On top of the world

DES MOINES — When Spencer shot putter Brandi Botcher threw her sixth throw short of 42 feet, Creston’s Hannah Hood knew she had won.

The Creston senior thrower turned toward assistant coach Maggie Arnold with a look of pure joy and amazement. She knew with the two best shot putters having completed their last attempt, her launch of 42-4, on her fifth attempt, would stand the test of the rest of the field.

After throwing her sixth and final time, she ran over to Arnold and hugged her as tears came to both of their eyes.

Hood could hardly believe it afterward.

Her best throw helped her to capture the Class 3A crown Friday at Drake Stadium.

“Honestly it’s an amazing feeling. I didn’t ever know if this was possible,” Hood said, still red in the face from tears she shed hugging family, teammates and coaches. “I’ve been through so much with my shoulder. After my second one (surgery), I didn’t know how throwing was going to go. Honestly I’m just on top of the world. It’s insane to me, state champ. It’s what I’ve wanted for four years.”

Hood led the field going into the finals, with seven other throwers vying to pass her toss of 40-3.

She bested her farthest attempt on her fourth throw, launching the shot 41-0.5.

At that point, Hood possessed the two best throws, as soft sprinkling rain and a light wind continued to blow through the field directly outside of Drake Stadium.

Botcher came back and hurled a throw 41-4.25 to take the lead on her fifth attempt.

But it was Hood’s day.

Hood came right back and launched her best throw ever in state competition at Drake Stadium. She threw the shot 42-4, besting her sixth and fifth-place finishes in her sophomore and junior years, respectively.

She didn’t even have to watch the ball come down. Hood knew it was her best.

“I know it’s a couple inches and I can throw a couple inches,” Hood said. “I personally wanted a 42 out of today. That was my goal. Especially in this weather. That was it. I was going to throw 42 no matter what. I did and I’m so glad I did when I did and like I said, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Hood was a state champion at the state middle school meet that she competed in years ago. Being at the top of her game that early led to incredible expectations for herself and from others. Coach Clay Arnold said it had been “five years in the making.”

He always had the confidence in her to achieve this.

Arnold was able to reflect on what the experience was like afterward. With Hood being Creston’s first state champion since Audrey Bolinger in the 400 hurdles in 2012, Arnold was in awe.

“When the Spencer girl and the second girl in the finals went ahead of her for the first time, so for the first time she wasn’t leading, when she came right back and two throws after her, her very next throw, and unloaded, that was a big moment,” Arnold said. “Because in the past, she would not have been able to go ahead and take an opportunity like that and finish it. That was pretty special. That’s when I really started thinking about all the setbacks and stuff.”

Friday afternoon’s performance was the culmination of years of work. Hood hit the weights hard last offseason, tacking on loads of hours, including on the weekend.

After the completion of the finals, she shared a special moment with Creston educator and coach Casey Tanner, who leads lifting sessions at the school.

Hood was not focused on the less than ideal elements around her Friday. She was worried about what she could control.

“Everyone has to compete in the same weather. You just gotta go out there and compete,” Hood said. “I think I needed to take more time in the ring this time instead of just calming myself down it was just, needed to take more time and more of what I needed to do rather than worry about the weather conditions.”

Hood has looked longingly at the trophy cases situated in the Creston Community High School commons over the years. She has fantasized about adding to the hardware, honoring the best athletes to ever perform for the Panthers.

Now, she will be immortalized alongside the Creston legends.

“I did everything that I could to get here,” Hood stated. “This is what I wanted.”

Not up to standards

Creston’s relay season came to an end early Friday, as none of the relay events Creston qualified for state performed near their season’s best times.

The 4x800 relay finished 17th in senior Rachel Shepherd’s final race. That was documented in Friday’s News Advertiser.

In the 4x200, the Panthers finished 22nd in a time of 1:52.57.

The Panthers were disqualified from the distance medley when Cayla Maitlen false-started.

More was needed from the Panthers in the 4x400 to qualify for Saturday’s finals, as Creston took 20th in a time of 4:17.69.

Baker’s leg in the 4x400 was a season’s best. Otherwise, none of the Panthers ran bests or personal records.

“You come up here to run and jump PRs and we had one out of all the relays and field events,” Arnold said.

The Panthers fell short of that. The positives out of state came in a number of ways. Creston had several runners who began the season out of action due to illness or injury. Runners like Kiersten Latham and Kesia Stewart also made their state debuts.

“It was exciting to get Kiersten and Kesia up here on the blue,” Arnold said.

Stephanie Hemsworth tried to regain health throughout the season after a knee injury sustained in basketball, and competed in the 4x200.

“Most people would’t be able to compete at all this season but to come back, work so hard and to get back on the blue, that was the goal all along for her, so it was great to see her achieve that,” Arnold said.

Discus — 1. Gillian Streit, Harlan, 137-3; 19. Hannah Hood, Creston, 107-3.

4x800 meter relay — 1. Gilbert 9:35.65; 17. Creston, ( MaKenna Hudson, Jesse Vicker, Rachel Shepherd, Brielle Baker), 10:10.70.

Shot put — 1. Hannah Hood, Creston, 42-4.

Distance Medley relay — 1. Decorah, 4:09.67; Creston, False Start.

4x200 meter relay — 1. Dubuqe Wahlert, 1:41.77; 22. Creston, Kiersten Latham, Stephanie Hemsworth, Kesia Stewart, Cayla Maitlen), 1:52.57

4x400 meter relay prelim — 20. Creston (Brielle Baker, Breanna Wallace, Cayla Maitlen, MaKenna Hudson), 4:17.69, DNQ for finals. Finals — 1. Decorah, 3:56.09.