Breaking Down the Girls Conference Track and Field Meets
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The track and field postseason is here.
Conference meets around the area and across the state are Thursday setting off a three-week postseason stretch that continues with state qualifying meets on May 13 and concludes with the state track and field meet May 20-22 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Before competition gets underway on Thursday we take a quick look at the conference meets featuring Your Prep Sports area teams.
MVC Mississippi Divisional
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Cedar Falls
Teams: City High; Liberty High; Cedar Falls; Dubuque Wahlert; Linn-Mar; Cedar Rapids Prairie; Cedar Rapids Washington; Western Dubuque
Team Title Chase: The postseason fun starts with a bang in the form of a loaded Mississippi Division meet in which more half the field is capable of competing for the top spot. Host and three-time defending MVC Divisional champion Cedar Falls joins conference up and comer Liberty High along with Linn-Mar and Cedar Rapids Prairie as teams that should push for the title. Don’t count out Western Dubuque and star sprinter Audrey Biermann in what is one of the best conference fields out there.
Athlete to Watch: Liberty High junior Ashlyn Keeney is gearing up for another big postseason after winning state titles in the 1,500 and 3,000 two seasons ago as a freshman.
Keeney owns the top time in Class 4A in the 1,500 this season at 4:39.24 and could see one of her top competitors at the state meet later this month on Thursday in Linn-Mar senior Micah Poellett who has the second fastest time at 4:44.69.
Poellett (sixth in 4A) and Keeney (13th in 4A) have the top two times in the 3,000 among Divisional competitors and rank in the top 13 in 4A.
Event to Watch: If you like watching the 4×400 (and what track fan doesn’t?) the final event on Thursday will definitely be worth the wait.
City High has continued its strong tradition of excellence in the 4×400 this season and enters with the third-best time in Class 4A this season and tops among Mississippi Division competitors at 4:03.8.
The City High foursome of CeCe Kelly-Harvey, Mia DePrenger, Iris Wedemeyer and Lilly Reynolds is nearly a second faster than Cedar Rapids Prairie’s top time this season which ranks sixth in 4A while Linn-Mar has the seventh fastest time in 4A this spring.
Breakdown: A loaded field from top to bottom the Mississippi Divisional has the makings of one of the most entertaining conference meets around.
Liberty High, Western Dubuque and Cedar Rapids Prairie have standouts in Keeney, Biermann and Gabby Cortez while Linn-Mar and Cedar Falls are loaded with talent and depth.
City High senior Alia Vanderhoef is the top high jumper in the divisional field clearing 5-2 this season while Liberty High junior Darya Acas enters second in the discus (119-6) and fourth in the shot put (34-1 ½).
MVC Valley Divisional
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Kingston Stadium in Cedar Rapids
Teams: West High; Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Cedar Rapids Xavier; Dubuque Hempstead; Dubuque Senior; Waterloo East; Waterloo West
Team Title Chase: A stellar group of distance runners and overall team depth make Dubuque Hempstead the favorite in a lead pack that includes West High, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Dubuque Senior.
Never, ever count out West High when it comes to the postseason, specifically the MVC Divisional meet where the Trojans have won 17 titles since 1998.
Athlete to Watch: West High senior Phoebe Burt is the latest in a long line of standout throwers for the Trojans and enters with the top mark in both the shot and discus.
Burt ranks second in 4A in the shot put with a toss of 39-10, which is just five and a half inches better than teammate Arionnah Sonii who has the second-best mark among Divisional competitors.
In the discus Burt ranks fourth in 4A with a toss of 126-9 ½ which is more than 20 feet better than any other divisional competitor.
Event to Watch: Ella Woods can give West High a big boost with a title in the 100 hurdles and thanks to an impressive performance last week Woods enters as the favorite.
Woods clocked a season-best 16.11 at the Liberty High Invitational last Friday and enters with the top time among Valley Division competitors leading the Cedar Rapids Kennedy duo of Grace Braden (16.46) and Molly Joyner (16.81).
Breakdown: The team race should be tight with Dubuque Hempstead doing much of its damage in the individual distance races and distance relays and West High making hay in the throwing events and hurdles.
Dubuque Senior and Cedar Rapids Kennedy have the capability to score across the entire event list which will make things even more interesting.
