Manhattan High track and field delivered dominance on its home track Friday, sweeping both team titles at its invitational at Bishop Stadium.
The Indians’ girls ran away with the meet, scoring 247 points, while the boys followed with 209.5 in another decisive victory.
Competing in familiar conditions, Manhattan showed its depth across event groups to separate from the field early.
Record breaker
Manhattan’s girls were led by another record-setting performance from junior Gabby Converse, who won the 800 meters in 2:13.88 to break a 48-year-old school record.
“I’ve been coaching here for 19 years, so to see that record go off the board is awesome,” head coach Kory Cool said. “I’m super proud of her for that. She wanted the pressure, she wanted the announcements, she wanted the crowd, so she knew even maybe on not her best day, and she did it by herself.
Converse, who also anchored Manhattan’s distance group throughout the meet, said the moment was one she won’t forget.
“I was very happy. I saw the time and was like, ‘Yes, let’s go.’ I could hear all my teammates cheering, and it was such a good feeling,” Converse said. “I don’t think I could have done that without them.
“It’s hard going out there alone, but hearing them means a lot. Just having them there and knowing they’re supporting me — it’s awesome.”
The junior credited her strong cross country season for helping carry momentum into the spring.
“I had a very good cross country season, so I think that kind of boosted me,” Converse said. “I’m excited to see how the rest of the season goes and how far I can go. I’m just going to keep working.”
Her confidence showed before the race even began.
“This entire week, I had my mind set that this was going to be the day,” she said. “I think I was just ready. I wasn’t nervous; I was just like, ‘Let’s go out there and do this.’”
Converse was part of a distance group that continued to set the tone for Manhattan, with Isla Spreer winning both the 1,600 and 3,200 meters and Zara Koehn, Valeria Villoria and Alli Knopp adding depth behind her.
“They’re doing things right,” Cool said. “They don’t miss anything. Times and winning are great, but it’s the way they carry themselves day to day — that’s what you’re seeing here. This is what they do every day, all day, and I’m just super proud.”
Sophomore sprinter
The Indians also found success in the sprints, led by sophomore Michelle Jeje, who won the 200 meters with a personal best at 25.48 and placed second in the 100.
“She could have had an excuse after the 100. Maybe have a negative mindset. She didn’t,” Cool said. “She practiced positive self-talk and stayed confident in her abilities, and she came back in the 200. She went out hard coming off the curve, built a big lead and held on for a great finish. I’m just super proud of her.”
Jeje said she wasn’t expecting a breakthrough performance, but welcomed it when it came.
“Coming into this meet, I was just trying to build off last week, so I wasn’t expecting to PR at all today, but that was a pleasant surprise,” she said.
The sophomore’s growth has been shaped by the program’s recent sprint standouts in now-collegiate athletes Harli Omli and Hanna Pellant.
“Being around elite athletes makes you better,” Cool said. “Just watching how they do things — the routines they get into, how they act, behave and focus — is huge for her. I hope Michelle carries that on.”
Jeje echoed that mindset.
“The work you put in is the work you get out,” she said. “In practice, I try my best, and I pray that it’ll come back when I go to meets.”
She also pointed to the support system around her.
“I love my teammates. I love this team, and knowing they support me — whether I win or lose — is a wonderful feeling,” Jeje said. “I’m always grateful for them being there for me.”
Looking ahead, her goals are clear.
“Make it to state and do something big at state,” she said. “Last year, I wasn’t in the best mental state, so now I’m just staying ready for whatever happens and knowing I can depend on my team.”
In the field events, sisters starred as Jorryn Hall led the way with wins in the shot put and javelin, while Joss Hall added a runner-up finish in the shot. The Peabody sisters contributed in the high jump, as Alexis took first and Sophia placed third.
Mortensen moves
On the boys’ side, Manhattan’s sprint group helped set the tone early, led by junior Joseph Mortensen winning the 100 meters in a personal-best 10.81.
Leo Kane added a win in the 200 and Damien Gonzales contributed key points across both events. The quartet of Caleb Brumbaugh, Kane, Gonzales and Mortensen also claimed the 4×100 relay.
“He is very fast,” Cool said of Mortensen. “The 4×100 was awesome — that was great competition. They’re flying, they’ve got it going on, and I’m really excited to see how much faster they can get as a team.”
Mortensen said competing at home provided an added boost.
“It always makes you feel some type of way, because you run on this track every day,” he said. “It makes you feel comfortable and nice, and it makes you feel like you can run faster.”
He also relied on a competitive mindset throughout the meet.
“It felt nice. Some of the races I felt like I could’ve done better in, but I got to a mindset where I didn’t want to lose,” he said.
Mortensen has also stayed consistent in his preparation, continuing to train throughout the football offseason after a standout fall on both sides of the ball as the Indians won the 6A state title.
“It was nice,” he said of anchoring the relay. “We PR’d pretty well, and the feeling of hawking somebody down is always nice.”
The Indians also got strong performances in the distance events from Wilson Wesch, who won the 800, and Jaxon Wheeler, who claimed the 3200, while Kyler Grogg added a third-place finish.
