Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – There is more than one way to win a track meet.

There is the star-studded way with a few standouts piling up big points or the relay route with an emphasis on loaded relay teams.

Solon prefers to go with a combination of both of those – call it the total track team approach.

On Tuesday the Spartans used that method to absolute perfection.

Solon won six events, was runner-up in eight more and had a pair of point scorers in seven individual events while winning the team title at its own Denny Gruber Relays at Spartan Stadium.

“That was a really solid meet for us,” Solon coach Mark Sovers said. “We came into the season with the goal to be the best complimentary track team we could be from top to bottom, from field events to relays through the individuals and we have the ability to score all the way through the meet.”

The Spartans got production from every part of its lineup on Tuesday.

Adam Smith won the discus, Michael Yeomans won the 800 and Brady Mullen won the 110 hurdles to go with a trio of relay titles for the Spartans.

Solon won the sprint medley, shuttle hurdle and 4×100 relays while racking up 168 points to finish 41 clear of runner-up Mount Vernon.

Regina got individual titles from Carson Jensen in the 400 and Aidan O’Neil in the 3,200 on its way to a fifth-place finish with 51 points.

“We’ve been very blessed over the years to have those guys that can score at the big meets and we have guys that can score but we have more guys that can score throughout our lineup,” Sovers said. “This year and last year are a few of the most complimentary track teams that we’ve had. It’s exciting.”

Smith helped Solon start the meet off strong in the field events.

The junior won the discus with a toss of 146-5 and finished runner-up in the shot put with a mark of 48-1 ½.

Parker Pentico was runner-up in the long jump and Oaken Foster was second in the high jump in a strong day for Solon field events.

The thing that stands out to me is just our field events starting the meet,” Sovers said. “We have kids that get after it in the field events and know how important their role is.”

Yeomans won the 800 in 2:04.03 and Brady Mullen won the 110 hurdles in a time of 16.25 as Solon went 1-2 in the 110 hurdles with sophomore Nash Kottar finishing runner-up.

Kottar and Mullen joined Cole Carney and Charlie Brandt in winning the shuttle hurdle relay in 1:04.98.

“Our hurdle events are really coming together as a whole,” Sovers said. “Our shuttle hurdle team has been really good and the thing about them is they are willing to invest not only in the hurdles but in themselves. It’s some of the best chemistry we’ve had in a hurdle group that I’ve been around.”

The Solon sprint medley relay team of Trin Eidahl, Michael Pipolo, Jeremy Bachus and Blake Timmons won in 1:37.64 while Eidahl, Jake Quillin, Mullen and Oliver Burns won the 4×100 in 50.88.

Jensen won the 400 for Regina in a time of 51.69 and O’Neil won the 3,200 in 9:58.97.

Denny Gruber Relays

At Solon High School

Team scores – 1. Solon 168; 2. Mount Vernon 127; 3. Marion 80; 4. Davenport Assumption 60; 5. North Cedar 53; 6. Regina 51; 7. Vinton-Shellsburg 23; 8. Dyersville Beckman 16

Individual event winners; area placewinners

Shot put – 1. Ethan Thimmes (NC) 48-3 ¾; 2. Adam Smith (SOL) 48-1 ½; 5. Josh Gaffey (ICR) 43-0

Discus – 1. Adam Smith (SOL) 146-5; 3. Ben Kampman (SOL) 137-6; 6. Drew Streb (ICR) 125-6

Long jump – 1. Ty McMellen (NC) 19-10 ½; 2. Parker Pentico (SOL) 19-6 ¾; 5. Jake Quillin (SOL) 18-11 ½

High jump – 1. Johny Amina (NC) 6-0; 2. Oaken Foster

100 – 1. Alex Mota (MAR) 11.47; 3. Michael Pipolo (SOL) 11.79

200 – 1. Angelo Jackson (DA) 23.22; 2. Jeremy Bachus (SOL) 23.45; 3. Carson Jensen (ICR) 23.62; 5. Blake Timmons (SOL) 23.93

400 – 1. Carson Jensen (ICR) 51.68; 2. Jeremy Bachus (SOL) 52.4; 5. Rhyse Wear (SOL) 57.05

800 – 1. Michael Yeomans (SOL) 2:04.03; 3. Ty Becicka (SOL) 2:07.73; 5. Samuel Welter (ICR) 2:29.37

1,600 – 1. Shane Erb (MAR) 4:28.03; 3. Aidan O’Neil (ICR) 4:52.8; 4. Gabe Hinman (SOL) 5:00.62

3,200 – 1. Aidan O’Neil (ICR) 9:58.97; 5. Brick Kabela (SOL) 10:51.91; 6. Samuel Welter (ICR) 11:23.65

110 hurdles – 1. Brady Mullen (SOL) 16.25; 2. Nash Kottar (SOL) 16.83

400 hurdles – 1. Jaxon Sander (NC) 57.28; 3. Oaken Foster (SOL) 1:02.22; 4. Keenan Kruse (SOL) 1:02.89

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Solon 1:04.98

Sprint medley relay – 1. Solon 1:37.64; 3. Regina 1:43.09

Distance medley relay – 1. Marion 3:39.16; 3. Solon 3:50.54

4×100 – 1. Solon 50.88; 5. Regina 53.84

4×200 – 1. Mount Vernon 1:33.36; 2. Solon 1:33.48

4×400 – 1. Mount Vernon 3:30.69; 2. Solon 3:38.35

4×800 – 1. Mount Vernon 8:33.56; 3. Solon 9:03.26

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