Well, the competition at the top anyway. When the Iowa Falls-Alden girls’ track and field team is in attendance, there’s a good chance second place is as good as it’s going to get in most events for every other team.

Iowa Falls-Alden could have taken its victory lap even before its own Cadet Relays began Monday evening, that’s how dominant the host was. IF-A won 11 events, took first- and second-place in five of the eight individual running events, and procured 23 medals in all en route to a whopping 233 points and a more than 100-point lead over is closest competitor.

Grundy Center wound up second with 130 points, followed by Webster City with 120. St. Edmond (108) and Eagle Grove (67) rounded out the five-team meet.

“They’re very, very deep,” WCHS head coach Clint Howard said of the Cadets. “Mid-distance, distance, they’ve got it all. It’s going to take a heck of an effort by anybody to beat them in the conference.”

Morgan Gallentine heaves the discus past the 100-foot mark at Monday’s Cadet Relays in Iowa Falls. She placed second. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

The rest of the North Central Conference will take its crack at IF-A on Thursday in Algona. But Howard suspects he already knows what will happen.

“I would consider them the favorite,” he said. “Humboldt may push them, but they’re good.”

WCHS picked up points and medals where it could, and was again led by jumpers and sprinters Zoey Woodle and Ashlyn Hay, who combined to claim four individual top-three finishes. They also made up half of the Lynx 4×100-meter relay, which picked up the team’s lone gold medal.

“Overall I thought we competed well,” Howard said. “We had seven or eight season’s bests or (personal records) and, as usual, Zoey and Ashlyn were solid. They set PRs in both of their open sprint races.”

Woodle was second in both the 100-meter dash (13.30 seconds) and 200 (27.58), while Hay was fourth in the 200 (28.42) and fifth in the 100 (13.62).

WCHS freshman Shelby Queen races down the backstretch on the anchor leg of the sprint medley relay at Monday’s Cadet Relays.DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Neither was particularly pleased with their long jump efforts, but they still both medaled. Hay was second (16 feet, 41⁄2 inches), while Woodle placed third (15-83⁄4).

“Ashlyn did foul a big jump and it would have been a PR, but I’m very confident they’ll bounce back and respond on Thursday,” Howard said.

Tatum Goings and Alayna Finucan joined Hay and Woodle to win the 4×100 (53.80).

WCHS piled up seven second-place finishes in all. Morgan Gallentine was the discus runner-up (100-9), while Lexi Nichols occupied the same spot in the high jump (4-6). Jesslyn Messerly was the silver medalist in the 100 hurdles (19.52) and anchored the shuttle hurdle relay (1:20.38) to second.

Goings, Finucan, Nichols and Gallentine teamed up to finish third in the 4×200 (2:02.32).

Thursday’s NCC meet at Algona High School will get underway with field events at 5 p.m.

Cadet Relays

Monday at Iowa Falls

Team Standings

1. Iowa Falls-Alden 233; 2. Grundy Center 130; 3. Webster City 120; 4. St. Edmond 108; 5. Eagle Grove 67.

Webster City Results

Discus — 2. Morgan Gallentine 100-9; 6. Hannah Brandt 82-6.

Shot Put — 6. Gallentine 29-5; 7. Brandt 28-0.

Long Jump — 2. Ashlyn Hay 16-41⁄2; 3. Zoey Woodle 15-83⁄4.

High Jump — 2. Lexi Nichols 4-6.

100 Meters — 2. Woodle 13.30; 5. Hay 13.62.

200 Meters — 2. Woodle 27.58; 4. Hay 28.42.

400 Meters — 4. Shelby Queen 1:13.34.

1,500 Meters — 5. Jacie Crutcher 5:52.64.

100 Hurdles — 2. Jesslyn Messerly 19.52; 6. Atlanta Hopp 20.33.

4×100 Relay — 1. Webster City 53.80 (Tatum Goings, Hay, Alayna Finucan, Woodle).

4×200 Relay — 3. Webster City 2:02.32 (Goings, Finucan, Nichols, Gallentine).

4×400 Relay — 4. Webster City 5:31.87 (Nichols, Emily Lovelace, Sierra Stubberud, Crutcher).

Shuttle Hurdle Relay — 2. Webster City 1:20.38 (Goings, Hopp, Kamryn Pruismann, Messerly).

Sprint Medley Relay — 4. Webster City 2:10.49 (Goings, Finucan, Pruismann, Queen).

Distance Medley Relay — 6. Webster City 5:22.50 (Pruismann, Gallentine, Lovelace, Crutcher).