State bound and looking for gold

CARROLL – The Panther girls couldn’t have asked for a much better day on the track Friday as six different individuals qualified for the Class 3A state track and field meet and four relay groupings did the same.

The first two automatic qualifiers of the day happened around the same time as the Panthers’ sprint medley team finished in second place, earning them an automatic bid and Kelsey Fields held onto her lead in the shot put to win the event.

Peyton Rice took off on the lead leg of the sprint medley before handing the baton off to Ashley Reynard. Reynard found Brianna Fields who completed her 200 meters and gave the baton to MaKenna Hudson with Creston in fourth.

Hudson turned on the gas and got in front of both Atlantic and Boone, besting the Trojans at the finish line by three-tenths of a second.

Over in the shot put circle, Fields’ second throw of the day landed 41 feet, 5 inches away from her and was more than enough to take home the gold.

Fields does have a better mark in her record book of 41-9 at Hawkeye 10 last week, but both marks are the second longest throws in the state, according to QuikStats behind just Lexie Magnani of Mount Pleasant, who has tossed the shot 43-1 1/2 this year.

However, her mark of 41-5 was the longest qualifying mark in Class 3A.

After qualifying for state in the shot put last season, the Panther sophomore also will make a repeat appearance in the discus after record a throw of 128-2, setting a new Creston school record.

“Last year was a little rough, but this year I’m really excited because I’m used to the throwing area now,” said Fields. “My goal in shot put is to get first or second place and then for discus it’s top three.

“I’m really excited to take advantage of being there.”

The Panthers’ 4x800 unit, which has been blowing away competition all season did so again Friday evening, winning by nearly five seconds and setting a new season best time of 9:50.93 – the third fastest qualifying time in Class 3A.

The foursome of Reynard, Brianna Fields, Hudson and Braelyn Baker ran a time of 4:21.16 in the distance medley, taking second at the meet and recording the eighth fastest time in Class 3A across the state that day.

In the 4x400 meters, Creston didn’t run its best time of the season, nor did its time of 4:13.50 earn them an automatic bid, but the Panthers did do enough to qualify in an at-large spot due to the work of Braelyn Baker, Peyton Rice, Brielle Baker and Hudson.

Rice also qualified with an at-large spot as an individual in the open 400, taking third in Carroll in 1:03.33.

Brielle Baker will also be running on the Blue Oval next weekend after taking second in both the open 800 and the 1,500 meter runs in respective times of 2:25.26 and 5:01.59.

The sisterly rivalry will get to brew one more time in the 1,500 as sophomore Braelyn Baker ran a 5:06.59 to pick up an at-large qualification.

Though she won’t be running at the state meet, fellow sophomore Ryli Abildtrup used the big stage to put together a 4-for-4 performance where she set four new personal records in all four events she competed in.

In the 200 meters she ran a 31.06, in the 100 meter hurdles she put together a 19.16, in the discus she flung a distance of 103-3 and set a new personal record in her leg of the shuttle hurdle.

“She barely competed as a freshman. ... (She) put in a ton of work,” said Arnold. “Really an all-around athlete.”

Abildtrup is planning on running in the state association pentathlon in Pella next Monday.

Abbi Hood also set a new personal record in the shot put with a throw of 33-10 1/2 and took sixth, picking up a medal.

UP NEXT – The Co-ed State Track and Field Meet starts Thursday and will continue through Sunday afternoon. For a full schedule of when the Panther girls will be competing, see accompanying story.

“We’re going to go get some serious medals up there and maybe a state championship,” said Arnold. “That’s the goal. That’s been the goal all along. ... The girls are hungry.”

Results

Team standings – 1. Glenwood 182, 2. Atlantic 108, 3. Humboldt 104, 4. Creston 98, 5. Harlan 92, 6. Boone 65, 7. Carroll 62, 8. Perry 21.

100 meter dash – 1. Bailey Ostrander, Glen, 13.19, 11. Alison Worthington, Crest, 14.39, 15. Lexi Gutknecht, Crest, 19.67.

200 meter dash – 1. Haley Rasmussen, Atl, 26.41; 11. Alison Worthington, Crest, 29.33; 15. Ryli Abildtrup, Crest, 31.06.

400 meter dash – 1. Pluma Pross, Atl, 1:01.52; 3. Peyton Rice, Crest, 1:03.33; 9. Alison Worthington, Crest, 1:09.21.

800 meter run – 1. Janette Schraft, Glen, 2:21.68; 2. Brielle Baker, Crest, 2:25.26; 9. Molly Sickels, Crest, 2:39.49.

1,500 meter run – 1. Janette Schraft, Glen, 4:58.74; 2. Brielle Baker, Crest, 5:01.59; 4. Braelyn Baker, Crest, 5:06.59.

3,000 meter run – 1. Janette Schraft, Glen, 11:00.69; 5. Paige Davis, Crest, 11:43.98; 9. Ali Christensen, Crest, 12:34.40.

100 meter hurdles – 1. Elle Scarborough, Glen, 15.86; 12. Ryli Abildtrup, Crest, 19.16; 13. Brittany Linch, Crest, 19.49.

400 meter hurdles – 1. Janette Schraft, Glen, 1:07.44; 8. Angelina Chuong, Crest, 1:16.31; 11. Halle Evans, Crest, 1:20.35.

Shuttle hurdle – 1. Glenwood, 1:06.25; 6. Creston, (Brittany Linch, Ryli Abiltrup, Halle Evans, Taylor Seaton), 1:22.14.

4x100 meter relay – 1. Glenwood, 51.17; 6. Creston, (Brittany Linch, Kelsey Fields, Brianna Fields, Ashley Reynard), 54.30.

4x200 meter relay – 1. Harlan, 1:46.91; 4. Creston, (Angelina Chuong, Ashley Reynard, Brianna Fields, Kelsey Fields), 1:52.61.

4x400 meter relay – 1. Atlantic, 4:06.77; 3. Creston, (Braelyn Baker, Peyton Rice, Brielle Baker, MaKenna Hudson), 4:13.50.

4x800 meter relay – 1. Creston, (Braelyn Baker, Peyton Rice, MaKenna Hudson, Brielle Baker), 9:50.93.

Sprint medley – 1. Glenwood, 1:53.68; 2. Creston, (Peyton Rice, Ashley Reynard, Brianna Fields, MaKenna Hudson), 1:54.88.

Long jump – 1. Haley Rasmussen, Atl, 17-2; 12. Halle Evans, Crest, 13-6; 13. Brittany Linch, Crest, 13-2.5.

Discus – 1. Kendal Clark, Humboldt, 132-7; 2. Kelsey Fields, Crest, 128-2; 8. Ryli Abildtrup, Crest, 103-3.

Shot put – 1. Kelsey Fields, Crest, 41-5; 6. Abbi Hood, Crest, 33-10.5.

Distance medley – 1. Atlantic, 4:17.81; 2. Creston, (Ashley Reynard, Brianna Fields, MaKenna Hudson, Braelyn Baker), 4:21.16.