Previewing the Kentucky Class 3A State Track and Field Championships

From the girls 100 meters to a crowded boys discus field, Saturday’s Class 3A championships could deliver some of the week’s top performances.

Simon Kenton's Alexis Howard at the 2025 KHSAA Class 3A track and field state championships. Howard ranks in the top three in the triple jump, long jump and 100 meters. | Brendan Connelly/ The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Kentucky 3A state track and field championships will be held Saturday at the University of Kentucky’s Outdoor Track and Field Complex.

Class 3A traditionally produces many of Kentucky's deepest fields and are the pinnacle of the state track and field championship week (1A and 2A were held Thursday and Friday).

There are a few exceptions, including Walden's Natalie Svidal, but the matchups and performances in 3A are usually the most intriguing.

Of course, you generally expect that from the larger schools.

Girls 100 Could Steal the Spotlight

The most obvious highlight will be the girls 100 meters. Male High School junior Grace Bethel and Oldham County senior Clara Warrick meet in what could become the fastest race of the day. Bethel brings an 11.56 to the track and Warrick has run 11.59. Both enter within reach of a sub-11.5 time. Super jumper Alexis Howard (Simon Kenton High School) has run 12.18 and is the fast heat’s third seed.

The Battle of the Kadens

On the boys’ side of the 100 meters, it will be the showdown of the “Kadens.” DuPont Manual High School junior Kaden Mack (10.64) faces off against Frederick Douglass junior and state 55-meter champion Kaden John (10.70).

However, Dixie Heights senior Vinnie Lane (10.73) will also be in the mix. Henderson County High School senior King Combest (10.99) should be a factor, too.

Rivals Meet in the 800

The frontrunners in the boys’ 800 meters are fittingly from archrival schools, Male and St. Xavier. The rival element adds another layer to the race. Bulldog half-miler Nehemiah Kiser is the two-lap top seed with a time of 1:53.20. St. X’s Nick Sanders is right behind in 1:53.69. Both runners could also pull double-relay duty (4x800 and 4x400) as they’re listed on the school's relay rosters.

Field Events Could Produce Surprises

In the field, the girls’ triple jump, boys' high jump and boys’ discus throw appear wide open entering Saturday.

Howard and George Rogers Clark senior Teigh Yeast, a Robert Morris University basketball signee, could produce one of the day’s best field-event battles. Howard has surpassed the 40-foot mark this year, and Yeast was last year’s outdoor state champion with a 39-5.25 leap.

Meade County High School junior Mitchell Staples and Male senior Aaron Ramey have both achieved 6-foot-10 status. Ramey won the state indoor title with a mark of 6-10.5. Outdoors, Ramey has jumped 6-8.

Boys’ discus throwers Donovan Moore (Eastern High School), Mile Hayward (Tates Creek High School) and Aiden Stark (Lafayette High School) did not perform exceptionally well at last season’s state meet. Their marks were 149-4, 138-2 and 135-0, respectively. By comparison their 2026 best efforts are 169-6, 167-6 and 163-0, respectively.

Deegan Croley (Marshall County) enters the event with the fifth best mark of 150-4, but he threw 161-5 at last year.

A Case for Rethinking Classification?

And one last thing…

Unfortunately, for Walden School (Louisville) athlete Natalie Svidal, she competes in 1A. A triple-event state winner (100-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump) who competed without the same depth of field. Svidal’s results were well below her PRs. She needed the talent of 3A jumpers Howard and Yeast to push her into PR-mark range, and the ability of Bullitt East hurdler Hannah Sutherland to produce a potential 14.0 time. Perhaps, the KHSAA needs to change the format to that of wrestling, eliminating classification competitions.