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State Champs!
Williamsburg claims Class 2A boys state track and field team championship
Williamsburg can proudly stake a claim to that title following a spectacular performance in the 2023 state co-ed meet May 18-20 at Drake Stadium, Des Moines.
The Raiders shared top billing with Mediapolis, giving them their first state team title in any sport in the last 21 years, and only the fourth ever in school history, joining the boys' track and field and cross country teams of 2002 and 1991 coached by Greg Stolze, and the Ken Thimmesch coached 1994 girls' golf team.
"What an incredible weekend," said Williamsburg coach Matt Matthes, whose 2022 team finished third at state. “This championship brought out the best in Raider track and field. I'm so proud of our effort and determination to accomplish the goal of bringing home a state championship to Williamsburg. The team race ultimately came down to us, Des Moines Christian and Mediapolis. In a meet like this, so many small things went right for us to be able to win it. Our plan was to attack each day as a 1-day event and each day we did that.”
Senior Owen Douglas and junior Derek Weisskopf were simply amazing in Williamsburg's championship drive. Douglas accounted for 22.5 and Weisskopf 20 of the Raiders' 62 points, capturing one individual state title apiece.
Weisskopf successfully defended his 2A high jump title, once again clearing 6-feet 7-inches, and Douglas won the 200 meter dash — his first individual state gold medal — in a career best 22.17 seconds and fourth all-time in program history.
Douglas nipped Mediapolis' Anthony Isley by a mere .06 seconds at the tape, proving to be huge in the team race, while Weisskopf made good on all of his jumps through 6-7, then with back-to-back titles secured, raised the bar to 6-9 1/4 to try to break a personal best of 6-9 he set last year at the Dickinson Relays. He missed on all three attempts, but there’s always next year.
“Time after time Derek excels in the biggest moment,” coach Matthes said. “I'm really proud of him winning back-to-back state titles.”
Douglas’ 200 performance was Williamsburg's first individual running event winner since 2006 when Cody Baethke swept the 200 and 400 meters.
Williamsburg also defended it's 400 meter relay title with Douglas, senior Carson Huedepohl and juniors Clayten Steckly and Braylon Wetjen running a school record 42.7 seconds.
“The guys ran and executed a perfect race,” said coach Matthes, noting this is the Raiders’ fourth 4x100 title in the last 8 seasons. “I'm glad this group got to experience that feeling.”
Those gold medals were accompanied by silver medals from Douglas in the 100 meter dash, Weisskopf in the shot put and the 800 meter relay team of Wetjen, sophomore Rayce Heitman, Huedepohl and Douglas.
Douglas set a personal record of 10.91 in the 100, which is No. 2 on Williamsburg’s all-time list; Weisskopf, who just started the shot this year, threw a personal best 55-5 ¾ which is second all-time behind Jeff Menary's 1976 throw of 56-1, and the 800 relay team, despite a handoff mistake, set a new school record in 1:29.48,
In what was one of the biggest races to kick off Saturday’s events, bronze medals went to the 800 medley relay team of Wetjen, Steckly, junior Kellen Cockrell and Heitman. They finished in 1:34.74, breaking their own school record for the fourth time but more importantly, in head-to-head competition, finishing ahead of both Mediapolis and Des Moines.
A strong anchor by Heitman, after great legs by the other three, allowed Williamsburg to edge Mediapolis by .01 of a second for third place.
“That race really gave us momentum for the rest of the day: said Matthes. “It could've been the biggest race of the meet. I know it was huge for the team.”
Adam Arp brought his best performance of the season to the Blue Oval, placing sixth in the Wheelchair 100 in a personal best 24.42 seconds; Weisskopf collected another medal and PR in the discus, finishing seventh with a toss of 162-5; and despite not making the finals, Williamsburg's 1,600 relay team of Wetjen, senior Sam Rich, Cockrell and Heitman set a season-best of 3:27.46, finishing ninth.
“I'm not sure any one athlete has ever qualified in three field events before, let alone place first, second and seventh in those events,” said Matthes of Weisskopf. “It’s just incredible and those points were huge for our team.”
The meet all came down to the last two events. Williamsburg had to win the 4 x 1relay, which they did, and have Mediapolis, the defending champions with three of their four runners back, place no higher than third in the 4 x 4 relay or they couldn’t win. The Bulldogs got third, therefore, creating the tie.
“That provided some nervous moments for us, but we got some help from the other teams,” Matthes said. “Whew.”
“Our coaching staff is so proud of what this group accomplished this season, finishing runner-up in the tough WaMaC conference, winning the state qualifying meet, and then bringing home the state championship,” Matthes said. “This veteran group was so talented, but they also performed their best when they needed to, with 10 season bests out of 12 events at the state meet, including four school records. It was a special group of six seniors (Jake Buchholtz, Owen Douglas, Carson Huedepohl, Landon Jepson, Trey O'Neil, and Sam Rich) that finished with two state team trophies and possibly could have had a third if not for Covid ending the 2021 season early.”
