Warriors win Class B team title

TIFFIN — Friday’s competition was a nice conference preview of what’s to come at the South Iowa Cedar League meet in May.

The English Valleys and HLV-TC girls track and field teams finished two points apart at the meet last season and battled it out for first in the Class B division at the Jane Astor Relays in Tiffin Friday night.

A late push propelled the Warriors over the Bears with a team score of 139 to the Bears’ 131 for the team title.

“It gives us a lot of hope for conference this year and really boosts our confidence,” HLV-TC senior Lily Randall said.

The Warriors won six events, highlighted by a slight improvement in their Class 1A third-ranked distance medley relay in a time of 4:27.44.

The Warriors were just shy of placing in the event at state last season.

“We have a good chance to be on the podium and place at state,” said Cooper. “I think our distance medley is really good.”

Other relays won by the Warriors were the sprint medley and the 4x400-meters.

“Our sprint medley has potential too.” Randall said.

The Warriors currently rank in the top five in 1A in all three events following the meet.

Ema Roberts cleared five feet, six inches in the high jump and is still atop the state in the event.

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English Valleys was led by three event titles from sophomore Ava Gehrking in the 100-meter, 200-meter and long jump.

Due to an injury coming into last season, this is Gehrking’s first go-around in the long jump since junior high. Her jump of 16 feet, two inches Friday ranks in the top 20 in 1A.

Gehrking’s on track to qualify for state in the event.

“A lot of practice has went into it with coaches,” Gehrking said.

Gehrking manages jumping duties while also being the Bears’ top sprinter, with ambitions to qualify for the Drake Relays.

“Time management is key during the meet,” said Gehrking. “I hope I can continue to improve my 100. I just have to power out more in my starts.”

Gehrking ran a season best 12.78 Friday.

The Bears won the 4x800 in 10:38.13 with the quartet of Aubrey and Addison Achenbach, Kaylynn Caster and Anna Luers to move them to fifth in 1A.

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Iowa Valley’s Lydia Kriegel improved her mark in the discus so far this season with a throw of 129 feet and nine inches.

The mark puts gives Kriegel some more cushion to punch a ticket to the Drake Relays in the event.

Kriegel set a personal best in the shot put with a throw of 38 feet, seven inches.

Kennedy Thiessen added a title for the Tigers in the 400 with a time of 1:05.69. Michaela Schachtlie was third in the 200 as the Tigers totaled 63 team points.

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Belle Plaine scored 46 points as a team.

The Plainsmen got a lot of contributions from freshman. Camella Walton and Annika Hultquist finished second and fourth in the long jump.

Reghan DeRycke threw a personal best in the shot put to place fifth for the Plainsmen.

In the larger school Class A division, Williamsburg bounced back in the sprint medley relay.

After a disqualification Tuesday, the Raiders brought the quartet and ran even faster then they would have Tuesday with a time of 1:49.53, which should punch a ticket to the Drake Relays.

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Lilly Ness placed fourth in the shot put with a throw of 35 feet and 11 inches.

Ness has improved already by over three feet from her personal best last season and sits 19th in 3A after Friday.

“She has spent a ton of time in the weight room,” throwers coach Dan Jessop said. “She took it super serious in the off-season and has a been a big benefit.”

But strength is not the only factor that goes into throws, technique is just as crucial.

“She’s really technical,” said Jessop. “She really wants to figure out how to do the pieces most effectively. She has a really great right-arm punch.”

The Raiders won the distance medley in 4:27.40, moving them into the top five in 3A.

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CLASS A

Team scores

1. Linn-Mar 141.5, 2. Mid-Prairie 96, 3. Solon 94, 4. Clear Creek Amana 87, 5. Mount Vernon 83, 6. Iowa City West 75.5, 7. Williamsburg 71, 8. Dubuque Hempstead 63, 9. Newton 24, 10. Clear Creek Amana JV 4

Event winners

100 — Jeorgia Evans (Mid-Prairie), 12.43

100 hurdles — Sophia Olivo (I.C. West), 15.71

200 — Jeorgia Evans (Mid-Prairie), 25.96

400 — Chloe Egbert (Linn-Mar), 1:01.09

400 hurdles — Jaylin Herring (CCA), 1:08.75

800 — Kate Van Waning (I.C. West), 2:25.61

1500 — Hailey Kozloski (Linn-Mar), 4:53.27

Sprint medley — Williamsburg (Hughes, Sanhez, Wetjen, Hocker), 1:49.53

3000 — Rachel Hostetler (Mid-Prairie), 11:00.29

4x100 — Linn-Mar, 48.97

Shuttle hurdle — Newton, 1:07.88

4x200 — Dubuque Hempstead, 1:45.89

4x400 — Mount Vernon, 4:02.21

4x800 — Mount Vernon, 9:29.19

Distance medley — Williamsburg (Skaggs, Nielsen, Spratt, Becker), 4:27.40

Discus — Libby Dix (Mount Vernon), 143—10

Shot put — Libby Dix (Mount Vernon), 39—05

High jump — Clare Lorenz (Linn-Mar), 5—02

Long jump — Abby Mecklenburg (Linn-Mar), 19—01

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Class B

Team scores

1. HLV-TC 139, 2. English Valleys 131, 3. Pekin 100, 4. North Linn 86, 5. Durant 85, 6. Iowa Valley 63, 7. Belle Plaine 46

Event winners

100 — Ava Gehrking (English Valleys), 12.78

100 hurdles — Reece Brisby (Pekin), 17.81

200 — Ava Gehrking (English Valleys), 26.70

400 — Kennedy Thiessen (Iowa Valley), 1:05.69

400 hurdles — Aaliyah Cooper (HLV-TC), 1:09.69

800 — Emery Hall (HLV-TC), 2:28.86

1500 — Chloe Glosser (Pekin), 4:47.35

Sprint medley — HLV-TC (Randall, Cooper, A. Hall, E. Hall), 1:55.75

3000 — Emily Sieren (English Valleys), 13:53.98

4x100 — Durant, 53.72

Shuttle hurdle — Pekin, 1:13.27

4x200 — Durant, 1:55.75

4x400 — HLV-TC (A. Hall, E. Hall, Cooper, Roberts), 4:14.91

4x800 — English Valleys (Au. Achenbach, Ad. Achenbach, Caster, Luers), 10:38.13

Distance medley — HLV-TC (Randall, A. Hall, Cooper, E. Hall), 4:27.44

Discus — Anna Hadley (Pekin), 141—08

Shot put — Anna Hadley (Pekin), 39—10

High jump — Ema Roberts (HLV-TC), 5—06

Long jump — Ava Gehrking (English Valleys), 16—02

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