Lincoln High’s Dajaz DeFrand won the long-awaited sprinter’s duel against Class A 2019 100- and 200-meter girls state champion Kate Dilsaver of Lincoln Southwest.
And that competition pushed the Links junior to a pair of meet records Wednesday in the Lincoln Public Schools track and field championships at Beechner Athletic Complex.
In near-perfect conditions, DeFrand won the 100 in 11.81 seconds and the 200 in :24.52, not far off her personal bests from earlier this season. DeFrand has the fastest electronic time in state history with an :11.67 in the 100 and the third-best electronic clocking in the 200 with her :24.36 earlier this month.
“The rain kind of scared me during the break (between the preliminaries and finals), but it (the weather) was perfect for the finals,†said DeFrand, who also led the Lincoln High 400 relay team to a meet record as well. “I love running against the top competition to see what I can do.â€
Dilsaver was third in the 100 behind DeFrand and another Link, Neryah Hekl, before taking second in the 200. Dilsaver helped the Silver Hawks defend their LPS team title by winning the 400 in :58.06.
“I felt good in the 400; I’ve been trying to push on getting out in the lead early and then finish strong,†Dilsaver said. “This was a good day to see where I’m at coming into the last three weeks of the season.â€
Southwest ran away with the team championship with 198½ points, well ahead of runner-up East with 104. Jaida Rowe swept the hurdle events for the Hawks with a winning time of :15.47 in the 100 highs and a :46.06 in the 300 lows.
Southwest’s Lauren Blehm captured the 800 in 2:22.42, while teammate Brianna Rinn ran a 5:19.37 to win the 1,600. Field event winners for Southwest were Nikki Dirks in the high jump (5-3) and Carly Coen in the long jump (17-0). Southwest also won the 1,600 and 3,200 relays.
Photos: City track standouts stake their place at LPS Championships
Lincoln High's Dejaz DeFrand (left) sets a meet record as she defeats Lincoln Southwest's Kate Dilsaver in the final of the girls 100-meter dash in the LPS Championships on April 28 at Beechner Athletic Complex.