Pictured- Jacob Bircher (front) and Brayden Walker, courtesy of Huey Counts
WICHITA — Southeast of Saline seniors Brayden Walker and Jacob Bircher aren’t sure yet what thoughts will go through their minds over the next two days as they wrap up their high school careers in the Kansas State High School Track and Field Championship.
What they do know is that they’ll compete side-by-side and even on the same relay team, much as they have done for as long as they can remember.
Senior Jacob Bircher
“We’ve been running together pretty much our whole life,” said Bircher, who first teamed up with Walker in junior high school and will continue to do so next year at Park University in Parkville, Missouri, just north of Kansas City. “I definitely feel it’s an advantage for us.”
“We know how each other runs and we work really well together.”
Actually, Walker got a slight head start on Bircher, joining the local Salina Burn track club in fifth grade, but they’ve been joined at the hip for at least the past seven years. Last fall they even shared a Class 3A state championship in cross country, with Walker finishing second and Bircher placing 17th.
That success has carried over to the spring, where between them Bircher and Walker now own all three individual school distance records as well as half of the 4×800-meter relay mark.
“Those kids have been working since fifth or sixth grade to the point they are right now, and it’s been a blessing to coach them because my goal for them, to break the school records,” said Southeast assistant track coach Luke Gleason, himself a former Trojan distance ace. “That’s exactly what they’ve done.”
“They’ve been reaping what they’ve put in over the fall, summer and this past winter.”
Walker owns the state’s fastest 3A time in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4 minutes, 12.07 seconds, and Bircher is right behind him at 4:15.17. In the 800, it’s Bircher who holds the school record of 1:53.75, less than a second off the best in 3A, while Walker has run a 1:54.87.
Walker also will run the 3,200 on Friday and is with a person record of 9:22.63, which along with the 800, 1600 and 4×800 Saturday adds up to a lot of miles. The 4×800 relay of Walker, Bircher, Caleb Knopf and Edgar Calzada broke the school record at the Beloit regional and now have the best 3A mark of 7:58.99.
Senior Brayden Walker
“It has been a successful year, my most successful,” Walker said. “I’ve had PRs in all my events.”
The cross country team championship has been the lone state title for Walker, who both hope to break through individually this weekend. His best track finish was third place last year in the 1,600.
“I think it’s possible, definitely,” Walker said of chasing a first track gold medal. “Everybody else is going to be running a lot of events, so hopefully I can get the best out of myself.”
Bircher’s highlight came as a freshman in 2023, when he was part of the winning 4×800 relay.
Bircher, who has enjoyed a breakout season, also hopes to see everything come together in his three races.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, and it probably won’t until after the fact,” he said of his final high school meet. “I’m just hoping to go in and give it my all and place as high as possible, and maybe try to come out with a win in one of the events.”
Regardless of this weekend’s results, Walker and Bircher know they’ll continue to run together at the next level when they join Walker’s older brother Cayden at Park. Bircher also will play soccer for the Pirates in the fall.
“It’s really nice to have Jacob there, just to continue to have someone to run with,” Walker said. “And he’ll be right down the hall.”
