Lynx boys among the favorites at 3A qualifier
WCHS?seeded No. 1 in four events; Hay and Woodle in long jump lead girls team
WCHS freshman J.J. Moore competes in the shot put in Gowrie last month. He’s one of 10 Lynx individuals or relays seeded in the top three in today’s Class 3A State Qualifying Meet in Charles City. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
WEBSTER CITY — The name — Class 3A State Qualifying Meet — speaks for itself, the goals pretty self-explanatory.
Pushing as many individuals and relays through to next week’s state meet will be at the top of the wish list of all eight teams at today’s state qualifier that will begin at 4 p.m. at Charles City High School.
But Webster City boys’ head coach Chad Hisler has even loftier goals. He’s watched his team shine all season and he knows what his athletes are capable of. So why stop at individual goals?
“We’re not just unloading in certain events,” he said. “We’re running as good a meet as we can because we think we have a shot to win the meet. The kids have prepared and worked hard … we’ve had a great year and I expect that to continue at the State Qualifying Meet.”
Also in the field will be Algona, Charles City, Clear Lake, Decorah, Hampton-Dumont, Iowa Falls-Alden and Waverly-Shell Rock.
Lincoln LaSourd (left) and Garrett Whitmore (right) will both compete in four events for Webster City at today’s Class 3A State Qualifying Meet in Charles City. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
A top-two finish in an event guarantees advancement to Drake Stadium next week. The top eight performances across the state from the pool of non-automatic qualifiers will also earn berths. The wildcard entrants will be released on Friday.
WCHS boasts four No. 1 seeds in the state qualifier and has 10 individuals and relays the are among the top three.
Garrett Whitmore, a junior, is one of the more versatile performers in the lineup and is expected to play a big role this evening. He leads the field in the 400-meter low hurdles — his fastest time of 55.27 seconds ranks fifth in 3A — and runs on the Lynx top-seeded 4×200 relay. Whitmore will also be in the 4×100 where WCHS is seeded second.
Lincoln LaSourd, Carson Struchen and Trey Mathis will join Whitmore on both sprint relays. WCHS sits 11th in the state in the 4×200.
“Our relays are sitting with great chances to go,” Hisler said.
Webster City sophomore Lexi Nichols clears the high jump bar at the Bengal Relays in Gilbert earlier this season. Nichols is the No. 3 seed in the Class 3A state qualifier in Charles City, which will get underway today with the field events at 4 p.m. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
Hisler throws his 4×800 quartet of John Piaszynski, Alex Hooker, Tucker Judkins and Max Harfst into that group as well. WCHS has the fastest time in the state qualifier field by seven seconds.
The Lynx shuttle hurdle relay — Kaiyu Levongkhom, Kasey Porter, Malachi Montes and Mathis — should also be in contention. That group is seeded second.
Harfst will be the favorite in the open 800, as he’s one of 12 runners in 3A to run under two minutes this season. But he’ll be pushed by Waverly-Shell Rock’s Sam Kepford, who has a time that is less than a second behind Harfst.
LaSourd and Whitmore will both compete in the 100, and although neither is seeded among the top three Hisler thinks they have the potential to be surprises.
“The 100 is hard if you look just at times,” he said. “Kids (LaSourd and Whitmore) have beaten head-to-head many times this year may have faster times at other meets, but you don’t know what the wind was like and things like that. So I think both have legitimate chances in the 100.”
LaSourd is the No. 3 seed in the 200, as is freshman J.J. Moore in the shot put.
GIRLS
WCHS girls’ head coach Clint Howard is well aware that his squad is entering a stacked state qualifier loaded with some of the state’s premier sprinters, hurdlers and middle-distance runners.
In other words, earning bids to state will not be easy.
The Lynx look to be on solid footing in the long jump with standouts Ashlyn Hay and Zoey Woodle, and high jumper Lexi Nichols is the No. 3 seed in the high jump, but the team will be sizable underdogs to push through in the 17 other events.
