Breaking Down the Your Prep Sports Area Teams at the Class 3A and 2A Girls State Track and Field Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The State Track and Field Meet is back.
After the coronavirus cancelled spring sports in 2020 the State Track and Field Meet returns this season and will run Thursday through Saturday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Before the action gets rolling in Des Moines on Thursday we take a quick look at what all the teams in the Your Prep Sports area are sending.
Here is a quick breakdown of the Class 3A and 2A girls teams from the area.
Class 3A
Solon
Individual events qualified: 11 (200; 400; 800; 1,500; 3,000; 100 hurdles; 400 hurdles; long jump; discus; shot put)
Relays qualified: Seven (4×100; 4×200; 4×400; 4×800; shuttle hurdle; sprint medley; distance medley)
Athlete to watch: The success for Solon this season has been predicated on depth and a strong relay group and perhaps no athlete has been more important to the Spartan relays than junior Emma Bock.
Bock is a state title contender in the 800 where she has the second fastest time in 3A this season at 2:15.99 but will be even more important for Solon in the relays where she helped the Spartans send three teams to state.
The multi-talented Bock could land on several different relay teams at state but she will almost certainly be part of the 4×400 and the distance medley squads that have posted the fastest times in 3A this season with Bock as the anchor.
Relay team to watch: After a year without a state meet Solon returns to defend its title in the 4×400.
The Spartans finally won the event in 2019 after a couple of close calls and enter as the favorites to repeat with the fastest time in 3A this season at 4:00.18.
Kaia Holtkamp, Makinley Levin, Gracie Federspiel and Bock clocked a season-best 4:00.18 at the state qualifying meet last week and no other team in 3A has been under 4:02 this season.
Outlook: Solon has steadily climbed the Class 3A standings at the past three state meets going from 16th in 2017, to eighth in 2018 and fifth in 2019.
The Spartans return to Drake Stadium with its largest and most talented group of qualifiers in recent history.
Solon qualified 11 individual entries across 10 events and all seven of its relay teams and has 11 events with top 10 seed times from the state qualifying meets.
Bock is a state title contender in the 800 and makes any relay team she anchors an automatic contender for gold.
Senior thrower Ava Conrad qualified in both the shot and discus and junior Makinley Levin enters with the fifth best long jump mark from state qualifiers.
Senior Kiersten Conway (3,000) and junior Kaia Holtkamp (800) both enter with top 10 seed times.
The key for Solon pushing for a top-three finish will be its relay teams, six of which enter with top-10 times from the state qualifier.
The Bock-led distance medley and 4×400 are the headliners but the Spartans 4×800 squad ran the fourth fastest time in 3A this season (9:43.58) without Bock at the state qualifier.
The 4×200 and shuttle hurdle relay teams are seeded seventh and the 4×100 team is seeded ninth.
Clear Creek Amana
Individual events qualified: Two (100 hurdles)
Relays qualified: Five (4×100; 4×400; 4×800; distance medley; shuttle hurdle)
Athlete to watch: Sophomore Silvana Kabolo will be busy in her state meet debut.
A four-event qualifier Kabolo will be making her first but likely not final trip to the state meet after helping three Clipper relay teams qualify for state.
Kabolo enters with the 10th fastest qualifying time in the 100 hurdles at 16.16 and was part of the top-seeded Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle relay team.
She also ran on the distance medley and 4×100 relays that qualified for state.
Relay team to watch: The longer the season goes the better the Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle relay teams seems to get.
A fourth-place finish at the Drake Relays last month announced the Clipper foursome of Emma Mathis, Cileigh Smiddy, Kayla Jiras and Silvana Kabolo as legit title contenders but the Clippers have continued to build on that performance.
Clear Creek Amana won a WAMAC conference title two weeks ago and posted a season-best time winning the state qualifier last week in 1:05.93.
The 1:05.93 is tops in 3A this season and more than two seconds faster than Spencer which has the second fastest time at 1:07.72.
Outlook: It has already been a resurgent season for Clear Creek Amana after the Clippers failed to score a point at the state meet in 2019 but a strong finish can provide an exclamation point and a big springboard for a young team.
The shuttle hurdle team is a state title favorite and the headliner but the Clippers have several other potential point scorers among its six entries.
Mathis and Kabolo enter with top-10 seed times in the 100 hurdles and are both capable of capturing medals and the 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams both enter with top-10 seed times.
The Clear Creek Amana 4×400 team of Kiera Rogers, Bliss Beck, Jiras and Sam Schrage has the ninth fastest time from state qualifiers and the 4×800 team of Rogers, Haidyn Barker, Avery Allen and Schrage is seeded 10th.
Class 2A
Regina
Individual events qualified: Four (800; 3,000; 100 hurdles; 400 hurdles)
Relays qualified: Three (4×400; 4×800; shuttle hurdley)
Athlete to watch: Senior multi-sport standout Annie Gahan will look to end her track career with a memorable performance at her third trip to the state track and field meet.
A two-time state medalist in the 400 hurdles Gahan is a four-event qualifier as a senior after returning to state in the 400 hurdles as well as earning a spot in the 100 hurdles.
Gahan also helped the Regina shuttle hurdle relay and 4×400 relays qualifying for the state meet.
Relay team to watch: The Regina shuttle hurdle team enters with the sixth fastest time from state qualifying meets but make no mistake the Regals are a state title caliber squad.
Abby Clark, Peyton Naeve, Alli Clark and Annie Gahan own the best time in Class 2A this season at 1:08.09.
With the top three teams in Class 2A separated by just .13 the race for a title should be tight but Regina has shown it can compete with the best in 2A.
Osage owns the second fastest time at 1:08.13 while River Valley Conference rival Cascade has run a 1:08.22.
Outlook: A state title in the shuttle hurdle relay would be a fantastic reward for the Regals but Regina has the opportunity to score points in several events this week.
Gahan enters with the seventh fastest time in 2A this season in the 100 hurdles and posted the fifth fastest time in the event at state qualifiers last week.
Annalee Bartels (3,000) and sophomore Berlyn O’Connor (800) join Gahan as the Regals individual qualifiers while the Regals send two more relays to state.
The 4×800 foursome of O’Connor, Bartels, Mia Whitaker and Josie Pursley has the 22nd fastest time from state qualifiers and the 4×400 squad of Naeve, O’Connor, Abby Clark and Annie Gahan has the 23rd fastest time.
West Branch
Individual events qualified: One (Discus)
Relays qualified: One (4×200)
Athlete to watch: Senior Allie Laschanzky couldn’t have picked a better time for the best discus throw of her career.
Laschanzky uncorked a career-best toss of 107-5 at the Class 2A state qualifier at Tipton last week to earn a spot at the state meet as an additional qualifier.
The senior enters with the 22nd best throw from the state qualifying meets.
Relay team to watch: West Branch had to wait a little extra time to learn its fate in the 4×200 after finishing third at the Class 2A state qualifying meet at the Tipton but the Bears secured a spot at the state meet.
The foursome of Nicki Henson, Iva Senio, Sasha Koenig and JaLynn Falco ran a season-best 1:51.73 at the state qualifying finishing third behind Bellevue and Louisa-Muscatine.
The time was good enough to earn West Branch a spot at state as an additional qualifier and ranks 23rd among 2A qualifiers.
Outlook: The Bears pushed two entries through to state at one of the toughest and most talented 2A state qualifying meets in the state.
West Branch is a long shot to earn hardware in either of its two events but qualifying for state, especially with a relay team that features two underclassmen, is a good building block from the program in the future.
Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating.
