Nine Creston events advance to state track

GLENWOOD — The Creston track and field team posted one of their best state qualifying meets Thursday in Glenwood as they advance nine events to this week’s state track meet in Des Moines.

Four events auto-qualified by earning a top-two finish in their event.

Freshman Cora Smith won the 400-meter dash in a personal-best time of 59.9, her first mark under a minute.

Smith will compete in the 400m finals at 1:20 p.m. Thursday. She will run in lane six of the second heat. She comes in with the 12-fastest time of 24 runners.

The other winning event for the Panthers was sophomore Tom Mikkelsen in the shot put. His winning throw was 55-09.

Mikkelsen’s mark gives him the No. 2 seed at state behind Drake Relays shot put and discus champion Landon Prince of Clear Creek-Amana.

Mikkelsen will compete at 11:30 a.m. Friday as the No. 11 thrower in flight two.

Two events took silver: senior Brayden Schoon in the discus and the girls 4x800m relay team.

Schoon threw 161-03, behind Class 3A No. 2 seed Carson McInerney of Bishop Heelan.

Schoon comes in the sixth seed with Prince the favored in this event by nearly 20-feet.

He will compete at 11:30 a.m. Thursday as the seventh thrower in the second flight.

The 4x800m relay of Maylee Riley, Hope Henderson, Payton Davis and Cora Smith posted another blazing time at the state qualifier, running a season-best of 9:45.53. The time is just seconds off the 2014 school record of 9:40.57.

All four girls ran sub-2:30, led by Smith’s anchor time of 2:22.41. Riley started with a 2:25, Henderson posted a 2:27 and Davis ran a 2:29.

The girls compete at 11:20 a.m. Thursday in heat two.

The team comes in the No. 3 seed behind Gilbert and Hawkeye 10 rival Glenwood.

Five events ended up qualifying at-large after tough competition in Glenwood.

Though Kadley Bailey placed fifth in the 100m hurdles, her time of 16.10 puts her in the top-24 of the state.

She will compete in the prelims at 10:20 a.m. Friday in lane one of the third heat. She is the 21 seed. If she finishes in the top eight, she would compete in the finals at 1:05 p.m. Saturday.

Junior Seth Gordon placed third in the 200 and fourth in the 100, but he qualified at-large in both events.

His 200m time of 23.03 was a new personal best. He competes in the prelims at 11 a.m. Thursday, running in heat three, lane eight. He comes in the 22 seed. If he finishes in the top eight, he runs in the finals at 2:05 p.m. Saturday.

In the 100, Gordon comes in the 21 seed. He will run in the prelims at 1:05 p.m. Thursday. The finals are at 12:58 p.m., Saturday.

Two more girls relays will compete — the sprint medley and shuttle hurdle relays.

The SMR team of Karter Clayton, Braylee Pokorny, Bailey and Smith placed third behind ADM and Glenwood, running 1:52.35. The season-best time qualified them at-large as the 23 seed.

They run at 9 a.m. Saturday in heat one, lane one.

Five shuttle hurdle relay teams from the Glenwood state qualifier are advancing to state, including Creston’s team of Bailey, Josie Tallmon, Clayton and Henderson.

The team placed fifth in a season-best 1:08.61. The time seeds them 16th at state. They will compete in the prelims as the kick-off event at 9 a.m. Thursday. If they make top-eight, they compete again at 11:50 a.m. Saturday.

The top eight at state in each event will medal.

Gates open at 7:30 a.m. each day. Seating is general admission.

The Iowa High School Sports Network will host a free coed stream from the track at Drake Stadium from all three days of the event.