WAMAC Conference Meet
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Independence High School
Teams: Clear Creek Amana; Solon; Dyersville Beckman; Benton Community; Center Point-Urbana; Independence; Maquoketa; Marion; Mount Vernon; Vinton-Shellsburg; West Delaware; Williamsburg; South Tama
Team Title Chase: Don’t expect much (or any) drama here as Solon is the clear cut favorite to win its second consecutive WAMAC Super Meet title and third straight conference crown after winning a divisional meet in 2018.
The Spartans have top-end talent in juniors Emma Bock, Kaia Holtkamp and Makinley Levin and are among the deepest and most balanced teams in Class 3A.
Williamsburg headlines the list of team that will be chasing Solon and battling for the runner-up spot.
Athlete to Watch: A key varsity contributor two seasons ago as a freshman Bock has emerged as an outright star during an impressive junior campaign.
Bock ranks second in 3A in the 800 (2:15.99) and fourth in the 400 (58.98) this season and has the top time among conference competitors in both.
Solon has top-five times in 3A this season in four separate relays all coming with Bock on the anchor.
Event to Watch: The Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle relay team has already proved it is among the best in the state with a fourth-place finish at the Drake Relays last month.
The Clippers just keep backing up that claim every time they hit the track.
The foursome of Emma Mathis, Kayla Jiras, Cileigh Smiddy and Silvana Kabolo clocked a season-best time of 1:07.47 last week at the Pacha Relays and enter Thursday’s WAMAC meet with the top time in Class 3A this season.
Spencer is the only other 3A team to run under 1:08 this season and no other WAMAC team has come with two seconds of the 1:07.47 the Clippers post on their home track last Thursday.
Breakdown: Depth is the name of the game for Solon which has a top-three seeded individual in eight events, is the top seed in five individual events and three relays and has the second fastest time in the other four relays.
Solon should lock the team title up with its work in the relays, entering with the top time in the 4×400, 4×800 and sprint medley.
However, the Spartans will be in the hunt for plenty of individual titles as well with Ava Conrad the top seed in the discus at 125-10, Levin the long jump leader at 16-11 ½ and Holtkamp tied for the lead in the high jump at 5-2.
Keep an eye on Clear Creek Amana which is poised to be among the most improved teams from the 2019 WAMAC Meet.
The Clippers were 12th with 20 points in 2019 and should make a massive jump this season and are eying a spot in the top half of the standings.
Clear Creek Amana could surpass its 2019 point total in the hurdle events alone as the Clippers are the favorite in the shuttle hurdle relay and Kabolo is seeded second and Mathis fourth in the 110 hurdles.
River Valley Conference Meet
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Anamosa High School
Teams: Regina; West Branch; Anamosa; Bellevue; Camanche; Cascade; Durant; Mid-Prairie; Monticello; North Cedar; Northeast; Tipton; West Liberty; Wilton
Team Title Chase: Two-time defending 2A state champion Mid-Prairie is loaded once again and a heavy favorite to reclaim its spot atop the River Valley Conference.
The race in this one is for second place where Northeast and Cascade appear to be the top contenders with Tipton and Regina looking to gain ground.
Athlete to Watch: Regina senior Annie Gahan has top-five qualifying marks in three individual events and anchors the Regals’ shuttle hurdle relay team that owns the top time in Class 2A this season at 1:08.09.
Gahan has the sixth fastest 100 hurdle time in 2A this season at 15.74 but has just the third fastest in the RVC this season behind 2A leader Ellie Rickertsen of Northeast (14.85) and 1A leader Kelly Proesch of North Cedar (14.7).
Gahan also ranks fifth among RVC competitors in the 400 hurdles (1:09.23) and second in the long jump (15-11 ¾).
Event to Watch: A shuttle hurdle relay showdown between the two fastest teams in 2A this season could serve as a state meet preview as Regina and Cascade battle for a conference crown.
Regina enters with the fastest time in 2A this season as the foursome of Peyton Naeve, Abby Clark, Alli Clark and Gahan clocked a 1:08.09 last week at Cedar Rapids Xavier.
Cascade isn’t far back running a 1:08.22 in Dubuque last week.
Breakdown: With five relays with top-five qualifying times Regina is set up for a strong conference showing.
The Regals are second in the 4×400 and fourth in the sprint medley and 4×800 to go with its top time in the shuttle hurdle relay.
Berlyn O’Connor has the fourth fastest time in the 800 at 2:30.64.
West Branch senior Allie Laschanzky enters seeded sixth in both the shot put and discus while Tatum Koenig is seventh in the long jump and the Bears are fifth in the 4×200 relay.
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