Mid-Prairie, Fairfield climb to podium at Drake Relays

DES MOINES — Thursday at the Drake Relays track and field event- was a mixed bag for local athletes.

Mid-Prairie’s Cain Brown couldn’t match his 6-5 qualifying high jump but finished tied for fourth at 6-3. Ian Collins of Charles City won at 6-7.

Mid-Prairie’s Mitzi Evans ran the 400 in 57.54 seconds to place fourth, the area’s best individual finish after champion shot putter, Jadan Brumbaugh.

Evans also ran the 800 and was near the front of the pack for the first lap but hit a wall at 550 meters and finished 10th in 2:20.52. Danielle Hostetler ran the 1500 in 4:52.56 to place 10th in her freshman experience at the Relays.

The shuttle hurdle relay figured to be a showdown between the Panthers and the Trojans, but a run-in with the sixth hurdle on the third leg of the race doomed Mt. Pleasant to 15th with a 1 minute, 13.56 time.

Fairfield’s Anna Dunlap ran the first leg and gave the Trojans a nice lead by the time Kelsey Pacha ran the second leg. Brynley Allison cruised through her third position and Maya Lane brought it home in 1:08.39 to place seventh. It was nearly a second improvement on the 12th place qualifying time if 1:09.38.

Dunlop and Pacha ran the same heat in the 100 hurdles. Dunlap had the lead through seven hurdles but hit the 10th and teammate Kelsey Pacha clipped her at the finish, running a 15.63 to Dunlap’s 15.68. They were ninth and 10th overall.

Pacha broke Dunlap’s record in the race. “We will be going back-and-forth on that all season, and I think it makes us better,” Dunlop said. “It was really fun to spend the day up there with my friends and teammates. Going into it I didn’t know what to expect.”

Mt. Pleasant’s Kenna Lamm and Karsyn Lamm claimed the 31st and 32nd spots at 17.18 and 17.19 respectively.

Going into any meet, an athlete’s goal is to set a personal record. Not only did Pacha do that, she did in all four of the events she qualified in.

“It was a great experience,” Pacha said. “I didn’t even realize I had a PR in all four, it was lots of fun.”

Pacha had to long jump once (scratch), run the 100 hurdles, long jump (scratch), then there was “a little bit of pressure” on the third jump and she went 16-10½ to make the finals. “I felt rushed a little bit but you have to do what you have to do.” Her finals long jump improved to 17 feet, 1½ inches to place seventh.

The shuttle hurdle was a school record because “Maya and Brynley did awesome, we were really happy for them,” both Dunlop and Pacha said.

“It’s so good to be out there and competing against the best of the best and see what we can put out, and it turned out very good on our part,” Pacha said.

Shewaye Johnson was first place in the 3000 in 9 minutes 46.88 seconds where Mid-Prairie‘s Danielle Hostetler was seventh in 10:15.96.

In the 3200, Washington’s Lance Sobaski was 21st in 9:46.95. Mate Mueller of ADM won in 9:09.88.

Sophia Dykstra of Oskaloosa threw the discus 140 feet, 1 inch. Tori Boyse of Mid-Prairie finished 10th with 120-9 and Pekin’s Kerrigan Pope was 15th at 117-7.

Kody Husiman won the shot with a 58-7 put. New London’s Carter Allen had a 50-9½ inches for 14th, and Cooper Pullis of Mt. Pleasant was 17th with his best, 49-6¾.

Fairfield’s 400 meter relay team of Kiya Robertson, Pacha, Danielle Breen and Dunlop finished 23rd with a time of 51.265. Mid-Prairie 51.61 was 29th with Amber Swart, Alyssa McDowell, Maddie Edgington and Amara Jones. Mt. Pleasant was 43rd with Bailey Jalas, Karsyn Lamm, Josie Gilmore and Kenna Lamm on 52.72.

Washington did not have a good day. The Demons distance medley came in with the eighth fastest time, but they finished 17th in 3:43.32. Ethan Patterson ran lead to Jacob Miller for the 200 legs then Elijah Morris ran 400 and Sobaski 800. Morris then had to run the 400 open which was the next race after the medley with the girls 400 in between. Morris made it two-thirds of the way around and fell on the far turn then laid on the track for a bit until he was assisted away.

Allen was able to make the finals of the discus but only two of his six throws were legal, his best being 157-1 for ninth place.