BY TAYLOR ELDRIDGE (@tjeldridge24)

10:01 AM — The 100-meter hurdles races are over and we had two winners from the area emerge in Erin Merklein (South Barber) in 1A and Emily Doffing (Conway Springs) in 3A. All season Doffing had been squaring off against Garden Plain’s Sierra Hays, and the duo finished 1-2. But it was Doffing that won this time. Really, that speaks a lot to the CEntral Plains League representing the top two hurdlers in 3A in their league.

9:12 AM — This is what I’m talking about. First round of morning field events and I might already have my story. Independent senior Tina Liu was sitting in second place after the first five jumps of the finals to Hoisington’s Savannah Rose’s jump of 37-2. The farthest Liu had gone was 36-6.5. But with her final jump of finals, Liu came through with her most clutch performance to win with a jump of 37-8. She also won the 3A triple jump title last year. She was pretty pumped up about it,a s you can imagine. She’ll look to sweeten the pot later today when she will be one of the favorites in the 100 and 200 and run a leg on Independent’s favored 4×1 relay team.

8:49 AM — First results are in and Nickerson’s Cassie Caswell is our first area winner. The junior won the Class 4A shot put with a throw of 42-feet-2-inches, which came on her last throw. But don’t let that fool you. Caswell already had two throws better than the rest of the competition. Now she’s going to try to come back for a two-title performance as she’s the favorite in the 4A girls discus.