Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The Eastern Iowa Track and Field Festival was billed as a chance for some of the top talent in the state to square off in an all-star type event.

For West High it turned into the perfect home finale for a pair of senior stars.

Peyton Steva and Katie Severt each won four events on Saturday as West High won eight total events at the inaugural Eastern Iowa Track and Field festival at Trojan Field.

“You love it when seniors have days like this with both Peyton and Katie winning four events, that’s what you dream of,” West High coach Mike Parker said. “For both of them to go out in there last meet here and to have performances like that this worked out really well for us for a team standpoint and also for our seniors for sure.”

In an event designed to bring out the area’s best Steva and Severt both shined.

Severt won individual titles in the long jump and 100 and joined Steva to help West High win titles in both the 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

“I thought it was really cool,” Severt said of the first-year event. “There were a ton of people out here and having some new people to compete against was great.”

Severt won the long jump with a mark of 17-3 and ran away from the field to win the 100 in 12.91.

The senior sprinter then capped her day with titles in the final two events.

Severt, Amy Liao, Matayia Tellis and Steva won the 4×100 in a season-best time of 50.34.

Steva and Severt immediately turned around and helped West High to a win in the 4×400 in 4:14.7.

“I was a little nervous because I do not run many 400s but I was willing to do anything for our team to help them out,” Severt said. “I love running with those girls so it was fun.”

Severt didn’t find out she was added to the 4×400 lineup until after running the leadoff leg of the winning 4×100 team.

After a few deep breaths she helped West High win its eighth event of the day as the Women of Troy 4×400 team finished more than four seconds in front of runner-up Des Moines Hoover in the 4×400.

“We had decided early on in the meet that we were going to put her in it but we didn’t tell her and she ran a lifetime best for herself and helped us win another event title,” Parker said. “That’s what it takes for teams to do well later is people are just willing to do whatever they have to do.”

Steva had her own dominating performance on Saturday winning the 100 hurdles in a career-best time of 14.63.

The 14.63 is the top time in the state this season and meets the Drake Relays Blue Oval Standard and was more than a second faster than runner-up Julie Shonka of Des Moines Hoover.

“Today was super cool, I really enjoyed that there were a lot of classes here it was a little like an Eastern Iowa Drake Relays,” Steva said. “It was just a great meet today.”

Steva also anchored the West High shuttle hurdle relay team to a title in 1:06.91 to go with titles in the 4×100 and 4×400.

“I was unbelievably happy with all my performances today,” Steva said. “I can’t stress enough that I am just really excited.”

West High swept the throwing events as Salima Omari won the shot put with a mark of 37-11 and Alexie Little won the discus with a toss of 121-2.

“I love this type of meet and it worked really well for us,” Parker said. “We won a lot of events, a few best in the state and had several blue oval standards so we are glad. We are looking forward to having this for many, many years and I think as other schools understand the premise it will grow every year.”

Liberty High freshman Ashlyn Keeney won the 800 in a time of 2:15.71, the second fastest time in the state this spring and joined Cami Mac, Anna Reese and Izzy Woody to win the 4×800 relay in 9:49.27.  

Keeney already owned the top time in the 1,500 and 3,000 this season.

Eastern Iowa Track and Field Festival

Girls Individual Results (Event winners; area participants)  

100 – 1. Katie Severt (ICW) 12.91; 3. Chaise Lange (ICL) 13.35; 4. Elizabeth Davis (ICL) 13.48; 5. Tayshauna McGee (ICL) 13.56; 8. Christella Luyeye (ICL) 13.8

200 – 1. Madison Osborn (Alburnett) 26.04; 3. Chaise Lange (ICL) 28.13; 7. Sam McPherson (ICL) 29.82

400 – 1. Summer Barthelman (Sigourney) 1:00.37; 3. Christella Luyeye (ICL) 1:08.15; 4. Mie-Dae Caston-Gonzalez (ICL) 1:13.32

800 – 1. Ashlyn Keeney (ICL) 2:15.71; 4. Kiara Malloy-Salgado (ICW) 2:23.55; 5. Cami Mac (ICL) 2:28.16

1,500 – 1. Madeline Rhomberg (Cascade) 5:05.33; 4. McKenzie Logan (ICL) 5:21.34; 6. Erica Buettner (ICW) 5:33.75

3,000 – 1. Madison Kelchen (Cascade) 11:57.71; 2. Jessica Kusick (ICL) 13:50.29; 3. Grace Ceynar (ICL) 13:57.34

100 hurdles – 1. Peyton Steva (ICW) 14.63; 3. Matayia Tellis (ICW) 16.29; 4. Ella Woods (ICW) 16.48; 6. Amy Liao (ICW) 17.16

400 hurdles – 1. Claire Quirk (New Hampton) 1:09.82; 5. Izzy Woody (ICL) 1:16.2

4×100 – 1. West High (Amy Liao, Katie Severt, Matayia Tellis, Peyton Steva) 50.34; 5. Liberty High (Elizabeth Davis, Tayshauna McGee, Devon Dunson, Taylor Cannon) 53.46

4×200 – 1. Des Moines Hoover 1:47.78; 2. Liberty High (Chaise Lange, Devon Dunson, Tayshauna McGee, Taylor Cannon) 1:49.3; 7. West High (Favour Alarape, Clare Loussaert, Tionna Slater, Celestina Nuro-Gyina) 1:56.05

4×400 – 1. West High (Peyton Steva, Amy Liao, Katie Severt, Kiara Malloy-Salgado) 4:14.7

4×800 – 1. Liberty High (Anna Reese, Cami Mac, Ashlyn Keeney, Izzy Woody) 9:49.27; 3. West High (Katie Hoefer, Camden Zirker, Emma Kearney, Sara Alaya) 10:30.13

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. West High (Ella Woods, Amy Liao, Brynee Nock, Peyton Steva) 1:06.91

Sprint medley relay – 1. Des Moines Hoover 1:51.52; 3. Liberty High (Elizabeth Davis, Devon Dunson, Taylor Cannon, Ashlyn Keeney) 1:51.99; 8. West High (Celestina Nuro-Gyina, Brynne Nock, Favour Alarape, Tionna Slater) 2:02.32

Distance medley relay – 1. Cascade 4:31.16; 5. West High (Doroteya Kiza, Kaitlin Lamkins, Kaisa Whittaker, Lucy Westemeyer) 4:48.91

Long jump – 1. Katie Severt (ICW) 17-3; 6. Ella Woods (ICW) 15-5 ½; 7. ShuShu Chalkley (ICL) 15-4; 8. Celestina Nuro-Gyina (ICW) 15-2

High jump – 1. Meghan Prohaska (CR Jefferson) 5-1; 5. Favour Alarape (ICW) 4-3

Shot put – 1. Salima Omari (ICW) 37-11; 2. Arionnah Sonii (ICW) 35-6 1/2; 3. Alexie Little (ICW) 35-2 1/2; 5. Miranda Jones (ICL) 30-4; 5. Phoebe Burt (ICW) 30-4; 7. Neshy Byrd (ICL) 29-6; 8. Darya Acas (ICL) 29-1

Discus – 1. Alexie Little (ICW) 121-2; 2. Miranda Jones (ICL) 114-2; 4. Phoebe Burt (ICW) 108-0; 6. Salima Omari (ICW) 103-9; 8. Darya Acas (ICL) 95-10

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