Matthes noted Douglas finished the weekend with four top 2 medals and a total of eight in his career: three in the 100 (4th in 2020, 5th in 2021, 2nd in 2023) one in the 200 (1st in 2023), two in the 4 x 100 relay (1st in 2022, 1st in 2023) and two in the 4x200 (1st in 2022, 2nd in 2023),
“We have had a lot of amazing track and field athletes here at Williamsburg, and Owen ranks up there with the best of them,”: praised Matthes. “He always made it exciting to watch him compete.”
Carson Huedepohl was a part of three state championship relay teams in the past two years as well.
“It was a great experience this weekend that the kids, coaches, parents, and community will never forget,” summed up coach Matthes. “We have had many teams over the past 20 years that deserved to bring home a state team title, and I'm so proud this group broke through and finally did it.”
As good as the Raider boys were, they weren’t the only show in town . Numerous other individuals and relay teams from the Hometown Current coverage area also shined at state.
IOWA VALLEY
The Tigers medaled in six Class 1A events, led by their boys' sprint teams of seniors Clayten Kinzenbaw, Pierce Kienitz and Evan Kearney, and sophomore Caleb Haack.
That foursome finished third in the 800 and 400 meter relay races, and fourth in the 800 medley, running season-best times of 1:31.28 in the 800 and :43.37 in the 400.
Kearney also medaled in the 200 meter dash, finishing eighth in a personal record 22.58 seconds.
Sophomore Lydia Kriegel medaled for IV in both of her girls' field events, placing fifth in the discus with a throw of 114-fee 3-inches, and eighth in the shot with a personal record of 36-4 3/4.
Not medaling but running a season-best 3:39.12 was Iowa Valley's 4 x 800 meter boys' relay team of Jeffery Crawford, Karter Theissen, Taite Peach and Josh Read.
WILLIAMSBURG
The Raiders brought home medals in three girls' events at state in Class 2A, and finished among the top 10 in five relays.
Hardware went to the sixth-place distance medley relay team of sophomores Makenna Hughes and Ailea Wetjen, junior Shannon Finn and senior Macey Marovets; seventh-place 4 x 400 relay team of Hughes, senior Tayler Long, Finn and Marovets; and eighth-place 4 x 800 relay team of Long, senior April Phillips, sophomore Analise DeWitt and Marovets.
The distance medley and 4x8 teams ran season bests of 4:15.62 and 9:51.37.
Marovets didn't medal but set a PR in the 800 meter run, placing 13th in 2:22.5.
Williamsburg coach Nick Nordheim said the state meet times were so fast this season making it hard to medal. He noted it took 9:58 to get second in the 4x8 last year, and we run 9:51 and get eighth this year.
Nordheim felt his team had a great overall meet, saying "we were real close in a lot of things to placing higher. Having five relays in the top 10 really shows the depth of this team. I thought the girls competed hard and finished a fantastic season."
ENGLISH VALLEYS
Junior Kennedy Axmear was the big winner for the Bears, taking runner-up honors for the second straight year in the Class 1A girls' discus.
Axmear's best throw measured 131' 2", well short of Pekin freshman Anna Hadley who threw 134-10 to win it. A year ago, Axmear threw 129-10 to place second to Bishop-Garrigan's Audi Crooks at 131-5.
Sophomore Gage Heyne produced the highest finish at state for the EV boys, placing 12th in the 3,200 meter run in a personal record 10:11.29.
HLV
Warriors sophomore Ema Roberts medaled for the second year in a row in the Class 1A girls' high jump.
Roberts cleared a personal record 5-feet 4-inches to finish third. That height would have won last year's state meet when she went 5-1 to place fifth.
HLV's rising star didn't medal but set PRs in both the 200 and 400 meter dashes in 27.11 and 1:00.46.
Also not medaling but running a PR in the boys' 400 meters was Warriors junior Brody Sternhagen, who finished 11th in 51.85 seconds.
BELLE PLAINE
The Plainsmen boys medaled in three Class 1A events, led by the sixth-place 1,600 medley relay team of juniors Rhett Parrott and Connor Timm, and sophomores Lucas Eichhorn and Sam DeMeulenaere.
DeMeulenaere also medaled in the 800 meter run, placing eighth in a personal best 1:59.86, and sophomore Ty Alcott medaled in the high jump, setting a PR of 6-1 to also place eighth.
Following is a list of 2023 state meet results for the Hometown Current coverage area.
Williamsburg
Class 2A boys
High jump — State champion: Derek Weisskopf, 6-7 (ties PR); 10th: Trey O'Neil, 6-1.
