Triple-gold Pickens to set pace for Peabody-Burns track

The Peabody-Burns High School girls? track team returns Lauren Pickens, who was a three-time state champion as a freshman, and state qualifier Danielle Savage. The boys return a strong leadership core that includes state qualifiers Aaron Topham and Joshua Klarmann as well as four-year seniors Seth Methvin and Kendall Wiebe. Pictured are: back row (from left) Topham, Methvin, Klarmann and Wiebe; front row, Savage and Pickens.

Veteran cross-country coach Kim Topham takes the reins of the Peabody-Burns High School track teams, and will share a significant portion of her duties with head assistant Darren Schroeder.

Most important to their hopes of fielding a team competitive at the highest level is the return of phenomenally talented state champion sprinter Lauren Pickens, who as a freshman tripled-up on Class 2A titles: she won the 100 (12.22 seconds), 200 (25.93) and 400 (58.40) in her first visit to Wichita State. She also won all three events regionally.

Topham indicated that Pickens will compete in the 4×100 relay in 2009.

Pickens set a school record in the 200 (25.44) and underclassman league-meet records in all three events: 12.64 in the 100, 1:00.18 in the 400, and 26.58 in the 200.

Junior Danielle Savage placed seventh in the 400 (1:03.91) and qualified to compete in the 200 and 4×100. But a knee injury has Savage sidelined to start the season.

Peabody-Burns girls scored 31 points at Cessna Stadium, finishing in a tie for sixth with Plainville. They placed fourth in regionals and sixth in the Heart of America league.

The Warrior boys landed in a three-way tie for 14th at state after placing sixth at regionals and fourth in the HOA.

Leading the boys will be state qualifier Aaron Topham, who as a sophomore helped boost the 4×800 relay to a second-place finish with a school-record time of 8:28.13.

Topham ran the second leg of the league champion 4×800 that included now-graduated Jacob Simmonds, Ryan Wiebe and Duane Unruh. Topham will run in the 1,600, the 3,200, the 4×400 and the 800 this year.

Josh Klarmann, also a junior, placed 16th in the 3,200 and will run in the 1,600, 800, 4×800.

?We have several returning state qualifiers and our goal is to return them and others to state this year,? Kim Topham said.

?Three-time state champion sophomore Lauren Pickens will be a sprinter to watch this year.

?With only three seniors on the squad we are young and building. Practices have gone well and our goal is to improve our finish at the HOA meet and put more athletes on the stand at state.?

She anticipates strong league competition on both side from Berean, Bennington and Inman, adding Remington as a contender on the girls? side and Hutch Trinity on the boys? side.

The Warrior season begins with a quint slated for 4:30 p.m. April 7 in Peabody. PBHS will then attend the Marion Invitational at 3:30 p.m. April 9.

PBHS golf positioned for state sand-green title chase

The Peabody-Burns golf team returns three letter-winners from the 2008 team: (from left) senior Joseph Zappone, senior Brian Wingert and sophomore Jason Wingert.

With three returning letter-winners?and two of three all-league golfers?coach Jim Pohlman?s Peabody-Burns High School sand-greens team is well-positioned to defend its regional title.

Two returning Warriors?Brian Wingert (fifth) and Joseph Zappone (12th) medaled while lifting PBHS to fourth place in the Sand Greens State Tournament at Mankato. A third state medalist, Thomas McGee, placed 20th and graduated.

In addition to Brian Wingert and Zappone is Jason Wingert, who placed sixth in the league as a freshman.

Zappone placed fifth at Herington, second at Chase, 10th at the Peabody-Burns Desert Classic, seventh at Remington, fourth at Chase County, and second at the Riley County regional.

Jason Wingert medaled in four events, including an all-league seventh-place performance on the grass greens at Sedgwick.

Brian Wingert medaled seven times in 2008. He and Zapone are three-time letter-winners.

Pohlman also will have Trevor Foth and Jacob Gillet returning with experience, as well as four newcomers: seniors Christopher Brooks and Christopher Dunfield, and freshmen April Kasper and Katie Lewis.

?The team as a whole had a very exciting season,? Pohlman said. ?They placed third or better in every tournament they played in the regular season.?

Pohlman said the Warriors were the only sand-greens team competing in the Heart of America tournament and pointed out that in placing second, PBHS finished ahead of some Class 3A schools.

The Warriors will play three grass-greens events and four sand-greens events leading up to the return to Sedgwick. Peabody-Burns opens its season April 6 at Chase.