AREA EVENT SCHEDULE

9 — 3A Girls shuttle hurdle relay prelims

Clarke - Heat 2, Lanes 7 and 8

Creston - Heat 4, Lanes 1 and 2

11 — 3A Boys 200m dash prelims

Seth Gordon (Creston) - Heat 3, Lane 8

11:20 — 3A Girls 4x800m relay

Creston — Heat 2, No. 3 seed

11:30 — 3A Boys Discus

Brayden Schoon (Creston) — Flight 2, No. 7 of 12

12:50 — 3A Girls 100m dash prelims

Kya Thornton (Clarke) — Heat 1, Lane 1

1:05 — 3A Boys 100m dash prelim

Seth Gordon (Creston) — Heat 3, Lane 1

1:20 — 3A Girls 400m dash

Cora Smith (Creston) — Heat 2, Lane 6

— — — — — — — —

2 — 1A Boys Long Jump

Brody Crozier (Southwest Valley) — Flight 1, No. 7

2:40 — 1A Boys shuttle hurdle prelim

Mount Ayr — Heat 1, Lanes 7 and 8

Lenox — Heat 2, Lanes 3 and 4

Southwest Valley — Heat 5, Lanes 7 and 8

3:50 — 1A Boys 3200m run

Gabe Winkelmann — No. 10 seed

4:20 — 1A Girls 200m dash prelims

Emma Reynolds (Mount Ayr) — Heat 1, Lane 5

Maddie Weston (Nodaway Valley) — Heat 3, Lane 1

4:30 — 1A Boys Shot Put

Morgan Cooley (East Union) — Flight 2, No. 11

Trent Warner (Nodaway Valley) — Flight 2, No. 11

4:30 — 1A Girls Long Jump

Emma Boswell (O-M) — Flight 2, No. 7

5 — 1A Girls 4x800

Mount Ayr — Heat 1, 7 seed of 12

5:50 — 1A Boys 4x800

Lenox — Heat 1, 5 seed of 12

6:30 — 1A Girls 100m dash prelim

Maddie Weston (Nodaway Valley) Heat 2, Lane 6

6:45 — 1A Boys 100m dash prelim

Brody Crozier (Southwest Valley) — Heat 1, Lane 6

7 — 1A Girls 400m dash

Tatum Friedrich (Mount Ayr) — Heat 1, Lane 3

Sadie Cox (Lenox) — Heat 2, Lane 2

McKinzie Menefee (Lenox) — Heat 2, Lane 6

7:20 — 1A Boys 400m dash

Gabe Funk (Lenox) — Heat 3, Lane 5

FRIDAY, MAY 23

10:20 — 3A Girls 100m hurdles

Kadley Bailey (Creston) — Heat 3, Lane 1

11:30 — 3A Boys Shot Put

Tom Mikkelsen (Creston) — Flight 2, No. 11 of 12

— — — — — — — — — —

2 — 1A Boys High Jump

Walker Bissell (Southwest Valley) — No. 5

Gavin Wetzel (Southwest Valley) — No. 14

2:40 — 1A Girls distance medley

Nodaway Valley — Heat 1, Lane 6

3:20 — 1A Boys distance medley

Mount Ayr — Heat 1, Lane 3

4 — 1A Girls 100m hurdles prelims

Tristin Lear (East Union) — Heat 1, Lane 6

4:20 — 1A Boys 110m hurdles prelims

Jordan Martin-England (Lenox) — Heat 1, Lane 1

Gabe Funk (Lenox) — Heat 2, Lane 5

4:30 — 1A Boys Discus

Morgan Cooley (East Union) — Flight 2, No. 6

Trenton Warner (Nodaway Valley) — Flight 2, No. 12

4:30 — 1A Girls High Jump

Emma Boswell (O-M) — No. 10

Aubree Shields (Mount Ayr) — No. 17

5:10 — 1A Boys 4x200 prelims

Mount Ayr — Heat 2, Lane 2

6 — 1A Boys 400m hurdles

Jordan Martin-England (Lenox) — Heat 2, Lane 2

Wyatt Mendenhall (Southwest Valley) — Heat 2, Lane 4

Gabe Funk (Lenox) — Heat 3, Lane 4

6:20 — 1A Girls 4x100 prelims

Mount Ayr — Heat 2, Lane 7

6:40 — 1A Boys 4x100 prelims

Mount Ayr — Heat 1, Lane 7

7 — 1A Girls 4x400 prelims

Mount Ayr — Heat 3, Lane 3

7:40 — 1A Boys 4x400 prelims

Lenox — Heat 3, Lane 1

Mount Ayr — Heat 3, Lane 8

SATURDAY, MAY 24

9 — Girl Sprint Medley

Lenox — Heat 2, Lane 4

Mount Ayr — Heat 2, Lane 7

Creston — Heat 1, Lane 1

9:50 — Boys Sprint Medley

Mount Ayr — Heat 1, Lane 2

11:50 — Girls shuttle hurdle finals

12:45 — Ambulatory 100

Willie Baker (Mount Ayr)

1:50 — Ambulatory 200

Willie Baker (Mount Ayr)

2:15 — Girls 1500 finals

Izzy Eisbach (Nodaway Valley) — 19 seed

** Other events may compete depending on qualification of finals