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Wortmann runs wild in Omaha
OMAHA - Anisten Wortmann had a meet for the ages single-handedly leading the Cedar Catholic Trojans to a fourth place finish in the team standings.
She scored 34 points in the Class C Nebraska Track and Field Championships May 22-23 at Burke Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Cedar Catholic boys had a meet of their own placing eighth in the team race behind a great performance by the Trojan relays, Kighter Wortmann, Hunter Kuchta and Nolan Heimes.
Anisten Wortmann earned two golds, a silver and tossed in a bronze medal to account for her 34 points.
“To say Anisten had a great meet isn’t saying enough about what she accomplished,” said Cedar coach Blair Kalin. “She has worked so hard, not just during the season but before and last summer, she just works harder than whoever she is running against.”
She also threw in a state record along the way in her “specialty”.
She held the state record in the 100-meter hurdles for a heat at last year’s state meet, but it was bettered, but this year she reclaimed the record with a 14.00-second dash over the barriers in the preliminaries to get the record then ran a 14.19 in the finals to collect the gold and also earn the All-Class Gold for this year’s state meet.
“I’ve been working for that (the record) for so long, and I’m glad I finally got it,” Wortmann said. “I don’t think people understand how much time I put into this and how much I gave up from my friends. I gave a lot during my off-season, and for me to get gold it shows that my work paid off. ”
The Cedar junior just kept moving forward since taking home silver in the event last season as a sophomore.
“I just trusted my training, trusted what my hurdles coach said and trusted in God mainly,” she said. “I feel like he is the one I give glory to whether I win or lose.”
Wortmann won the 400-meters on Friday with a time of 56.34 seconds outrunning two-time defending champion, Kerstyn Chapek of Bishop Neumann who posted a time of 56.48.
“I really think that win on Friday gave her confidence the rest of the meet,” said Kalin. “She’s a special athlete and she’s only going to get better.”
Wortmann placed second in the 300 hurdles with the third-fastest time ever in the state. Unfortunately, the fastest time ever was right in front of her at the end of the race.
Shaydyn Rasby ran a 42.83 to win the race and set a new state record while Wortmann .16-seconds behind at 42.99 which broke the old record and earned her a silver medal.
And, by the way, she placed third in 100-meters in 12.01 seconds.
The Lady Trojans also took the 4X100 relay squad to Omaha and the foursome of Evie Freeman, Brynn Bernecker, Shayla Heine and Landry Heimes hauled the baton around the track in 51.48 which put them in 16th position.
The Trojans made hay in their relays led by the 4X800 quartet of Hunter Kuchta, Mason Baller, Cooper Hochstein and Kighter Wortmann who did eight laps in 8:08.14 to bring home a gold medal.
“Our relays have been great all year and that continued down in Omaha,” said Kalin. “All three relays have set school records, the 4X800 and 4X400 set them in Omaha and the 4X100 set one earlier in the season.”
The 4X400 team, consisting of the same four as the 4X800 in a different order, brought home a silver medal with a time of 3:24.20.
“I thought we were going to catch the team that won coming to the tape,” said Kalin. “They barely held us off.”
The 4X100 team also brought home some hardware.
Booker Hochstein, Cooper Hochstein, Micah Cattau and Baller circled the track in 43.77 to place eighth.
Individually, Nolan Heimes placed sixth in the 110-meter high hurdles.
“I was so happy for Nolan to get in the medals down here,” Kalin said. “He’s worked very hard to get where he is.”
Kighter Wortmann and Hunter Kuchta ran together in the 800 meters just like they had all season, placing sixth and eighth respectively while both breaking the 2-minute plateau in the race.
Wortmann ran 1:59.36 and Kuchta posted a time of 1:59.59.
“I feel like we had a good season and had a lot of success,” said Kalin. “Our kids work hard and they are serious about track. They are a lot of fun to be around and they listen very well. It’s been a fun year. It’s a huge accomplishment to get down here so everyone that competed here should be very proud.”
2026 CLASS C NEBRASKA TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPION SHIPS
Team Results Girls (Top 10 and Cedar, HNS) 1. Kearney Catholic 79; 2. Bishop Neumann 57; 3. West Holt 45; 4. Cedar Catholic 34; 5. Lincoln Lutheran 33; 5. Elm Creek 33; 7. Crofton 30; 8. Chase County 29; 9. Grand Island Central Catholic 28; 9. St. Paul 28; 25. Hartington-Newcastle 6.
Individual Results Hartington-Newcastle and Cedar Catholic Results 100-Meter Dash: 3. Anisten Wortmann (Cedar) 12.01.
400-Meter Dash: 1. Anisten Wortmann (Cedar) 56.34.
800-Meter Run: 4. Vayda Lippert (H-N) 2:19.73.
1,600-Meter Run: 8. Vayda Lippert (H-N) 5:28.54.
Pole Vault: 25. Ella Eickhoff (H-N) 8-06; Kinleigh Kramer (Cedar) NH.
100-Meter Hurdles: 1. Anisten Wortmann (Cedar) 14.19.
300-Meter Hurdles: 2. Anisten Wortmann (Cedar) 42.99.
Long Jump: Adelyn Reifenrath (Cedar) SCR.
Team Results Boys (Top 10 and HNS)
1. Chase County 55.33; 2. Battle Creek 37.33; 3. Doniphan-Trumbull 36; 4. Lincoln Lutheran 35; 5. North Platte St. Patrick’s 34; 6. Alma 32; 6. Grand Island Central Catholic 32; 8. Cedar Catholic 26; 9. Wakefield 23; 10. Hershey 21; 46. Hartington- Newcastle 2.
Individual Results Hartington-Newcastle and Cedar Catholic 100-Meter Dash: 14. William Feilmeier (H-N) 11.21.
110-Meter High Hurdles: 6. Nolan Heimes (Cedar) 15.44.
400-Meter Dash: 14. Cooper Hochstein (Cedar) 51.07.
800-Meter Run: 6. Kighter Wortmann (Cedar) 1:59.36; 8. Hunter Kuchta (Cedar) 1:59.59.
4X100 Relay: 8. Cedar Catholic (Booker Hochstein, Cooper Hochstein, Micah Cattau, Mason Baller) 43.77. 4X400 Relay: 2. Cedar Catholic (Mason Baller, Hunter Kuchta, Kighter Wortmann, Cooper Hochstein) 3:24.20.
4X800 Relay: 1. Cedar Catholic (Hunter Kuchta, Mason Baller, Cooper Hochstein, Kighter Wortmann) 8:08.14.
Long Jump: 21. Brady Hochstein (Cedar) 19-04.50.
Triple Jump: 7. Maximus McCray (H-N) 43-01.5; 14. Easton Hochstein (Cedar) 41-05.50.
High Jump: 13. Brayden Lammers (H-N) 6-00.
Pole Vault: Keaton Keiser (Cedar) NH; Ty Opfer (H-N) NH.
Shot Put: 16. Jared Rutar (Cedar) 4810.25; 20. Graham Potts (Cedar) 4801.25. Discus: 15. Jared Rutar (Cedar) 149-11; Sam Wiebelhaus DNF.
