Two Wright City athletes booked their tickets to the Class 3 State Track and Field Championships in Jefferson City.

Senior Lydia Clubb and sophomore Seth Leander Potter both qualified for state in the 400-meter dash. 

What they share goes beyond just qualification — both athletes have spent countless hours working on their craft, proving that commitment behind the scenes can lead to big moments under the spotlight.

Clubb secured her return to state with a third-place finish with a time of 1:01.13 at the Class 3, Sectional 2 meet on May 17 at Montgomery County High School. For the senior, this marks her second trip to the big stage, but the thrill hasn’t faded.

“I’m really proud of myself because I honestly didn’t expect this,” Clubb said. “If you would have told me at the beginning of the season, I would have told you you’re crazy. Yeah, it’s an honor.” 

Potter will be making his first state appearance after placing fourth at sectionals with a time of 51.84 seconds. 

“To be able to go to state is pretty cool for me. I ran club in the winter and was really focused, so it shows how I’ve improved a lot compared to last year because I didn’t even make it past districts,” Potter said. 

A year ago, Clubb helped the Wright City 4x400 team – which also included Adalyn Ferrell, Elizabeth Riggs and Lindsay Pettus – finish second at the state meet. With experience on her side, Clubb plans to use what she learned last year to her advantage.

“The environment was crazy the first time I went,” she said. “Now that I know what the environment is, I know what to expect.”

Potter trained far beyond just his scheduled practices, pushing himself physically and mentally in the offseason. 

“Over the winter, I joined a club so I could get more coaching. I did a lot of distance running which is tiring but I thought about the future,” Potter said. 

Clubb took a more solitary approach, using quiet moments after practice to get in extra work.

“I like to practice after practice because no one’s watching me and it takes the pressure off. After practice, I’ll do more 400 reps because I like to push myself and it betters myself,” Clubb said. 

Potter felt the nerves before sectionals, noting he faced adversity with windy and cold conditions. 

“I remember the last 100, the wind killed me and I had one dude catch me. It was scary but I pushed through and beat the dude who was catching up on me towards the end,” Potter said. “(When the race was over) I was pumped to know I was going to state, especially as a sophomore.” 

Clubb also felt the wind’s toll but relied on pacing herself in the beginning which allowed her to push through in the end. 

“I just knew I needed to place in the top four and I really wanted to make it to state for my team at that point because somebody gets to come with me,” Clubb said. “I wanted Lindsay (Pettus) to come with me so I did it for the team.” 

Both competitors found comfort in being able to reach this feat together. 

“We’ll be able to challenge each other while we’re at practice,” Clubb said. 

“Throughout the week, we’ll be doing a lot of the same training and she’s just an enjoyable person to be around and always gets me working,” Potter added. 

Potter and Clubb will compete in the preliminaries on Friday at Adkins Stadium at the campus of Jefferson City High School. Clubb will run at 2:30 p.m., while Potter will race at 2:50 p.m.

“It’s my senior year,” Clubb said. “I want to go out with a bang.”