“Decorah is very fast coming in, Charles City is fast coming in, and then there’s (North Central Conference champion and runner-up) Algona and Iowa Falls-Alden,” Howard said. “It’s just a very competitive state qualifier.”
Hay enters as the top seed in the long jump. Her top leap of the season — 17 feet, 11⁄2 inches — is fifth in the class. Woodle is the No. 3 seed.
“The long jump is definitely a good opportunity for both girls,” Howard said. “Both are very capable of jumping distances that will qualify them, but nothing is guaranteed and they have to perform.”
With such a young squad, Howard knows it will be tough once WCHS hits the track.
“It’s a little different than it’s been in the past when we’ve gone in with top seed times and that’s a different kind of pressure,” he said. “Now we have an opportunity to let it go and compete and let the chips fall. It will be good competition and good experience for us.”
Class 3A State Qualifying Meet Preview
Thursday at Charles City
Competing Teams
Algona, Charles City, Clear Lake, Decorah, Hampton-Dumont, Iowa Falls-Alden, Waverly-Shell Rock, Webster City.
Leaders Entering Thursday
GIRLS
(Top 2 finishers qualify automatically)
Long Jump — 1. Ashlyn Hay (WC) 17-11⁄2; 2. Sydney Hoover (ALG) 16-11; 3. Liz Fiser (CC) 16-8.
High Jump — 1. Reagan Dahlquist (W-SR) 5-61⁄4; 2. Dionna VanGorkem (ALG) 5-0; 3. Lexi Nichols (WC) 4-101⁄4.
Shot Put — 1. Calgary Kuker (IF-A) 36-33⁄4; 2. Aanaiya Weston (DEC) 36-1; 3. Haley Shaw (W-SR) 35-11.
Discus — 1. Carly Stevenson (CC) 123-2; 2. Kameryn Etherington (ALG) 113-3; 3. Paige Springer (H-D) 111-4.
100 Meters — Fiona Buresh (DEC) 12.48; 2. Rose Gullekson (DEC) 12.67; 3. Brooke Berns (DEC) 12.73.
200 Meters — 1. Brooke Berns (DEC) 25.77; 2. Rose Gullekson (DEC) 26.83; 3. Sydney Hoover (ALG) 27.26.
400 Meters — 1. Brooke Berns (DEC) 58.46; 2. Grace Juhl (IF-A) 1:01.62; 3. Maddy Juhl (IF-A) 1:01.88.
800 Meters — 1. Grace Juhl (IF-A) 2:22.21; 2. Ellie Meyer (IF-A) 2:24.28; 3. Maddy Juhl (IF-A) 2:24.79.
1,500 Meters — 1. Ellie Meyer (IF-A) 5:01.37; 2. Emma Hoins (W-SR) 5:01.71; 3. Maddy Juhl (IF-A) 5:04.56.
3,000 Meters — 1. Ellie Meyer (IF-A) 10:40.47; 2. Grace Juhl (IF-A) 10:43.53; 3. Kiki Connell (CC) 10:55.07.
100 Hurdles — 1. Britney Young (W-SR) 16.14; 2. Abbey Holmes (ALG) 16.15; 3. Grace Syverson (DEC) 16.48.
400 Hurdles — 1. Ambira Pipho (DEC) 1:10.65; 2. Maddy Juhl (IF-A) 1:11.65; 3. Laura Bates (W-SR) 1:12.02.
4×100 Relay — 1. Decorah 50.36; 2. Charles City 51.88; 3. Algona 52.05.
4×200 Relay — 1. Decorah 1:48.92; 2. Algona 1:50.40; 3. Waverly-Shell Rock 1:52.03.
4×400 Relay — 1. Iowa Falls-Alden 4:11.59; 2. Decorah 4:16.54; 3. Algona 4:19.91.
4×800 Relay — 1. Iowa Falls-Alden 9:18.59; 2. Charles City 10:05.15; 3. Decorah 10:22.25.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay — 1. Waverly-Shell Rock 1:08.32; 2. Algona 1:08.57; 3. Decorah 1:09.72.
Sprint Medley Relay — 1. Decorah 1:50.85; 2. Waverly-Shell Rock 1:55.85; 3. Iowa Falls-Alden 1:56.70.
