Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Tyler Linderbaum has a future in college football.

Linderbaum wants to play baseball for Solon this summer before joining the Iowa football program and still has goals of adding a state shot put title next month.

Mostly, Linderbaum just wants to compete, constantly, every day in whatever he can.

That opportunity to compete is what Linderbaum enjoys most about the Drake Relays and that competition brought out the best in the Solon senior on Friday.

Linderbaum finished third in the shot put with a career-best toss of 57-1 ½ in his final Drake Relays performance at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“I love competing and that’s what I love about this meet,” Linderbaum said. “When I know that I have to perform at my best it brings out the competitor in me.”

Linderbaum was at his best on Friday.

Four of his six attempts were longer than 55-3 and he twice bested his previous career-long of 55-11.

“I didn’t really have any goals but I wanted to be more consistent, I wanted to throw well and I wanted to PR,” Linderbaum said. “I didn’t have a specific goal but I was happy with how I performed.”

Linderbaum was 11th at the Drake Relays last season with a mark of 54-0 as Tristan Wirfs won the event with a toss of 66-3 ½.

On Friday it was Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central senior Nick Phelps that posted a big throw to win the event with a toss of 65-3 ½.

Dominick Etherington of Algona was runner-up with a toss of 59-7.

Facing the best throwers in the state brought out the best in Linderbaum.

“It was fun to be out there competing with a bunch of good guys, that’s what I like about a meet like this,” Linderbaum said. “There are a bunch of great throwers so you have to be at your best and that that’s a challenge I like.”

Through the first month of the season Linderbaum had added just an inch to his personal best.

On Friday he tacked on nearly two feet to his all-time best and still has at least two more cracks at adding to that total.

“Usually this is the time of year you start seeing bigger jumps and we are seeing that but I still think I have a lot of room for improvement,” Linderbaum said. “I will be ready to go the next few weeks.”

Solon senior Luke Ira clocked a season-best time of 14.9 in the prelims of the 110 hurdles and placed seventh with a time of 15.12 in the finals.

Drake Relays

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Friday’s Individual Results

(Top 5 Finishers; Area Athletes)

Boys Results

Shot put – 1. Nick Phelps (Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central) 65-3 ½; 2. Dominick Etherington (Algona) 59-7; 3. Tyler Linderbaum (Solon) 57-1 ½; 4. Zach Stacy (West Des Moines Dowling) 56-3 ¾; 5. Justin Ridout (East Marshall) 54-4 ½; 7. Landon Green (West High) 54-1; 11. Luke Stein (Regina) 52-7 ¼.

100 – 1. Tanner Iske (West Liberty) 10.77; 2. Bernard Bell Jr. (Ames) 10.79; 3. Gavin Williams (Southeast Polk) 10.81; 4. Gage Clay (AHSTW) 10.84; 5. Harrison Waylee (Urbandale) 10.94; 15. Gabe Caruthers (West High) 11.41

800 – 1. Tyler Olson (Muscatin) 1:56.55; 2. Quentin Linnan (Indianola) 1:56.87; 3. Chase Mullenix (Atlantic) 1:57.8; 4. Riley Bauer (North Union) 1:58.47; 5. Joe Schaefer (Johnston) 1:58.52; 8. JP Rethwisch (City High) 2:00.73; 14. Daniel Brown (City High) 2:08.13; 15. Jeff Garbutt (West High) 2:14.51.

110 Hurdles – 1. Riley Moss (Ankeny Centennial) 14.04; 2. Terrell Jordan Jr. (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) 14.44; 3. Trent Davis (Linn-Mar) 14.52; 4. Gratt Reed (Atlantic) 14.76; 5. Jack Garber (BCLUW) 14.79; 7. Luke Ira (Solon) 15.12; 20. Seb Johanson (Clear Creek Amana) 15.51; 23. Cole Mabry (West High) 15.62

Distance medley relay – 1. Urbandale 3:20.25; 2. Pekin 3:30.99; 3. Dubuque Senior 3:32.34; 4. Atlantic 3:32.48; 5. West Des Moines Dowling 3:34.2; West High DQ; City High DQ.

4×200 – 1. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 1:27.14; 2. Ankeny Centennial 1:28.24; 3. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 1:28.44; 4. West Des Moines Dowling; 5. West Des Moines Valley 1:28.7; West High DNF