Platte County ended up with more than enough useful pieces to capture a fourth conference title in a span of five years last season. The Pirates went on to finish a respectable sixth in a tough Class 5 District 8 field, but the momentum fizzled at that point.
Ultimately, Platte County brings back senior Adi Benninghoff — one of two state medalists from 2025 — plus junior Kelly Bullano, who reached the Class 5 MSHSAA Track and Field Championships podium as a freshman. The Pirates must replace steady star Addy Schlake and a pair of middle-distance standouts, but the strong contingent of returners have the potential for more strong team showings.
The question becomes whether or not Platte County can see a jump in postseason success at the Class 5 level.
Benninghoff serves as a strong example on the potential of rapid development. She advanced out of sectionals for the second straight year in the 100-meter hurdles and reached the state finals this time. She placed eighth in a career-best 14.95.
The week prior, Benninghoff went sub-15 seconds for the first time at 14.97, and she continues to chase down the oldest track school record still on the books. According to modern standers, her marks might actually be faster than Jan Herndon’s 14.93 set in 1983. Handheld marks generally require an adjustment of rounding to the nearest tenth of a second and adding 0.24 to equate to the measurements of fully automated timing (FAT).
Benninghoff ran 19.17 in a junior varsity meet as a freshman but broke through with a 16.83 in a non-varsity meet. She continued to move up from there, going 15.35 as a sophomore before finding her best form in the postseason as a junior.
Benninghoff and Schlake, the school-record holder in the discus, were the only Platte County athletes to reach state last season. However, Bullano also competed at sectionals in the javelin for a second straight year but couldn’t recreate the memorable postseason run of her freshman year when she set a school record in three successive meets.
Eventually, Bullano’s throw of 41.55 meters placed her fifth at state in Class 5. She finished fifth at sectionals last season at 36.27 meters.
Platte County’s 4×800 team of Maddie Nichols, Alexia Myer, Addie Ayers and Emily Huehl placed second at Class 5 District 8 in a slim field but ended up sixth and well out of state contention in a solid sectional field. Myer and Nichols both graduated after brief careers with the Pirates.
Ayers and Myer were both on a 4×800 that that placed fifth at state in 2024 with a school record of 9 minutes, 27.83 seconds, while Ayers now represents the lone holdover from the 2023 qualifying unit, as well. Nichols and Huehl, a Kansas Class 1A all-state finisher in the 800 as a sophomore at Wakefield, were both first-year transfers.
The top contenders to contribute include senior Madelyn Stewart and freshmen Mary Dellinger and Carlie Baker.
Stewart ran the 1,600 in last year’s postseason, while sophomore Tyler Stambersky came in fifth at districts in the 3,200 in Platte County’s rebuilt long-distance group. The depth there could contribute to a different look for a recently struggling 4×400, and the Pirates could use Huehl, Ayers, Stewart and Dellinger in an attempt to unlock a successful combination.
The other two relays have a strong core of returning pieces.
Platte County’s 4×100 set a school record of 50.28 last season at Class 5 District 8 but finished sixth and saw the season come to an end, and juniors Adi Kern, Vanessa Sarpong and Maggie Wagner all return, while sophomore Addison Stone, who missed time a year ago due to injury and soccer commitments, did not come back out. The same group ran a season-best on the same day in the 4×200, and Bullano and Benninghoff also have experience in the sprint relays.
Kern reached sectionals as a freshman in the pole vault for Platte County but failed to record a height at districts last season. She also increased success in the high jump as sophomore and becomes a versatile piece.
Wagner (100s) and senior Heaven Jale (300s) complement Benninghoff in both hurdles events, and Sarpong placed sixth in the 200 last season. seniors Rylee Carr (triple jump) and Ashleigh Cruce (javelin) plus sophomore Millie Parker (shot put and discus) add depth in the field events. Cruce made last year’s district finals in the javelin and placed ninth overall.
Platte County’s biggest loss will undoubtedly be Schlake, who went to state in the discus three straight years and medaled seventh as a senior. She also went to sectionals in the high jump twice and just missed advancing in the shot put last season.