Distance Medley Relay — 1. Iowa Falls-Alden 4:27.97; 2. Decorah 4:31.56; 3. Waverly-Shell Rock 4:33.20.
BOYS
Long Jump — 1. Ryan Zuspan (CC) 20-111⁄2; 2. Karson Sharar (IF-A) 20-5; 3. Jorge Rivera (CL) 19-103⁄4.
High Jump — 1. Ian Collins (CC) 6-6; 2. Keaton Solberg (DEC) 6-2; 3. Bradley Andrews (CC) 6-2.
Shot Put — 1. Mosai Newsom (W-SR) 54-6; 2. Logan Halverson (DEC) 50-91⁄2; 3. J.J. Moore (WC) 49-8.
Discus — 1. Mosai Newsom (W-SR) 178-11; 2. Andrew Hamilton (ALG) 145-10; 3. Caleb Siech (W-SR) 144-11.
100 Meters — 1. Samonte Bawden (ALG) 10.78; 2. Wyatt Wegener (ALG) 11.10; 3. Skyler Groen (ALG) 11.18.
200 Meters — 1. Samonte Bawden (ALG) 22.00; 2. Wyatt Wegener (ALG) 22.66; 3. Lincoln LaSourd (WC) 22.93.
400 Meters — 1. Jagger Schmitt (CL) 51.97; 2. Justin Wright (CL) 52.44; 3. Andrew Schwab (S-SR) 52.67.
800 Meters — 1. Max Harfst (WC) 1:59.94; 2. Sam Kepford (W-SR) 2:00.50; 3. Trey Engen (ALG) 2:02.76.
1,600 Meters — 1. Trey Engen (ALG) 4:25.18; 2. Sam Kepford (W-SR) 4:33.14; 3. Gus Hayes (DEC) 4:34.02.
3,200 Meters — 1. Gus Hayes (DEC) 10:00.72; 2. Brady Hogan (DEC) 10:10.30; 3. Trey Engen (ALG) 10:15.16.
110 High Hurdles — 1. Riley Fint (H-D) 15.20; 2. Drew Enke (CL) 15.26; 3. Andrew Magner (DEC) 15.42.
400 Low Hurdles — 1. Garrett Whitmore (WC) 55.27; 2.Drew Enke (CL) 56.85; 3. Kasey Porter (WC) 59.34.
4×100 Relay — 1. Algona 44.26; 2. Webster City 44.59; 3. Clear Lake 44.67.
4×200 Relay — 1. Webster City 1:33.13; 2. Clear Lake 1:33.71; 3. Decorah 1:34.25.
4×400 Relay — 1. Hampton-Dumont 3:32.95; 2. Charles City 3:33.10; 3. Clear Lake 3:35.28.
4×800 Relay — 1. Webster City 8:20.62; 2. Waverly-Shell Rock 8:27.16; 3. Charles City 8:33.21.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay — 1. Hampton-Dumont 1:01.81; 2. Webster City 1:04.00; 3. Iowa Falls-Alden 1:04.27.
Sprint Medley Relay — 1. Algona 1:34.59; 2. Clear Lake 1:36.92; 3. Decorah 1:37.97.
Distance Medley Relay — 1. Algona 3:31.32; 2. Clear Lake 3:40.77; 3. Webster City 3:43.35.
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- WCHS freshman J.J. Moore competes in the shot put in Gowrie last month. He’s one of 10 Lynx individuals or relays seeded in the top three in today’s Class 3A State Qualifying Meet in Charles City. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- Lincoln LaSourd (left) and Garrett Whitmore (right) will both compete in four events for Webster City at today’s Class 3A State Qualifying Meet in Charles City. DFJ photo/Troy Banning
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- Webster City sophomore Lexi Nichols clears the high jump bar at the Bengal Relays in Gilbert earlier this season. Nichols is the No. 3 seed in the Class 3A state qualifier in Charles City, which will get underway today with the field events at 4 p.m. DFJ photo/Troy Banning