Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Walking across the Drake Stadium turf before the start of 1,600 on Saturday at the state track and field meet Bowen Gryp saw the dark clouds looming overhead and smiled.

“As we were walking over to the start after we got done stretching we saw the sky and it was just dark blue,” Gryp said. “I saw it and I got kind of excited.”

Where some saw an obstacle in the approach rain storm Gryp saw an opportunity.

Then the Liberty High senior standout seized it.

Gryp sprinted his way through an absolute deluge to win the first individual title in program history claiming the Class 4A 1,600 title in a career-best time of 4:19.02 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“Honestly, I liked it, that helped me I think,” Gryp said of the rain. “I saw it and I said, ‘bring it on’.”

Gryp certainly brought it all week.

He senior was a member of the Liberty High 4×800 relay team that won the first state title in program history on Thursday and anchored the Lightning distance medley relay team to a runner-up finish on Friday.

On Saturday Gryp finally got the opportunity to shine as an individual and it came in the middle of a down pourt.

“I feel like I’m pretty mentally strong and I know some guys weather can knock them off a little bit,” Gryp said. “I wasn’t disappointed with the rain.”

As Gryp completed his warm up and walked toward the start for the 1,600 the sky had darkened.

By the time the gun sounded for the 1,600 rain was falling.

Before long the sky opened, dumping rain on the Class 4A 1,600 field.

It only seemed to energize Gryp who took more than two seconds off his previous career-best time of 4:21.16 despite running through torrential rain.

“I knew I had a chance the mile can go any way and there were like eight guys that could have taken that,” Gryp said. “Not to be cocky but I feel like my speed is some of the best in the state and I knew if I was in contention with 400 left that I could take it.

For most of the first three laps Gryp ran in the middle of a tight lead pack.

He was fifth with about 500 meters to go before making his move.

“I tried to stay at the top and with one lap to go I was going to go for it,” Gryp said. “That’s exactly what happened.”
Gryp went from fifth to first in the final 100 meters of the third lap and emerged as the run away favorite with 300 meters to go.

He finished nearly three seconds in front of runner-up Kole Sommer of Pleasant Valley (4:21.86) while Gabe Nash of Sioux City North was third in 4:22.22 and teammate William Lohr was fourth in 4:22.3.

“The last 400 I just went for it,” Gryp said. “I was trying to look at the board but it was raining too hard and I couldn’t see anybody so I just went for it and it turned out good.”

The title from Gryp and an eighth-place finish from the Liberty High 4×400 team put the finishing touches on the best state meet showing in the short history of the program.

Junior Luke Meyers added a seventh-place finish in the 200 for Liberty High in 22.77 as Liberty High finished eighth in the 4A team standings with 31 points.

Class 4A Boys State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores – 1. Cedar Falls 87; 2. West Des Moines Dowling 77; 3. Ankeny Centennial 61; 4. Ames 44.5; 5. Waukee 36; 6. West Des Moines Valley 35; 6. City High 35; 8. Liberty High 31; 9. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 28; 10. Sioux City North 26; 27. West High 6

Individual results (event winners; area competitors)

100 – 1. Mikey McClain (West Des Moines Dowling) 10.79; 7. Isaac Rohret (City High) 11.17

200 – 1. Mikey McClain (West Des Moines Dowling) 21.59; 7. Luke Meyers (Liberty High) 22.77

800 – 1. Aniey Akok (Ames) 1:52.95; 3. Ammon Smith (City High) 1:55.39; 7. Truman Thompson (City High) 1:56.8; 15. Gavin Keeney (Liberty High) 1:58.88; 18. Caden Noeller (West High) 1:59.76; 23. Caleb Schillinger (Liberty High) 2:01.77

1,600 – 1. Bowen Gryp (Liberty High) 4:19.02; 7. Alex McKane (West High) 4:25.88; 9. Jack Kinzer (Liberty High) 4:27.8; 13. Ford Washburn (City High) 4:30.72

110 hurdles – 1. Adam Wright (West Des Moines Dowling) 14.51

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 57.73

Sprint medley relay – 1. Ankeny Centennial 1:31.72; 3. City High (Sam Rew, Ronnie Major, Isaac Rohret, Jovan Harris) 1:32.61; 18. West High (Izaiah Loveless, Trey King, Fabian Brown, Daquan Johnson) 1:36.53

4×100 relay – 1. Southeast Polk 42.35; 7. City High (Sam Rew, Jovan Harris, Ronnie Major, Isaac Rohret) 43.32

4×400 relay – 1. Cedar Falls 3:15.85; 8. Liberty High (Luke Meyers, Gavin Keeney, Jack Kinzer, Bowen Gryp) 3:31.15

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