Six Wildcats Compete on Opening Day of State Meet

The St. Paul Wildcats found themselves right in the middle of some of the most historic moments of the first day of the NSAA State Track and Field Championships on Wednesday.

All six of the Wildcats’ state qualifiers made an appearance at Burke Stadium during the four-day meet’s first session, with Jonah Paulsen pacing the field with a third-place finish in the boys’ triple jump.

In addition to Paulsen, the girls’ 3200-meter relay team battled in an ultra-competitive field, while Gage Sack competed in the boys’ 200-meter dash.

The Wildcats were part of a group of Class B relay runners who received a standing-ovation, as they were the first group of competitors to take to the track for the 2023 state meet. That group—including Sidney Gawrych, Kamden Sack, Natalie Poss, and Charlee Wegner—finished the race in fifteenth in 10:22.41.

Elkhorn North started the running events off with a bang by winning the Class B girls’ 3200-meter relay in 9:27.97, which was good enough for a state record.

After representing in the first track event, St. Paul was also in the mix in one of the last, with sophomore Gage Sack competing in the boys’ 200-meter dash.

On a beautiful night in Burke Stadium, Sack hit the line in 23.47, putting him in twenty-third.

Paulsen’s performance picked up six points for the Wildcat boys, whose season concluded on Wednesday. That put the team in a tie with South Sioux City for fourteenth. Omaha Skutt Catholic paced the Class B field with eighteen points following one day of action, while Hastings had sixteen points and was sitting in second.

Thursday’s Class B meet will feature just one Wildcat, Kamden Sack. Sack is scheduled to battle in the girls’ 800-meter run beginning at 1:30 p.m.