Southeast's Birkel, Houser chasing gold again

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BY RON POWELL / Lincoln Journal Star

It’s a scene that’s happened more than once — Lincoln Southeast’s Katie Birkel and KK Houser having gold medals placed around their necks at the end of a state high school competition.

Their most recent golden moment came earlier this month after the Super-State basketball duo helped power the Knights to the Class A girls title. But it also occurred last May at the state track meet, when Birkel and Houser made up half of Southeast’s all-class Gold medal-winning 1,600-meter relay that set a state record with a time of 3:55.38.

That capped off a memorable state meet for Birkel and Houser, both of whom will play NCAA Division I college basketball but could be Division I track athletes if they chose.

View Slideshow

The Knights' Katie Birkel (right) runs the 200 meter dash during the finals of the Heartland Conference Track and Field meet last year. (LJS File)

Houser, now a junior, moved into eighth on the state’s girls all-time chart with the 14.57-second time she ran in the 100 high hurdles, winning the all-class Gold. She was second in the 300 hurdles behind Millard North senior Kianna Elahi, who ran a state-record :43.04.

A pretty impressive showing for Houser, who took up running the hurdles as a way to  stay in shape for basketball. Now she gets Division I recruiting mail for both basketball and track.

“The track letters end up in the trash,” said a smiling Houser, who’s had a basketball offer from Iowa State on the table for more than a year. “I just do track for fun.’’

Which may be why she hasn’t established any target times this spring in the hurdles.

“I don’t remember my times from last year, I just basically run to win and not really worry about my time,” Houser said. “Winning the 300s is a goal because I’m sick of losing to the same girl (Elahi) over and over.’’

Birkel, a senior who has signed to play basketball at North Dakota State, also cracked the all-time chart at the 400 state finals, moving into eighth with a :55.97. Unfortunately for Birkel, Omaha Central’s Jasmine Johnson (now a freshman basketball player at Houston) won the race with a :55.76 that moved her into sixth all-time.

Birkel also finished second in the 200 at state with another personal best (:25.26), as Grand Island junior Alex Armes broke the tape.

“I want to win state this year after getting second last year (in the 200 and 400),” Birkel said. “I feel I have something to prove in both races.’’

The other two legs on the Knights’ state-record 1,600 relay — junior Karley Piper and sophomore Avarey Brown — also return this season. Senior Katie Nelson is back for Southeast after qualifying for state last year in the 1,600 and 3,200.

Like in basketball, the Knights should get a boost on the track from junior transfer Marissa Kastanek. The Super-State basketball player and North Carolina State point guard recruit won the Class B 800 last year at Crete and medaled on the Cardinals’ three  relays.

“We know the potential we have (as a team on the state level), but right now, we’re just trying to get in shape,’’ Birkel said. “We’ll gradually build for the end of the season and then hopefully peak at the right time for districts and state.’’

Birkel could have a new competitor to worry about in the 400 this season. Millard West senior Tara Korshoj won the Class A 400 in 2006 and ran a :56.40, but an injury kept her from running that event at districts and state last year. Korshoj, third on the all-time chart in the triple jump, also won the long jump and triple jump as a sophomore in 2006.

Millard North sophomore Emily Sisson could make deep inroads into the all-time charts this season. Sisson, a transfer from Omaha Marian who won the all-class 1,600 and 3,200 Gold medals last year, had an exceptional summer in 2007. She won the 5,000 at the USA Junior Track and Field Championships and qualified for the Junior World Championships. She also recorded a 4:38.0 time in the 1,500.

Last fall, Sisson won her second straight all-class state cross country title and broke her own state record.

Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.