OMAHA -- Winside sprinter Gabe Escalante qualified for the finals of the 400-meter dash during the first day of the Class D State Track and Field Championships at Burke Stadium.
The Wildcat junior won his heat of the race in a time of 51.92 seconds, beating Charlie Schroeder of Wynot by three-hundredths of a second. He is tied for the second-fastest time heading into Thursdays' finals.
In the 200-meter dash, Escalnte finished second in his heat with a time of 23.31 seconds, qualifying for Thursday's finals with the sixth-fastest time.
Escalante failed to qualify in the 100-meter dash, finishing 11th overall in a time of 11.55 seconds, six-hundredths of a second shy of the eighth-fastest time in the prelims.
