Your Prep Sports Area Girls Track and Field Athletes to Watch This Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
With the first date of competition last week the track and field season is officially underway.
The opening day of the 2023 State Track and Field meet is less than eight weeks away with the three-day state meet opening on May 18 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
In less than seven weeks state meet spots will be up for grabs at state qualifying meets scheduled to be held across the state on May 11.
Between now and then the Your Prep Sports area once again figures to be home to some of the best track teams and most exciting individual performers in the state.
Here are 10 Your Prep Sports area track and field athletes to watch this season all the way through the state meet.
Ani Wedemeyer
Sophomore, City High
Among the top freshman performers in the state a year ago Wedemeyer burst onto the high school scene with a stellar debut season that concluded with four state medals including a pair of first-place finishes.
Wedemeyer earned a pair of individual medals winning the 4A state title in the 800 in a time of 2:11.99 and adding a third-place finish in the 400 in a time of 57.84.
The freshman standout also was a part of the City High 4×400 relay team that won a state title in a time of 3:52.72 and the Little Hawk’s distance medley relay team that was runner-up in 4A in a time of 4:07.1.
Gracie Federspiel
Junior, Solon
One of the keys to Solon state title run in Class 3A last season Federspiel is coming off an strong sophomore season in which she placed in the top four in four events at the state meet.
Federspiel helped Solon to a pair of relay state titles last season on its way to the 3A team title running on the Spartans’ winning 4×800 and 4×400 relay teams.
Also a member of the Solon state qualifying cross country team, Federspiel finished fourth in the 400 in a time of 58.08 and was a member of the Spartan sprint medley relay team that placed fourth.
Silvana Kabolo
Senior, Clear Creek Amana
Among the top hurdlers in the state Kabolo will look to add to her career medal haul after earning two medals at the 3A state meet a year ago.
Kabolo finished sixth in the 100 hurdles in a time of 15.44 and anchored the Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle relay team to its second consecutive 3A title in a time of 1:05.9.
Also a member of the Clippers’ state qualifying 4×100 relay team Kabolo will be a key piece for a Clear Creek Amana team that is set up for its best season in recent history.
Bliss Beck
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
Among the more versatile all-around athletes in the area, Beck is a four-sport standout that showed her versatility during track and field season last spring.
A three-event state qualifier, Beck finished eighth in the high jump at the 3A state meet clearing 5-0.
She was also a member of the Clipper 4×400 relay team that placed 14th in 4:10.66 and competed on the distance medley relay team that finished 17th.
Sophia Stahle
Senior, Solon
A huge key in the recent team success for Solon has been the strength of its relay teams.
Last season Stahle was a part of three Spartan relays that posted top-four finishes at the Class 3A state meet and once again figures to be an integral part of another loaded Solon relay group.
Stahle was a member of the Solon 4×200 relay team that finished third at the state meet in a time of 1:43.04 and was part of the Spartans’ sprint medley and shuttle hurdle relay squads that each finished fourth.
In her lone individual event at the state meet last season Stahle finished third in the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:04.86 and will enter the season as one of the state title favorites in the event this season.
Iva Senio
Senior, West Branch
Senio is looking for a strong finish to her prep career and is coming off a strong indoor season this spring.
A member of the West Branch 4×200 relay team that returns all four members this season after finishing 20th at the 2A state meet in a time of 1:50.92, Senio appears poised for a big season.
Senior posted top 20 finishes at the indoor Dickinson Relays earlier this month in both the 60 and 200 in fields of more than 170 runners.
Erinn Varga
Junior, West High
Already a two-time top-10 finisher in the 400 hurdles Varga will look to build on a strong junior season in which she secured her first individual state medal.
After finishing 10th in the 400 hurdles as a freshman Varga placed fifth last season at the 4A state meet in a time of 1:05.89.
A three-event qualifier a year ago, Varga also finished 19th in the 400 in a time of 1:01.85 and was a member of the West High 4×400 relay team that qualified for state.
Eva Reynolds
Senior, City High
A breakout star at the state meet last season, Reynolds will look to build upon her strong junior season this spring.
A four-event qualifier a year ago, Reynolds secured three state medals and was a part of the City High 4×400 relay that won the 4A state title in a time of 3:52.72.
Reynolds also finished seventh in the 400 hurdles in 1:06.49 and helped the City High distance medley relay team to a runner-up finish in 4:07.1.
She was also a part of the City High sprint medley relay team that qualified for state.
Cori Mac
Junior, Liberty High
Mac will look to continue what has already become a strong tradition of distance runners at Liberty High that began with former state champion Ashlyn Keeney and Mac’s older sister Cami.
The younger Mac is coming off a sophomore season in which she showed she can compete with the best, posting a 14th place finish in the 3,000 at the 4A state meet in a time of 10:59.25.
Look for Mac to make a big move up this season as an upperclassman.
Alyssa Pierce
Sophomore, West Branch
Big things are expected of Pierce this season after she was one of only three freshmen to qualify for the Class 2A state meet in the shot put last season.
Pierce finished 21st at the state meet with a toss of 32-8 ¾ after recording a toss of 37-4 at the Class 2A state qualifying meet.
The leader of the West Branch throwing group look for Pierce to take a big step forward this season.
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