Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – If West High is going to push two-time defending champion Waukee for the Class 4A team title this weekend the Women of Troy will need a strong state meet from its dynamic distance duo.

Distance studs Bailey Nock and Deniz Ince couldn’t start any stronger than they did on Thursday morning in the 3,000.

Nock and Ince placed first and second respectively in the 3,000 and helped the West High 4×800 team to a runner-up finish as West High bolted to the team lead on the opening day of the state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“It’s been an overall good day for our entire team,” Nock said. “We knew if we didn’t come out strong the first day we would be struggling by the third day. It was really important that we came out strong right away.”

Nock and Ince set the tone early with a one-two finish in the 3,000 in the first final of the day.

Thanks to 18-point performance from Nock and Ince in the 3,000 West High put up 33 points on Thursday and will start competition on Friday with a 10-point lead on Waukee.

Southeast Polk is third with 16 points and Johnston is fourth with 14.

“That’s exactly what we wanted to do and what we needed to do but it’s exciting to see it happen,” Nock said of the strong start. “You can plan for state and you can calculate all the points but to actually go out there and do what your team expects you to do and maybe not what other people expect you to do and prove people wrong that is always the fun part about state.”

Nock broke away from the pack midway through the 3,000 and held off a charging Ince to win in a time of 10:12.6.

Ince was second in 10:13.86.

“It feels really good, that is what we came out to do today is get 18 points for our team,” Ince said. “I feel really good that we were able to do that.”

The 3,000 title was the second straight for Nock and was the fourth career state gold for the Colorado recruit.

Nock posted a season-best time and got a win in her final prep 3,000 leaving her only regret coming up shy of the school record of 9:58.67 set by Jeni Frudden in 2001.

“My pr is two seconds off the school record so I kind of wanted to get that and I knew it was my last time but running out there by myself it was kind of difficult to gauge if I was going the right pace,” Nock said. “I am o.k. with my time and I am definitely o.k. with my place and the only thing I will go away thinking about is not having that school record.”

As Nock pulled away during the fifth lap Ince waited a bit longer to make her move toward the front.

The junior passed Johnston sisters Jessica and Brooklyn McKee in the final 800 meters to secure a runner-up finish and eight important team points.

A late charge helped Ince finish more than seven seconds in front of third-place Jessica McKee.

“I didn’t know how far the girls behind me were but I knew the McKee girls are really good runners and I knew it would be tough to pass them and stay head of them,” Ince said. “I had to make sure I sealed the deal and not let them get me at the end.”

Ince ran the 3,000 for the first time early this season and edged Nock for the title at the regional meet last week.

On Thursday the junior took more than 10 seconds off her previous career-best time in her first ever state meet appearance in the 3,000.

“At first it felt really long but I guess you learn how to run it,” Ince said. “It’s gotten better every time.”

After clocking top two times in the 3,000 Nock and Ince ran the final two legs of the 4×800 as West High finished second to Waukee in a time of 9:20.2.

Waukee won the title in a state-record time of 9:09.9.

“(Coach) waited until the last possible minute before we were going to warmup and he said ‘you guys did really well in the 3,000 so we are going to go after the 4×800’,” Nock explained. “You always want to win at state but I was happy with how we ran.”

West High had the fourth fastest 4×800 time from state qualifying meets but that was without Ince on the third leg.

On Thursday she took West High from sixth place to third and Nock needed just more than 400 meters to put the Women of Troy into second place.

“It’s a little sad because it’s my last relay at West but I think we ran well,” Nock said. “I think this puts us in a good spot.”

West High added seven points while picking up a pair of medals in the discus.

Senior Chandler Haight and sophomore Alexie Little both posted season-best performances while finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Haight was fifth with a toss of 125-10 and Little was sixth with a throw of 125-6.

Class 4A State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores – 1. West High 33; 2. Waukee 23; 3. Southeast Polk 16; 4. Johnston 14; 5. Linn-Mar 12; 6. Cedar Falls 11; 7. Davenport Central 19; 8. Bettendorf 8; 8. Muscatine 9; 10. Ankeny Centennial 7.5

Individual results

(Champion; Area Participants)

400 – 1. Sydney Milani (Southeast Polk) 52.9

3,000 – 1. Bailey Nock (West High) 10:12.6; 2. Deniz Ince (West High) 10:13.86; 18. Amelia Morrow (City High) 11:17.16; 20. Esti Brady (City High) 11:24.59

4×800 – 1. Waukee 9:09.34; 2. West High (Kiara Malloy-Salgado, Erica Buettner, Deniz Ince, Bailey Nock) 9:20.2; 14. City High (Kinsee Brands, CeCe Kelly-Harvey, Anna Lindower, Lillian Reynolds) 9:54.83

Discus – 1. Lea Grady (Davenport Central) 150-11; 5. Chandler Haight (West High) 125-10; 6. Alexie Little (West High) 125-6.

High jump – 1. Auriona Kimbrough (CF) 5-5