‘Cried tears of joy’: Garden Plain sprinter ascends to the top as state track champion

The last time Haidyn Thompson set foot in Cessna Stadium at the Kansas high school track and field state meet, it was one of the hardest days of her life.

It was supposed to be her coronation when she cemented her status as the best sprinter in Class 2A.

Instead, Thompson was hampered by what she would later discover was mononucleosis. It would explain how she went from the runner-up in the 100-meter dash as a freshman at Garden Plain to finishing eighth last year as a sophomore.

“I was giving everything I had and I couldn’t do the things that I thought I could do,” Thompson said. “It was so annoying. It was like when you have a hair on your face, but you can’t find it.”

Fully healthy, Thompson accomplished her dreams — and maybe even a little more — one year later, winning a pair of individual gold medals, anchoring Garden Plain’s title-winning 400 relay and adding a third-place medal to spearhead the Owls’ fourth straight Class 2A team state championship.

“It was so awesome,” Thompson said. “I literally cried my eyes out earlier out of full joy. I’ve never cried tears of joy before. I was so happy.”

Thompson was running behind Garden Plain great Brooke Hammond, a 10-time state champion, as a freshman. She finished runner-up to Hammond in both the 100 and 200 at the 2021 state meet.

After enduring the frustration of the 2022 season, Thompson bounced back in a big way as a junior. She won the league and regional titles in the 100, then won the 2A gold medal out of Lane 2 in the 100 finals at the state meet, as one final lunge across the finish line allowed Thompson (12.61 seconds) to edge Rawlins County senior Michaela Rippe (12.64).

Thompson also helped Garden Plain win its fifth straight state title in the 400 relay, teaming up with Celia Puetz, Kamryn Thomas and Reese Stuhlsatz with the winning time of 50.80. Her other individual gold came in the long jump, where her mark of 16 feet, 8¾ inches sent her to the top of the podium. She finished off her weekend with a third-place finish in the 200 in a time of 27.03.

“She did such a great job and I’m very proud of her and her performances,” Garden Plain girls coach Kelsey Talbott said. “That was great for her to help us continue the tradition. We were hoping to be able to do that, but to do it this soon is excellent.”

With Thompson helping score 34 points, the Owls also received help from double medalists in Puetz (second in 100 hurdles and sixth in shot put) and senior Molly Zoglman (fifth in shot put and sixth in discus). Garden Plain finished at the top of the 2A girls team standings with 54 points, seven more than runner-up Stanton County.

And for Thompson, she finally had her golden moment.

“This really was the best feeling ever,” Thompson said. “I didn’t think I would be able to do something like this, even with how badly I wanted it. When I looked up in the crowd and saw my family cheering, it just made my whole heart.”