Click here for more photos from Iowa City West at the state track meet. 

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Austin West missed his second state title by the slimmest of margins finishing second in the long jump via tie breaker on Friday morning.

Minutes later West got his second individual championship of the weekend in the 400 hurdles.

The West High senior was more interested in an award that won’t be handed out until after the final event on Saturday afternoon.

“It feels pretty good I just wanted to get 10 points for my team,” West said after winning the 400 hurdles. “I didn’t run as clean or as fast as I wanted to but 10 points is important for us right now.”  

Thanks in large part to West the Trojans are in a position to be front and center for the Class 4A team trophy presentation.  

The big day from West and a title from junior Landon Green in the shot put helped West High seize control of the Class 4A team race on day two of the state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

West High will enter Saturday with 52 points and a 19-point cushion on West Des Moines Valley in what has turned into a five-team title race.

Waukee is third with 31, Ames is fourth with 28 and Cedar Rapids Kennedy is fifth with 23.

“I’m very happy obviously,” West High Coach TJ Craig said. “The guys are just continuing to go out and do what they need to do. I couldn’t be prouder of how they are competing.”

West helped the Trojans to an early lead with a title in the 400 on Thursday.

That was just the beginning for West.

He provided 18 team points in a matter of minutes on Friday with a runner-up finish in the long jump and the first 400 hurdle crown of his career.

“In meets I usually run my best splits after I long jump especially at districts so I knew that if history repeated itself I’d run pretty fast,” West said. “I just went over some hurdles in warmups. I just had to focus on the hurdles, long jump was over and it worked out.”

West started his day with a rare moment of state meet disappointment losing a tiebreaker to Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior Terrell Jordan Jr. in the long jump.

Jordan and West both jumped 22-5 but Jordan had the better second jump giving him the 4A title.

“Terrell is a great competitor,” West said. “I tied him but he won on that second-best jump and that was heart breaking for sure and I just had to refocus and go get my points in the hurdles which I did.”

Just minutes after the disappointment in the hurdles West got back on track with a win in the 400 hurdles in 52.23.

It’s not in West’s nature to dwell on the past so instead the senior turned his attention to adding to the Trojans team lead.

“I always try to keep it light and upbeat when I compete because if you spend too much time worrying about it bad things are going to happen,” West said. “I was confident going into it and I knew if I ran well I would probably get 10 points. It’s just good to get 10 points.”

The time was .27 off the career-best for West but was still half a second better than runner-up Nolan Roethler of Waukee.

West will close his final state meet with two titles and a runner-up in individual events.

He will conclude his prep career with a relay leg and he hopes a 4A team title on Saturday.

“I’ve had some great memories here,” West said. “I have one more event to make one more and hopefully we will be hoisting a trophy at the end of the weekend.”

Class 4A State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores – 1. West High 51; 2. West Des Moines Valley 32; 3. Waukee 31; 4. Ames 28; 5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 23; 66. Urbandale 20; 7. West Des Moines Dowling 19; 8. Council Bluffs Lewis Central 18; 9. Johnston 17; 10. Pleasant Valley 16

Individual results

(Champion; Area Participants)

400 Hurdles – 1. Austin West (West High) 52.23; 14. Cole Mabry (West High) 56.18

Distance Medley Relay – 1. Urbandale 3:27.91; 7. City High (Max DePrenger, Daniel Brown, Zach Jones, JP Rethwisch) 3:32.4

4×200 – 1. Ankeny Centennial 1:27.99

Shot put – 1. Landon Green (West High) 58-5; 12. Jonathan Gannon (West High) 51-0.

Long jump – 1. Terrell Jordan Jr. (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) 22-5; 2. Austin West (West High) 22-5