GILBERT – With the rain pelting her in the face with each and every attempt, Hannah Myers knew competing in the high jump was going to be as much mental as it was physical last night.

Would she slip? Would her approach be too slow? Would everyone else struggle too?

Those were the types of questions – perhaps even doubts – that were swimming in her head between her jumps. But in the end, on her final jump, the Webster City senior’s mental toughness shined.

Myers was the only entrant to clear 5 feet, and she did it on her last of three attempts, at the rain-drenched Class 3A State Qualifying Meet. A quick scream of celebration cemented her entrance into next week’s state meet, and she was still beaming in the minutes after.

“On a day like this it’s either everyone is on or everyone is off, so I’m pretty pumped right now,” Myers said. “For me it was a little more mental (than physical) and I just needed to get out of my own head. I think I got out of my head at the end … I figured if it was going to be my last jump I was just going to go for it and I did.”

The rain poured down prior to the start of the meet and only let up several times throughout the night. It just added to the nerves of all of the athletes.

Myers was just one piece of Webster City’s assault from all angles during the field events. Carrie Gerdes and Cassidy Nerland added to the Lynx 4-for-4 performance – four field events, four state berths.

A still banged up Allie Flaws – a two-time state medal winner – ensured her place in next week’s field in the 100-meter dash by placing second (13.49).

The top two finishers in each event automatically qualified. Everyone else will have to wait until later today to find out if they earned one of eight wildcard slots in each of the events.

Gerdes, now a three-time state qualifier in the long jump and the 2012 3A state runner-up, popped her best leap of the season – 16 feet, 61?2 inches – to climb the leaderboard and get into the runner-up position.

Despite being a rookie, Nerland looked anything but afraid in the throwing events. Starting in the shot put, she uncorked a personal-best toss of 40 feet, 51?2 inches on her second throw of the preliminary round and it held up for second. She added anther throw of more than 40 feet in the finals.

Going straight from the shot put ring to the discus ring – and a throwing field that was nothing but mud by the time the event started – Nerland took the lead after the prelims and wound up in second to punch another state ticket with a heave of 102 feet, 10 inches.

The state meet is scheduled for next Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Des Moines.