Big Saturday leads Trojan girls to 20-point weekend

DES MOINES — Every Fairfield track and field fan knew it would be a busy Saturday for the Trojan girls’ track and field team. The Trojans made four finals on the final day of the 2021 state meet, and they were determined to make the most of them.

The Trojans scooped up 20 team points, all coming on Saturday, and all featuring junior speedster Anna Dunlap.

“I’m so excited,” Dunlap said. “We never really talked about numbers, but I think everyone’s going to be excited about that.”

Nearly half came in the 100-meter hurdle finals. Anna Dunlap finished third, crossing in 15.60 seconds, and Kelsey Pacha came in sixth, crossing in 15.88 seconds. That earned Fairfield nine total points as a team.

The Trojans scooped up six more points with a third-place finish in the shuttle hurdle relay. The squad of Dunlap, Maya Lane, Brynley Allison and Pacha finished in 1:07.35.

“Our shuttle season was so great, because we had so much fun together,” Pacha said.

The Trojan shuttle hurdle team raced side-by-side with rival Mt. Pleasant. The Panthers’ squad, featuring Kenna Lamm, Jenna Gilmore, Josie Gilmore and Karsyn Lamm, finished eighth, in 1:08.75.

“I like racing against Mt. Pleasant, because we’re good friends with them, and I think it makes us better,” Dunlap said. “We play a lot of sports against them, and they’re always telling us ’good job.’”

Dunlap finished fifth in the 100-meter dash, getting to the finish line in 12.89 seconds. The Trojans’ 4x100-meter relay squad of Dunlap, Maya Lane, Brynley Allison and Pacha finished eighth, in 50.88 seconds.

Fairfield is a largely junior-led squad, meaning the Trojans will have lots of talent coming back in 2022.

“We’re definitely going to put a lot of work in and get better for next year,” said Allison. “A state championship would be great.”