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Champions retain SEC track crown
Mt. Pleasant girls, Washington boys crowed at 2023 conference meet
WASHINGTON — It was a night of fast times, all-time records and titles defended on Thursday, as the Southeast Conference schools gathered at Case Field in Washington for the 2023 conference meet.
The defending champion Mt. Pleasant girls and two-time defending champion Washington boys had rival schools on their heels, but when the dust settled, neither title changed hands.
Coach Steve Roth and the Washington boys made it three-in-a-row as the Demons ran away with 174 points, besting second-place Mt. Pleasant’s 148. On the other end, the Panther girls have now won 11 out of the last 12 titles, after the Panthers scored 174 points. The Demon girls were close behind with 159.
The boys’ race was hotly contested coming into the night, as Washington and Mt. Pleasant had been neck-and-neck in the weeks prior. The Demons won seven events to hold off the Panthers.
The boys’ event was highlighted by two SEC meet records, including the fastest 200-meter dash that has ever been recorded in conference championship history, and it was between two of the conference’s best sprinters in recent memory.
Washington’s Elijah Morris dashed to the line in 21.57 seconds, a time that beat Monty Unkrich’s 1978 record of 21.70 seconds. Morris bested Mt. Pleasant’s Will Davidson, who nearly broke the record himself, with a time of 21.71 seconds.
Morris was also a winner in the 400-meter dash, which he took in 51.53 seconds. The sprint medley team of Ethan Patterson, Aidan Ulin, Alec Union and Morris won as well, crossing in 1:37.80.
The Demons won a few distance events as well. Micah Rees was a double winner on the day, taking the 1600-meter run in 4:43.51, and the 3200-meter run in 10:24.39. The 4X800 team of Drew Horak, Logan McDole, Andrew Rees and Micah Rees won in 8:36.28.
The Demons had one win in the field, as Brayden Hartman launched the discus 158 feet, 7 inches.
After the meet, Roth talked about a special night for his senior class, which never lost an SEC meet.
“They didn't get to run as freshmen, because of COVID,” Roth said. “To have them for three years and to win conference championships for three years, is icing on the cake.”
Roth also gave credit to the rival Panthers for pushing his group.
“I've watched (Coach) Mitch (Anderson) grow up and he does a great job with Mt. Pleasant,” Roth said. “They were coming. It had me very, very concerned.”
The Panther boys had two wins out of Davidson, including a new SEC meet record in the 110-meter high hurdles. Davidson crossed the line in 14.43 seconds, beating former Panther Jacob Rohde’s 2006 mark of 14.44 seconds.
Davidson’s other win came in the 100-meter dash, where he finished in 11 seconds flat.
The Panthers had a win in the 4X400 relay, as the team of Jacob Richtman, Gabe Feldmann, Tyler Johnson and Mason Sloat crossed in 3:33.72.
In the field, Mt. Pleasant’s Avin Truong lept 21 feet 10 inches in the long jump to win a conference title. Isaac Jerrel won the shot put, throwing it 52 feet, 4 inches.
Fairfield had one winner on the boys’ side, as Ryan Giberson reigned in the high jump, clearing 6 feet even.
The ending of the girls’ team race was a bit controversial, as a scoring effort had Mt. Pleasant and Washington in a dead even tie with just the 4X400 to go. Although the correct scoring had the Panthers clinching the championship earlier in the night, nobody knew it until the race was over.
The Panthers’ 4X400 squad of Natalie Freeman, Mica Carter, Alexis Wagner and Elsie Lange finished in 4:20.14, just ahead of the Demons, which at the time, seemingly won the Panthers the crown in exciting fashion.
“I think they used the wrong scoring, but it made it exciting at the end,” Mt. Pleasant girls coach Scot Lamm said. “In the last race, Elsie Lange was not going to let that slip away.”
Lamm talked about how tough it was for Mt. Pleasant to lose the SEC title to Fairfield in 2021, ending a long winning streak in the process, and how nice it was to survive a scare from the hosting Demons.
“That’s all we talk about,” Lamm said. “We want to bring the title back, and defend the title when we’ve got it.”
Other relay wins for Mt. Pleasant included the sprint medley quartet of Bailey Jalas, Tristian Shull, Courtney Raub and Andi Scott, who won in 1:54.69. The distance medley group of Olivia McCormick, Alex Scott, Carter and Abby Carthey won in 4:35.98.
Andi Scott won the 400-meter dash, finishing in 1:10.79. In the field, Lange won the long jump with a leap of 16 feet, 1.5 inches, and Ava English took the shot put title with a throw of 36 feet, 10.50 inches.
Washington racked up four of wins on the track, including two from Iris Dahl. Dahl took the 800-meter run in 2:30.15, and then won the 1500, in 5:05.95.
Leighton Messinger took the 110-meter hurdles, in 16.13 seconds. Lauren Horak, Kendall Hinrichsen, Grace Voss and Abigail Kleese were victorious in the 4X800, finishin gin 10:23.37.
Voss also took home a conference high jump championship. She cleared 5 feet even, and beat out teammate Messinger by clearing in fewer jumps.
A long Mt. Pleasant girls shuttle hurdle streak was ended by the Fairfield Trojans. The Trojan girls’ quartet of Maya Lane, Lilly Bergren, Hayley Reinier and Isabel McCready won the shuttle hurdle race with a time of 1:11.60.
Also winning for the Fairfield girls was Elyse Setterstorm, who brought home a discus throw championship. Setterstorm launched the discus 108 feet, 11 inches.
BOYS’ TEAM SCORES
1. Washington 174
2. Mt. Pleasant 148
3. Burlington 100
4. Fort Madison 81
5. Fairfield 54
6. Keokuk 25
GIRLS’ TEAM SCORES
1. Mt. Pleasant 174
2. Washington 159
3. Fairfield 88
4. Fort Madison 76
5. Burlington 64
6. Keokuk 21
