Josh Rowan
C-H sports writer
OMAHA – The sun finally was out on Championship Saturday, as the Nebraska State Track and Field Championships wrapped up at Omaha Burke Stadium.
Dawson County area teams were still looking for that first gold medal of the meet, as Elwood had finished their day on Friday, while Overton saw Jacob Olmstead take fifth in the shot put, with brother Zach placing fourth in the discus.
Freshman Casey Seberger had already etched her name into the record book for the Minutemaids on Friday, by securing a spot in the school’s Top 10 for the 400-meter dash, with a time of 59.96 seconds.
With only one senior the Maids’ 4×100 relay team, the girls finished their season with a bang, breaking Lexington’s school record and capturing a gold medal with a time of 49.36 seconds, breaking the previous record by .2 seconds.
The 4×100 relay initially placed second behind Beatrice, but a costly penalty by Beatrice knocked them off the podium and awarded Lexington the top prize.
The 4×100 champions consisted of senior Marissa Richman, freshman Casey Seberger, junior Hailey Mandelko, and sophomore Lindsie Woolley.
Along with their gold medal, another Maids relay team took home a medal, with the 4×400 relay grabbing a bronze medal.
The team of Sydney Seberger, Casey Seberger, Hailey Mandelko and Lindsie Woolley finished in a time of 4:07.215, which was a season best time for the group. McCook was the overall winner with a time of 4:05.699.
The sister pair is always a motivational factor when it comes to running in the relay.
“When I take off, I hear her voice,” Casey said. “It’s kind of comforting knowing she’s (Sydney) always there and we’re always together supporting each other.”
Casey Seberger was one of the top medalists for the Maids on the weekend, bringing back a gold and bronze medal from the State Track Meet, along with her personal best in the 400-meter dash. Seberger was overwhelmed with her success during the weekend.
“I was kind of shocked at how well I did,” Seberger said. “I was still kind of bummed I didn’t qualify in the open 400, but I was really happy with the way I finished my season.”
Overall, the Maids finished in a tie for 15th place with Beatrice with 17 total team points. Grand Island Northwest took the team title with 47.5 points.
“We were proud of how the girls competed,” head coach Sam Jilka said. “They gained great experience as only one competing was a senior. They put forth quality effort.”
The boys were looking for the same, along with capturing a team title after finishing runner-up last season.
All seven Minutemen who competed brought home a medal, along with one bronze and one gold medal.
Lexington’s 4×400 relay team was a gold medal champion Saturday, finishing in a time of 3:22.96, just .3 seconds away from breaking the school record. The time was also an All-Class Gold medal winner for the 1600-meter relay team. The team was made up of Alex Hovie, Quin Roberts, Andrew Rios and Zach Schmidt.
“The 1600 relay was very exciting and rewarding as those seniors on that relay have worked very hard over the years to achieve their success,” Jilka said. “Glad they were rewarded in that manner.”
The 4×100 relay team  was also a medalist, bringing home seventh place with a time of 43.69 seconds, also a Top 5 finish in school history.
Zach Schmidt was looking to capture his first gold medal in the 400-meter dash, after finishing in second last season. Schmidt fell short of the gold, finishing in third place with a time of 49.36 seconds, shattering the school record.
Distance buff Franklin Ibarra was able to capture fifth place in the 3200-meter run, finishing in a time of 9:46.2. Ibarra with that time was able to lower his best time by an amazing 18 seconds, while coming within 4 seconds of the school record.
The Minutemen weren’t able to capture the Class B boys title, finishing in a tie for ninth position with Gothenburg with 19 points overall. Boys Town captured their second straight state title, with 76 points.
“We were hoping for a top 10 to top eight result, so that was a nice way to finish the season,” Jilka said. “ We felt they competed very effectively in most competitions.”
For Cozad, the Haymakers saw their duo of Carlie Pinkelman and Carly Henry both snag medals in the shot put event, as Pinkelman was the runner-up in the event with a throw of 46 feet, 5 ½ inches. Henry was able to capture fourth place with a toss of 43 feet, 11 ¼ inches.
For full results of this year’s state track meet, check out the NSAA website at www.nsaahome.org.

• Cozad Haymakers
• Lexington Minutemen
• Overton Eagles

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