compete in the girls high jump at 9 a.m., and the 300 hurdles at 7:35 p.m. 

At the 5A Region I championships April 28-29 at Lubbock’s Lowrey Field at PlainsCapital Park, Potter earned silver in high jump, clearing 5-05. 

She also was the runner-up in the 300 hurdles in 44.47. 

Potter, a 5A bronze medalist in high jump in 2021, placed seventh at the 2022 state meet (5-04).

Reil will run in the boys 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles at 5:45 p.m. and 7:35 p.m.

At regionals, Reil struck gold in the 110 hurdles, setting a new school record in 13.93. 

He also garnered silver in the 300 hurdles in 37.33, crossing the finish line less than one second behind Mansfield Timberview’s Cameron Bates. 

Reil was sixth in 110 hurdles (14.33) and seventh in 300 hurdles (38.22) in his first trip to the state meet last season.

Lutkenhaus, a two-time state qualifier, will run in the boys 800 at 5:20 p.m. 

He punched his ticket to state by claiming the regional title in 1:53.36.

Last season, Lutkenhaus ran finished eighth in 1:57.25.

Blue will compete in girls pole vault at 3 p.m. 

In her sophomore season, Blue won the regional title by clearing 12-00, beating Aledo’s Taylor Hindman by three inches.

Chico’s Brennan Anderle and Alvord’s Hailee Janzen will take part in the 2A state meet, also held Friday. 

Anderle will compete in boys high jump at 11:30 a.m. 

He struck gold at the 2A Region II championships April 29 in Springtown,  clearing 6-06 to secure his second consecutive state bid. 

Anderle finished fourth with a 6-04 leap at the 2022 state meet. 

Janzen will run in the girls 100 at 6:05 p.m. 

She earned a state berth by claiming silver (12.25) at the regional meet — four-hundreths of a second behind Tioga’s Taffi Adams. 

Last season, Janzen was the third leg of Argyle’s 4×200 relay team that garnered silver at the 2022 4A state meet last season (1:40.61). 

On Saturday, Slidell sophomore Khari Woodson will be Wise’s lone participant at the 1A state meet. 

Woodson is scheduled to participate in the boys triple jump at 1 p.m. 

He garnered silver  with a 42-00 leap at the 1A Region III meet April 28-29 at Whitney High School. Henrietta Midway’s Christian Coker won the regional title (43-10.50). 

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