Columbus shines at Indoor Championship

AMES — Southeast Iowa was well-represented in the 2023 Iowa High School Boys Indoor Track Championships in Ames this weekend. Not only did a handful of area teams finish in the Top-10, but one brought home a championship.

The Columbus Wildcats started the month of March off with a bang, scoring 80 points to win the Class 1A title by 27.

The Columbus Wildcat boys track and field team poses after winning the Class 1A championship at the state indoor meet in Ames over the weekend. (Submitted photo)

The Wildcats shredded the field in the jumps and sprints, ending the weekend with four first-place finishes and seven Top-3 finishes overall.

Columbus was led by Triston Miller, who won two events and appeared in a winning relay team, which ended up earning him Class 1A’s MVP award.

Miller and Kaden Amigon swept the Class 1A jump competitions for the Wildcats. Miller won the high jump with a leap of 6-foot, 6-inches, and Amigon took the long jump with a leap of 20-foot, 5.5 inches.

Columbus’ Triston Miller poses with his plaque after winning the Class 1A MVP award at the 2023 state indoor track and field meet in Ames. (Submitted photo)

Miller also won the 60-meter hurdle competition. He crossed the tape in 8.05 seconds to win that one, and he saved some of that speed for the 4x100 relay, as a team of Jeff Hoback, Riley Kaalberg, Miller and Amigon took first in 43.36 seconds.

That wasn’t Columbus’ only Top-3 relay team on the day. The 4X800 team of Tyler Humiston, Cole Storm, Cael Phillips and Damian Vergara took second, in 8:59.71.

The Wildcats had two finishers in the Top-3 in the 60-meter dash. Amigon finished second, in 7.06 seconds. Hoback was right behind him in third, with a final time of 7.11 seconds.

The Washington boys took third in the Class 3A competition with 43 points, thanks in part to a huge day from Elijah Morris, who was named Outstanding Athlete in Class 3A.

Morris took first in the 400-meter dash, crossing the tape in 48.59 seconds. He was also third in the 60-meter dash, getting to the tape in 7.02 seconds.

Washington’s other winner on the day was Brayden Hartman, who took the shot put competition in 53-10.50 seconds.

The 4x400 relay team of Alec Ulin, Logan McDole, Cameron Vongpanya and Elijah Morris crossed the finish line in 3:30.88 to secure second place. The shuttle hurdle squad of Mason Morgan, James Strabala, Aidan Ulin and Austin Rebling finished third, in 35.50 seconds.

Mt. Pleasant was a few spots back of Washington in the Class 3A standings. The Panthers scored 30 points, which placed them in ninth.

Mt. Pleasant’s Avin Troung won the long jump competition, leaping 21-00.50 to take first place. That was the Panthers’ only first-place of the day, but they did have two second-places.

Will Davidson had both silvers for the Panthers. Not only was he second to Truong in the long jump, leaping 20-06.75, but he finished second in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the tape in 8.25 seconds.

Finishing Top-5 for Mt. Pleasant was Isaac Jerrel, who threw the shot put 48-05.75, for first place.

Mid-Prairie scored 24 points on the day, which tied them for seventh in Class 2A. The Golden Hawks had two Top-3 finishes to push them into the Top-10.

The Mid-Prairie distance medley team of Landon Sullivan, Gentry Bontrager, Kaden Meeder and Jayse Yoder finished second on the day. They crossed the tape in 3:49.55. Cain Brown finished third in the high jump with a leap of 6-05.

One other area Top-3 finish came in the 3200 meter, as Pekin’s Brady McWhirter made his mark in the distance events. McWhirter took second in the Class 1A race, finishing in 10:24.98.

1A TOP 10

1. Columbus 80

2. Lisbon 53

3. Madrid 38

4. ACGC 36

5. West Hancock 29

6. Earlham 28

7. Woodbine 27

7. Riverside Oakland 27

9. St. Edmond 26

10. BCLUW 25

2A TOP 10