5 Things To Know - NE Nebraska Track And Field Classic

For years, the Northeast Nebraska Track and Field Classic has served as essentially a state meet preview for area track athletes. The prestigious meet brings together Northeast Nebraska's top competitors to battle it out for bragging rights across the area. This year looks to be a competitive year. Here's five things you need to know before heading to Norfolk on Thursday.

1. The who and when
A number of top competitors will be at the meet. From Antelope County, you can see 10 top athletes at work. Alexis Pokorny and JoCee Johnston, both of Clearwater-Orchard, will take to the high jump at 4:15 p.m. Sierra Rystrom of Elkhorn Valley is scheduled to make her first jump in the long jump at the same time. At 4:30 p.m., Brooklynn Chipps of O-C will get to work in the shot put, as will Dylan Wilkins of Elkhorn Valley in the discus. At 4:45 p.m., Amber Miller of Elkhorn Valley will take part in her first event, the pole vault. She will also take part in the triple jump at 5:15 p.m., along with Lydia Behnk of EPPJ. At 5:55 p.m., Kylie Thiele of O-C and Austin Miller of EV will take part in the 1600 meter run. Thiele will be busy, as she will then compete in the 400 meter dash at 6:20 p.m. and the 800 meter run at 7:00 p.m. Tucker Hecht of EV will also take part in the 800.

2. Expect to see a record on the boys side
As expected at a top-flight meet such as this, the record book is fairly impressive for the Classic. However, this year, expect to see a record or two fall. One to watch is the boys 100 meter dash where Norfolk Catholic's Dylan Kautz enters with a qualifying time of 10.64 and has ran even faster. The all-time record is 10.74 set in 1996 by Chad Theisen of Pierce. Another record to watch is the boys 300 meter hurdles, set in 2008 by Norfolk Catholic's Jon Love with a 39.59. Norfolk's Jake Long isn't far off, boasting a qualifying time of 39.8.

3. The three most exciting races will be on the girls side
Obviously the entire meet will be competitive. However, the 4x100 race will be a tight one, with all eight teams entering with qualifying times within a second of each other. The 800 meter run will be another good one, with Taya Johnson of Battle Creek and Thiele entering the race with qualifying times within .5 seconds of each other. Finally, while not a race per se, keep an eye on the discus competition. 

4. We may get a break in the weather
After a bit of a gloomy week outside, track fans may get a break on Thursday with a nice day to be outside. Temperatures won't be overly warm, with a predicted high of 56 degrees. But the sun is expected to poke out and the wind should be bearable at just 10-15 miles per hour.

5. Who takes the Outstanding Performer Award?
​There are plenty of worth candidates this year and it will take a real special athlete to rise to the top. Can Antelope County see their first recipient? No competitor from the county has ever brought back the award in the near-20-year history of the award. Could Thiele be in the running on the girls side? She may be the most likely candidate as she will take part in three events and is ranked in the top three in two of them.