Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – The first state track experience for Carson Jensen came as a fan.

Watching from the stands at Drake Stadium in Des Moines Jensen saw his older brother living out the state track and field meet he wanted for himself.

Jensen remembers Regina qualifying a lot of events that season, earning medals and breaking school records.

That is what Jensen wanted when he started his prep track career.

While that is not the exact experience Jensen has had the past two years it is still what he wants for Regina as his career winds down this week in Des Moines.

“We had nobody qualify when I was a freshman and that was a wakeup call that we had to get this back to where it was,” Jensen explained on Thursday. “My brother graduated in 2017 and they had a whole team here, he was running on four relays and setting school records and we need to get it back to that and build this thing up.”

Regina didn’t have a qualifier on the track in Jensen’s freshman season in 2019 and sent just one athlete to the state meet in senior thrower Luke Stein.

That stood out to Jensen.

“My freshman year nobody, not a single runner qualified for state,” Jensen said. “That was a huge wakeup call and something that we had to change.”

The pandemic cancelled the 2020 season but Jensen got Regina a state qualifier in 2021.

Himself.

The lone Regina qualifier last season Jensen finished seventh in the 400.

This season Jensen is back at state and earned a second consecutive medal in the 400 with a seventh-place finish on Thursday.

But that individual achievement is secondary for Jensen who wants to build the program at Regina back up beginning by getting more athletes with him to state this year.

“Track is a big individual sport but obviously coming down here and you see the teams, all the relays, and I didn’t want to be here alone again,” Jensen said. “I didn’t care so much individually about going in the 400, I did that last, I wanted to get my brother here, I wanted to get other guys here. It’s a team sport and you have to care about the team.”

Jensen did his job.

He finished seventh in the 400 on Thursday in a career-best time of 50.55.

He was seventh in 50.81 last season.

“It feels great,” Jensen said. “To see that hard work pay off. It’s not three months of work. It’s all summer putting in work, going over to City High and working with other coaches. Using all the coaches you have to try to get better.”

Regina hasn’t risen as far as Jensen had hoped this season but the program is certainly moving forward.

Sophomore Aidan O’Neil earned a medal on Thursday with an eighth-place finish in the 3,200 in 10:08.25 and will run the 1,600 on Saturday.

Jensen will run the 800 on Saturday and is a part of the Regals state qualifying sprint medley relay team.

We are taking strides for sure,” Jensen said. “We have guys working hard. O’Neil works hard. We knew he was going to get here. He works hard and he’s going to be great.

Jensen is pleased with the progress the program has made this season but wants more even after he is gone.

“I talked today to the seventh and eighth graders today and told them this is a great sport and we have to keep getting kids out and improving,” Jensen said. “We are just trying to build the program to get better.”

Solon’s Bachus Picks Up Medal

Solon junior Jeremy Bachus picked the perfect time for the best race of his career.

Bachus clocked a personal best time of 49.74 to finish fourth in the Class 3A 400 on Thursday.

Washington senior Elijah Morris won the 400 title in 48.96 while Karl Miller of Pella was second in 49.48 and River Patterson of Fairfield was third in 49.65.

Bachus entered with the seventh fastest time in 3A this season at 50.51.

Class 3A Boys State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Washington 23; 2. Dallas Center-Grimes 21; 3. Pella 20.5; 4. Newton 20; 5. Western Dubuque 15; 6. Dubuque Wahlert 10; 6. Charles City 10; 8. MOC-Floyd Valley 9; 9. North Polk 8; 9. Marion 8; 13. Solon 5

State champions; area participants

400 – 1. Elijah Morris (Washington) 48.96; 4. Jeremy Bachus (Solon) 49.74

3,200 – 1. Aidan Ramsey (Dallas Center-Grimes) 9:22.64

4×800 – 1. Western Dubuque 7:59.41

High jump – 1. Ian Collins (Charles City) 6-9

Discus – 1. Duke Faley (Dubuque Wahlert) 165-9

Class 2A Boys State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Des Moines Christian 18; 2. Grundy Center 16; 3. Clarinda 13; 4. Jesup 12; 5. Tipton 10; 5. Hinton 10; 5. Spirit Lake 10; 8. Underwood 9; 9. South Hamilton 8; 9. Pella Christian 8; 9. Roland-Story 8; 22. Regina 3

State champions; area participants

400 – 1. Qai Hussey (Spirit Lake) 47.83; 7. Carson Jensen (Regina) 50.55

3,200 – 1. Carson Houg (Des Moines Christian) 9:36.9; 8. Aidan O’Neil (Regina) 10:08.25

4×800 – 1. Tipton 8:08.83

Shot put – 1. Carson Lienau (Jesup) 58-9 ½

Long jump – 1. Beau DeRocher (Hinton) 22-4 ¾

Class 2A Girls State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Mid-Prairie 25; 2. Clear Lake 19; 3. Van Meter 14; 3. Denver 14; 5. Osage 10; 6. West Lyon 9; 6. Carroll Kuemper 9; 8. Tipton 8; 8. Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central 8; 8. West Liberty 8; 8. Underwood 8; Clarinda 8

State champions; area participants

400 – 1. Mitzi Evans (Mid-Prairie) 56.36; 21. Peyton Naeve (Regina) 1:03.58

3,000 – 1. Danielle Hostetler (Mid-Prairie) 10:27.77; 12. Natalie Franklin (Regina) 11:43.17

4×800 – 1. Van Meter 9:33.48

Shot put – 1. Sydney Eggena (Denver) 44-0 1/2; 21. Alyssa Pierce (West Branch) 32-8 ¾

Long jump – 1. Reese Brownlee (Clear Lake) 18-7

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