200 — State champion: Owen Douglas, :22.17 (PR).
4 x 100 relay — State champions: Carson Huedepohl, Clayten Steckly, Braylon Wetjen, Owen Douglas, :42.70.
Shot put — State runner-up: Weisskopf, 55-5 3/4 (PR).
100 — State runner-up: Douglas, :10.91 (PR).
4 x 200 relay — State runner-up: Wetjen, Rayce Heitman, Huedepohl, Douglas, 1:29.48 (SB).
800 medley relay — 3rd: Wetjen, Steckly, Kellen Cockrell, Heitman, 1:34.74.
Wheelchair 100 — 6th: Adam Arp, :24.42 (PR).
Discus — 7th: Weisskopf, 162-5 (PR).
4 x 400 relay — 9th: Wetjen, Sam Rich, Cockrell, Heitman, 3:27.46 (SB).
400 low hurdles — 11th: O'Neil, :57.41.
4 x 800 relay — 19th: Calvin Seeman, Wes Hulseberg, Jake Buchholtz, Rich, 8:33.42.
Class 2A girls
Distance medley relay — 6th: Makenna Hughes, Ailea Wetjen, Shannon Finn, Macey Marovets, 4:15.62 (SB).
4 x 400 relay — 7th: Hughes, Tayler Long, Finn, Marovets, 4:06.04.
4 x 800 relay — 8th: Tayler Long, April Phillips, Analise DeWitt, Marovets, 9:51.37 (SB).
4 x 200 relay — 9th: Hughes, Shannon Finn, Long, Wetjen, 1:47.7.
Sprint medley relay — 9th: Hughes, Long, Wetjen, Finn, 1:52.95.
800 — 13th: Marovets, 2:22.25 (PR).
Discus — 15th: Thurm, 106-0.
4 x 100 relay — 22nd: Elizabeth Stohlmann, Long, Hughes, Wetjen, :52.97.
Shot put — 22nd: Elle Ridgeway, 32-4 3/4; 24th: Thurm, 30-5.
400 — 24th: Lily Andrews, 1:05.23.
IOWA VALLEY
Class 1A boys
4 x 200 relay — 3rd: Clayten Kinzenbaw, Pierce Kienitz, Caleb Haack, Evan Kearney, 1:31.28 (SB).
4 x 100 relay — 3rd: Kinzenbaw, Kienitz, Haack, Kearney, :43.68 (ran a SB :43.47 in prelims).
800 medley relay — 4th: Kinzenbaw, Kienitz, Haack, Kearney, 1:35.0.
200 — 8th: Kearney, :22.58 (PR).
100 — 21st: Kearney, :11.88.
4 x 400 relay — 21st: Jeffery Crawford, Karter Theissen, Taite Peach, Josh Read, 3:39.12 (SB).
400 — 22nd: Crawford, :53.24.
Class 1A girls
Discus — 5th: Lydia Kriegel, 114-3.
Shot put — 8th: Kriegel, 36-4 3/4 (PR).
ENGLISH VALLEYS
Class 1A girls
Discus — State runner-up: Kennedy Axmear, 131-4; 17th: Taylor Mikesell, 100-11.
100 — 18th: Kayli Mohror, :13.39.
Class 1A boys
3200 — 12th: Gage Heyne, 10:11.29 (PR).
4 x 800 relay — 15th: Jonathyn Downing, Cecil Smallwood, Myles Grove, Heyne, 8:35.41.
1600 — 22nd: Heyne, 4:48.11 (SB).
400 — DQ, Josh Osborn.
HLV
Class 1A girls
High jump — 3rd: Ema Roberts, 5-4 (PR).
400 — 12th: Roberts, 1:00.46 (PR).
200 — 13th: Roberts, :27.11 (PR).
Class 1A boys
400 — 14th: Brody Sternhagen, :51.85 (PR).
BELLE PLAINE
Class 1A boys
1600 medley relay — 6th: R. Parrott, Connor Timm, Louie Eichhorn, Sam DeMeulenaere, 3:40.65.
High jump — 8th: Alcott, 6-1 (PR).
110 high hurdles — 12th: Timm, 15.39 (PR).
800 — 8th: DeMeulenaere, 1:59.86 (PR);12th: Eichhorn, 2:01.74.
4 x 400 relay — 17th: Timm, Voukon, Eichhorn, DeMeulenaere, 3:34.4.
Shuttle hurdle relay — 18th: Alcott, Vokoun, DeMeulenaere, Timm, 1:04.5.
Discus — 18th: Riley Simmons, 125-11 (PR).
Long jump — 20th: Vokoun, 19-4 3/4 (PR).
Class 1A girls
400 hurdles — 12th: Alyssa Steinback, 1:08.98 (PR).
100 hurdles — DQ: Steinback.
