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Nerland owns the throws; WCHS fourth overall in team race at Carroll Coed

Senior puts herselft in good position to qualify for Drake Relays

WCHS senior Cassidy Nerland opens up the girls’ shot put competition at Tuesday’s Carroll Coed Relays in Jefferson. She won the event and went on to take discus gold as well. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

JEFFERSON — Cassidy Nerland needed just one throw to bury the shot put field at Tuesday’s Carroll Coed Relays. But the Webster City senior took her other three throws anyway, and buried the field with those, too.

A confident and consistent Nerland? Look out.

A state-meet mainstay in the throws throughout her prep career, Nerland was in a class by herself in both the shot put and discus, as she went home with a pair of gold medals.

Nerland’s first toss in the shot cleared 38 feet, easily good enough to win. She had two more throws in the same range and topped out at 39-2, more than a three-foot gap on her closest competitor.

“(Tuesday night) was excellent for her,” WCHS head coach Clint Howard said. “She had probably one of the best series in the shot put in terms of consistency in her four years.”

Lexi Nichols (left) and Makena Keller work the exchange during the 4x200-meter relay at Tuesday’s Carroll Coed Relays in Jefferson. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

After a shaky opener in the discus last Thursday, Nerland found her rhythm Tuesday and had a top heave of 122-3. The next-best throw was more than 16 feet behind.

“The discus was night and day from last Thursday and that’s because we had the chance to get outside and throw Monday night,” Howard said.

Nerland put herself on solid footing with regards to qualifying for the Drake Relays later this month. She currently sits ninth in the state in the shot put and 10th in the discus.

“Both marks are pretty solid for Drake qualification, but we’d obviously like to move them up to make sure,” Howard said. “I think she can make a jump up here in the next couple of meets.”

Nerland’s victories, couples with gold-medal efforts from Haley Flaws in the 100-meter dash and the 4×100 relay helped to propel WCHS into fourth place in the team standings.

Jesslyn Messerly navigates her way over the final barrier during the 100-meter hurdles on Tuesday in Jefferson. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

It was a four-way battle all night for the team title. IKM-Manning got the nod with 116 points, followed by Greene County with 110, Carroll with 104 and WCHS with 101. Woodward-Granger was another zip code away in fifth with 45.

“To score 101 points with 16 girls, that’s pretty good in my book,” Howard said. “Overall (the girls) performed really well again. The field events were really strong for us, as were the sprints and sprint relays.”

For the second straight meet, Flaws left no doubt in the 100 (12.98 seconds), as she coasted to victory. She was the only sprinter to cross in under 13 seconds

Flaws also anchored the 4×100 (52.72) to gold alongside Marisa Garrels, Zoey Woodle and Ashlyn Hay, and shared second in the high jump (4-10) with teammate Lexi Nichols. They trailed only former Drake Relays and state champion Megan Durbin of Greene County.

Flaws added a third-place finish in the 200 (27.70). Hay, a newcomer this season to the long jump, was third as well (15-01⁄2).

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

“She’s long-jumped two meets in her life, so she had a great night,” Howard said of Hay. “She was sick on Monday and we weren’t even sure she was going to be there.”

Hay, Nichols and Woodle ran the final three legs of the runner-up 4×200 (1:57.02). Makena Keller opened up for the quartet.

WCHS will be back at it this evening at a meet in Perry.

Carroll Coed Relays

Tuesday at Jefferson

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Team Standings

1. IKM-Manning 116; 2. Greene County 110; 3. Carroll 104; 4. Webster City 101; 5. Woodward-Granger 45; 6. Perry 43; 7. Roland-Story 38; 8. Audubon 32.

Webster City Results

High Jump — T2. Haley Flaws 4-10; T2. Lexi Nichols 4-10.

Long Jump — 3. Ashlyn Hay 15-01⁄2; 4. Zoey Woodle 14-111⁄2.

Shot Put — 1. Cassidy Nerland 39-2; 14. Allison Carr 26-0.

Discus — 1. Nerland 122-3; 16. Carr 54-5.

100 Meters — 1. Flaws 12.98; 5. Marisa Garrels 13.83.

200 Meters — 3. Flaws 27.70; 5. Woodle 28.38.

400 Meters — 6. Grace Hoversten 1:08.86; 15. Hannah Doolittle 1:29.56.

800 Meters — 4. Stacey Meyer 2:46.93.

1,500 Meters — 9. Kaelyn Butz 6:14.29.

100 Hurdles — 9. Kriston Grisham 19.62; 12. Jesslyn Messerly 20.75.

4×100 Relay — 1. Webster City 52.72 (Garrels, Woodle, Hay, Flaws).

4×200 Relay — 2. Webster City 1:57.02 (Makena Keller, Hay, Nichols, Woodle).

4×400 Relay — 4. Webster City 4:40.22 (Nichols, Hoversten, Grisham, Meyer).

Sprint Medley Relay — 6. Webster City 2:05.73 (Garrels, Keller, Hoversten, Butz).

Distance Medley Relay — 4. Webster City 4:51.11 (Grisham, Keller, Butz, Meyer).

Shuttle Hurdle Relay — 5. Webster City 1:23.68 (Grisham, Nichols, Messerly, Tatum Goings).

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