Hocker qualifies for Drake in unexpected event

Williamsburg’s Grant Hocker will participate in one of 13 area events officially qualified in the Drake Relays at Drake Stadium in Des Moines Wednesday through Saturday.

High school track and field events run Thursday through Saturday.

Hocker qualified in an event he was not expecting to break out in heading into the season, the 400-meter.

With a personal best of 52.3 seconds coming into the season, Hocker ran a 49.73 April 10 at Clear Creek Amana.

On a night of not many fast times due to weather, Hocker, out of nowhere, broke the 50-second barrier.

“I was a little surprised with my time,“ said Hocker. ”Especially because it was windy and not the warmest day.“

At the time, that mark put Hocker in the top five in the state, and Hocker’s time held up until the entry deadline Friday morning.

Hocker finished ranked 12th in the state at the deadline, in one of the harder events to qualify in. The 400 is one of few high school events that only takes the top 16 entries.

“It means a lot to qualify, and it’s something I didn’t really walk into the season expecting to happen,” Hocker said. “I’m extremely excited to compete and my goal for the race is to set another personal best again try to make the top eight.”

Hocker will also be on the Raiders’ boys qualifying 4x100-meter relay team with Albert Bamrick, Rayce Heitmam and Grady Wetjen.

On Thursday night, meets were held across the state as athletes pushed to run times and set marks that would qualify them for the prestigious Drake Relays.

Van Horne was the place to be, as area athletes in four events clinched their spots at Drake in their last chance to do so — the Benton Co-ed Invite.

Iowa Valley’s Lydia Kriegel was already pretty much a lock to make it in the girls’ discus but was right outside the top 24 in shot put heading into the night.

Kriegel set a personal best for the third time in a week’s span, with a throw of 39 feet and 11 1/2 inches.

The mark put her in the top 24 and was a personal best by over a foot.

“It feels amazing to finally make it in shot put,” Kriegel said with excitement. “It was a goal of mine to make it to Drake in both. We knew for shot put I had to hit something big to qualify.”

Later in the evening, English Valleys’ Gage Heyne was in a similar predicament in the boys’ 1,600. It would take a big personal best to get a qualifying time.

Someone else in the race had a similar goal in mind, Vinton-Shellsburg’s Alex Torres.

“Gage knew before the race Torres would be in the 1,600, so we made it our strategy to put him in the race,” English Valleys coach Becky Becker said.

Heyne led the whole way until the end, beating his personal best by over five seconds with a time of 4:19.82 as both he and Torres qualified for Drake.

“I couldn’t be more proud of him,” said Becker. “He’s made so much progress and embodies what I want my program and culture to be like.”

Heyne was the only Class 1A athlete in the 1,600 field of accepted entries as of Monday.

“He shows that small schools can be successful too. You just have to put in a lot of work,” said Becker.

Belle Plaine’s Sam DeMeulenaere set another personal best in the 400 hurdles, in a field with two other Drake Relays qualifiers.

DeMeulenaere’s time of 55.27 put him at 20th in the state.

Last season, only 16 entries were allowed in the event, but the official heat sheets have added a third heat for the event, and DeMeulenaers’s time has been accepted.

The Plainsmen senior has accomplished his goal of qualifying for Drake.

The nightcap in Van Horne Thursday provided one last area qualifier, the Iowa Valleys boys 4x400 team.

The Tigers dropped nearly seven seconds off their previous season best in a time of 3:24.70 with the quartet of Layne Peska, Nolan Kriegel, Jeffrey Crawford and Caleb Haack.

The Iowa Valleys boys also qualified in the 4x100, which takes the top 96 entries.

Other area girls’ qualifiers include four Williamsburg events.

Freshman Ellie Nielsen will compete in the high jump. Nielsen jumped a school record five feet, four inches in the indoor season.

Williamsburg’s 4x100 and sprint medley relay teams also made the cut, with the sprint medley with the seventh fastest time in the state thus far.

Ava Hocker was just outside the cut in the girls’ 400, but due to a couple scratches in the event, made it into the top 16. Hocker, only a sophomore, is now a two-time Drake qualifier in the event and will also be in the qualifying relays for the Raiders.

HLV-TC’s Ema Roberts will be among the favorites in the high jump as one of four girls who have jumped five feet, seven inches or higher. Roberts was the lone area athlete to hit a Drake Relays blue standard.

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Area Drake Relays Schedule

Thursday

Girls discus — 2:30 p.m.

Friday

Girls shot put — 9 a.m.

Girls sprint medley — 9:50 a.m.

Girls high jump — 11 a.m.

Girls 400— 5:28 p.m.

Boys 400 — 5:46 p.m.

Boys 4x400 — 8:44 p.m. (prelims)

Saturday

Girls 4x100 — 9:40 a.m. (prelims); 3:47 p.m. (final)

Boys 4x100 — 10:12 a.m. (prelims); 3:52 p.m. (final)

Boys 400 hurdles— 1:14 p.m.

Boys 1,600 — 4:05 p.m.

Boys 4x400 — 4:34 p.m. (final)