Small school athletes on to state

WAYLAND — To say it was a busy Thursday night for the area’s small school track and field athletes would be a massive understatement.

The Union area spread across Southeast Iowa on Thursday to compete in the Class 1A and 2A state qualifying meets. The Majority of Union teams were at WACO High School for some Class 1A action.

In Wayland, it was the Pekin girls who shined, winning eight events on the day. The Columbus boys weren’t far behind, winning five.

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In Class 1A, only the winners were guaranteed spots at the state tournament, which runs from Thursday until Saturday in Des Moines. Plenty of at-large qualifiers, however, were announced over the weekend.

Pekin’s big day highlighted the team’s mid-to-long-distance runners. The Panthers swept the two long distance racers, as Chloe Glosser won the 1500, in 5:12.51, and Lauren Steigleder took the 3000 in 11:38.11.

Pekin’s 4X400 relay squad of Claire Roth, Audrey Fariss, Lexi Swearingen and Sabrina Reneker won in 4:15.48. The 4X800 quartet of Fariss, Alex Parsons, Roth and Brooke Miller took first, in 10:04.89.

Pekin’s distance medley group of Lilly Reneker, Sabrina Reneker, Miller and Fariss took first, crossing in 4:28.25.

The Panthers had three winners in the field. Anna Hadley was a double winner, taking the shot put with a throw of 40 feet, and the discus with a throw of 126-08 feet. Kayse Miller took the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 2 inches.

Also winning on the girls’ side was Winfield-Mount Union’s shuttle hurdle team of Josie Nelson, Keyreana Sharar, Tessa Huston and Keetyn Townsley, which crossed the tape in 1:09.90.

Highland’s Sarah Burton cruised to victory in the long jump. Her best leap was 17 feet, 7.5 inches.

On the boys’ side, Columbus showed its strength in the sprints and hurdles. Kaden Amigon was a double winner on the day in the sprints, taking the 100-meter dash in 11 seconds, and the 200-meter dash in 22.55 seconds.

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Triston Miller absolutely flew in the 110-meter high hurdles, crossing in a Class 1A-best 14.10 seconds. The 4X100 team of Jeff Hoback, Riley Kaalberg, Miller and Amigon won, in 43.24 seconds.

Also taking first for Columbus was the shuttle hurdle relay group of Kaalberg, Dante Zuniga, Alexander Rees and Miller, which finished in 1:01.52.

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WMU had four winners on the boys’ side. That included Gabriel Hemsworth’s 400-meter hurdles time of 55.50 seconds, and Cam Buffington’s winning long jump, of 21 feet, 7.5 inches.

Relay teams to win for WMU included the 4X400 team of Sheaden Adams, Hemsworth, Ty Scorpila nd Kohlby Newsom, which won in 3:33.41, and the sprint medley group of Caleb Giese, Abram Edwards, Buffington and Hemsworth, who crossed in 1:37.19.

New London’s Rylan Martin won the 800-meter run, finishing the race in 2:02.25. The distance medley team of Boden Pickle, London Frankie, Brigham Proter and Martin took first, in 3:40.97.

Kade Benjamin of New London and Miller of Columbus went at it in the high jump. Both cleared 6 feet, 6 inches, but Benjamin took first due to fewer jumps.

WACO’s 4x200 team of Braden Spain, Isaac Oswald, Mason Miller and Clayton Miller won, crossing in 1:33.45. Oleh Shtefanchuk won the disucs throw with a toff of 164 feet, 10 inches.

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Listed below are the at-large qualifiers in Class 1A, as well as the area’s Class 2A qualifying list, which is highlighted by another huge group from Mid-Prairie.