Senior standouts
In the field, senior Evan Middleton continued his strong season in the throws, winning the shot put at 54-5.5, while fellow seniors Brady Durtschi and Derrick Amos went 1-2 in the triple jump. Junior Caleb Brumbaugh added a win in the long jump.
“Just great leadership,” Cool said of his senior group. “They know what this team’s about. They know the expectations, and I want them to keep those expectations high for the kids underneath them.”
Middleton continues to provide leadership in the field events while preparing for his next step at Northwest Missouri State.
“It’s been pretty great,” Middleton said of his senior season. “This is good for football and what comes in the future, but it’s also been great getting to know my team more. There are a lot of younger people on the team, so it’s nice to be able to give them that last stepping stone before I leave.”
“Trying to win state,” he added on his goals. “Obviously, I have to make it there first, and then hopefully just keep PR’ing each week and see where I can go from there.”
For Middleton, the home performance was one of the last times he’ll take the field at Bishop Stadium, which he described as, “kind of surreal.”
Manhattan will now shift its focus toward the postseason as the schedule progresses, with a meet at Lawrence Free State on Friday. .
“(We want to) maximize potential as they continue to come out here and work hard and do well, this is not the goal — winning this meet is not the goal,” Cool said. “Our postseason starts in 29 days with league. We want to win league again — girls, seven straight; boys, six straight — and build from there. Get as many through to state as we can and place as high as we can. We want to maximize potential and peak at the right time.”
Manhattan results
Girls
100 — 1. Gill 12.44; 2. Jeje 12.46; 4. Oberreuter 12.79; 5. Jackson 13.24
200 — 1. Jeje 25.48; 2. Oberreuter 25.89; 5. Gill 26.76
400 — 1. Perry 1:00.77; 3. McKinley 1:03.06; 5. Billinger 1:05.96; 7. Hanschu 1:06.49; 8. Blanck 1:07.12
800 — 1. Converse 2:13.88; 2. Knopp 2:27.04; 5. Tindall 2:30.46; 6. Stitt 2:31.86
1600 — 1. Spreer 5:22.10; 2. Koehn 5:25.23; 5. Knopp 5:29.46; 10. Keeley 6:13.60
3200 — 1. Spreer 11:45.26; 3. Villoria 12:27.73; 4. Koehn 12:39.31; 6. Gurgel 12:43.39
100 hurdles — 7. Selby 20.22
High jump — 1. A. Peabody 5-4; 3. S. Peabody 5-4; 8. Robinson 4-8
Long jump — 4. A. Peabody 16-4.5; 7. Minnich 15-4
Triple jump — 4. Porter 34-6.25; 5. Robinson 34-0; 7. Ingram 33-2.25
Pole vault — 3. Cramer 9-0; 4. Gish 8-6; 8. Brown 6-6
Discus — 3. Jor. Hall 116-2; 4. Uher 112-0; 8. Joss Hall 90-4
Javelin — 1. Jor. Hall 120-2; 2. Curtis 107-11; 3. Clark 99-5
Shot put — 1. Jor. Hall 41-9; 2. Joss Hall 33-11; 3. Tuna 33-2.5; 7. Branch 31-1.25
4×100 relay — 1. Gill, Oberreuter, Hanschu, Jeje 49.62
4×400 relay — 1. Converse, Perry, Knopp, Tindall 4:14.55
4×800 relay — 1. Perry, Stitt, Villoria, Billinger 10:26.30
Boys
100 — 1. Mortensen 10.81; 2. Gonzales 10.90; 3. Kane 10.94; 6. Jebril 11.02
200 — 1. Kane 21.93; 2. Gonzales 22.03; 5. Fogle 22.76; 7. Schmidt 23.20
400 — 3. Jebril 52.93; 6. Brighton 54.10
800 — 1. Wesch 1:57.14; 6. B. Huser 2:07.88
1600 — 5. Richards 4:40.05
3200 — 1. Wheeler 9:55.91; 3. Grogg 10:25.76; 6. Herzog 11:00.39
110 hurdles — 2. O’Donnell 16.84; 5. Saucier 18.69
300 hurdles — 3. Saucier 43.50; 5. O’Donnell 45.39
High jump — 2. Herzog 6-2; 6. Strawn 5-10; 7. Amos 5-10
Long jump — 1. Brumbaugh 22-4; 6. Herzog 19-6
Triple jump — 1. Durtschi 45-2; 2. Amos 44-10.5; 3. Herzog 41-6.25
Pole vault — 1. Strawn 12-6; 5. Miller 10-6; 8. McGee 9-6
Discus — 3. Middleton 148-5
Javelin — 2. Kruse 159-3
Shot put — 1. Middleton 54-5.5; 5. Staley 44-6
4×100 relay — 1. Brumbaugh, Kane, Gonzales, Mortensen 42.67
4×400 relay — 2. Brighton, Wesch, Robinson, Kane 3:34.65
4×800 relay — 1. B. Huser, P. Huser, Overturf, Wheeler 8:48.32