CLASS 1A AT-LARGE GIRLS

100D: Highland's Sarah Burton; Pekin's Lilly Renker

200D: Pekin's Lilly Reneker

100H: WMU's Keetyn Townsley

4X100: Highland's Lily Barre, Sarah Burton, Katelyn Waters and Mackenzie McFarland

4X200: Pekin's Lilly Reneker, Sabrina Reneker, Lauren Conklin and Audrey Fariss; Highland's Lilly Barre, Katelyn Waters, Sarah Burton and Mackenzie McFarland

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CLASS 1A AT-LARGE BOYS

100D: Columbus' Jeff Hoback, WMU's Cam Buffington, New London's Boden Pickle

200D: Columbus' Jeff Hoback

800: WMU's Kohlby Newsome

1600: NL's Rylan Martin; Pekin's Brady McWhirter

3200: Pekin's Brady McWhirter

110H: WACO's Simeon Reichenbach; Columbus' Alexander Rees

400H: Pekin's Jaedon Wolver

4X100 New London's Boden Pickle, London Franklin, Kade Benjamin and Brigham Porter; WMU's Caleb Giese, Cam Buffington, Eli Miller and Abram Edwards; WACO's Braden Spain, Isaac Oswald, Mason Miller and Simeon Reichenbach

DMR: WMU Lane Genkinger, Abram Edwards, Ty Scorpil and Kohlby Newsom

High jump: Columbus' Triston Miller; WACO's Louden Huisenga

Long jump: Columbus' Kaden Amigon 21-00.50; WACO's Simeon Reichenbach 20-10.50; Hillcrest's Owen Scott

Discus: Columbus' Russell Coil; WMU's Kai Malone

Shot: Columbus' Russell Coil

Shuttle: WACO's Isaac Oswald, Mason Miller, Louden Huisenga and Simeon Reichenbach

Sprint: Boden Pickle, London Franklin, Brigham Porter and Rylan Martin

2A GIRLS QUALIFIERS

100D: Mid-Prairie's Nevaeh Decker; Cardinal's Addison Adam

200D: Mid-Prairie's Tabitha Evans

400D: Mid-Prairie's Greta Sieren

800: Mid-Prairie's Danielle Hostetler; Mid-Prairie's Greta Sieren

1500: Mid-Prairie's Danielle Hostetler; Mid-Prairie's Abby Fleming

3000: Mid-Prairie's Danielle Hostetler; Mid-Prairie's Abby Fleming

Shuttle: Mid-Prairie's Amara Jones, Olivia Schlabach, Behla Schmidt and Sophie Miller

4X100: Mid-Prairie's Madeline Schrader, Amara Jones, Jovi Evans and Tabitha Evans; Cardinal's Brinlee Ostrander, Makenna Chickering, Ashlynn Patrick and Addison Adam

4X200: Mid-Prairie's Madeline Schrader, Amara Jones, Jovi Evans and Tabitha Evans

4X800: Annika Poll, Rebekah Willington, Kali Miller and Greta Sieren

Sprint: Mid-Prairie's Madeline Schrader, Nevaeh Decker, Jovi Evans and Tabitha Evans

High jump: Mid-Prairie's Ella Groenewold

Long jump: Mid-Prairie's Emma Lueck

DMR: Mid-Prairie's Madeline Schrader, Amara Jones, Jovi Evans and Danielle Hostetler

2A BOYS QUALIFIERS

100D: Cardinal's Isaac Lett

200D: Cardinal's Isaac Lett

400D: Van Buren County's Anthony Duncan

800: Mid-Prairie's Jayse Yoder

1600: Mid-Prairie's Jayse Yoder; Mid-Prairie's Blake Creed

3200: Mid-Prairie's Emmett Swartzentruber; Van Buren County's Lincoln Bainbridge

400H: Van Buren County's Anthony Duncan; Cardinal's Archer Metcalf

100 Wheelchair: Mid-Prairie's Jayden Stafford

200 Wheelchair: Mid-Prairie's Jayden Stafford

400 Wheelchair: Mid-Prairie's Jayden Stafford

800 Wheelchair: Mid-Prairie's Jayden Stafford

DMR: Cardinal's Isaac Lett, Montana Rupe, Archer Metcalf and Gavin Van Veen

High jump: Van Buren County's Tyler Stoltz

Long jump: Van Buren County's Wyatt Mertens; Mid-Prairie's Landon Sullivan and Mid-Prairie's Cain Brown

Discus: Cardinal's Alec Rachford

Shot put: Cardinal's Alec Rachford

Sprint: Cardinal's Bradly Snook, Montana Rupe, Isaac Lett and Archer Metcalf