Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

SOLON – Coaches preach all the time to athletes that if they work hard and do things the right way the results will follow.

Solon track and field coach Mark Sovers has stressed that to his teams for years.

Senior Adam Smith followed his coaches instructions and his reward came in the most memorable of ways on Tuesday.

Smith set personal best marks in both the discus and shot put on Tuesday winning both events to help Solon edge Mount Vernon for the team title at the Denny Gruber Relays at Solon High School.

“It’s good to see good things happen to good people,” Sovers said. “Seeing that investment in somebody pay off is great.”

In his final home meet, an event named for Smith’s grandfather, Smith came up with the best performance of his career to date.

He won the shot put with a career-best toss of 50-0 and added a win in the discus with a career-best mark of 159-3.

“It felt great, this meet is named after my grandpa so it felt really cool to do well,” Smith said. “He was really happy for me too so that was really cool.”

Smith joined junior Brick Kabela as two-event champions for Solon as the Spartans won six individual events and a pair of relay titles.

Solon finished with 159 points to edge Mount Vernon by two points for the team title.

Marion was third with 85 points and Davenport Assumption was fourth with 60 while Regina finished eighth with 22 points.

“Adam is such a good kid, he invested in the weight room and what (assistant coach) Brad (Wymer) is telling him in the rings,” Sovers said. “It’s fun to watch it pay off his senior year and then at his home meet that is named after his grandpa it makes it even better.”

Smith secured his winning throw in the shot put on his second to last attempt to just edge North Cedar junior Ethan Thimmes who finished second with a mark of 49-11 ¼.

“I’ve had a couple of big throws in practice but I couldn’t get it consistently down,” Smith said. “I’m starting to be able to throw 49 or 50 feet in practice and to be finally to be able to do it in a meet, especially a home meet where I practice all the time it felt great.”

Smith carried the momentum from the shot put into the discus ring where his winning throw of 159-3 was more than six feet better than teammate Ben Kampman who was second with a toss of 153.

“It’s always good to go into one energized and with a good mindset,” Smith said. “I’ve been practicing and practicing and have started to get more consistent so I was due for a big throw.”

The big day from Smith and his throwing mates combined with some solid efforts on the track were enough for Solon to hold off Mount Vernon for the team title.

Kabela won the 1,600 in 4:44.59 and added a win in the 3,200 in 10:14.89 and Michael Yeomans won the 800 in 2:05.56.

Blake Timmons won the 200 in 22.76 and Solon added titles in the distance medley and shuttle hurdle relays.

“These last two weeks have been a lot and it’s starting to take a toll on us a little bit physically and I think a little mental and it was good to see them regroup because things did not go perfect tonight by any means,” Sovers said. “Sometimes that’s what you want to see too is when things don’t go perfect are you going to stay true to what you believe in or are you just going to let it go. Their response mattered and you could see that tonight.”

In addition to Kampman finishing runner-up in the discus Oaken Foster was second in the high jump and junior Keenan Kruse was second in the 400 hurdles.

“There was some very positive stuff and I tell them all the time you have to focus on the positive,” Sovers said. “You can’t dwell on what’s going on and we did have some really good stuff tonight from Blake to Keenan to our throws. Our shuttle hurdle and our distance medley were good. If you let your energy go to the positive things those things will stand out and not get lost.”

Denny Gruber Relays

At Solon

Team scores – 1. Solon 159; 2. Mount Vernon 157; 3. Marion 85; 4. Davenport Assumption 60; 5. Vinton-Shellsburg 51; 6. North Cedar 27; 7. Dyersville Beckman 24; 8. Regina 22

Individual results (event winners; area placewinners)

Discus – 1. Adam Smith (SOL) 159-3; 2. Ben Kampman (SOL) 153-0; 4. Drew Streb (ICR) 127-7

Shot put – 1. Adam Smith (SOL) 50-0; 3. Marcus Richard (SOL) 46-3; 4. Drew Streb (ICR) 44-2 ¼;

Long jump – 1. Alex Mota (MAR) 20-4

High jump – 1. Johny Amina (NC) 6-4; 2. Oaken Foster (SOL) 6-2; 6. Gavin Wisman (SOL) 5-2

100 – 1. Alex Mota (MAR) 11.24; 3. Jackson Naeve (ICR) 11.8; 6. Milo Ashbacker (SOL) 12.08

200 – 1. Blake Timmons (SOL) 22.76; 4. Jeremy Bachus (SOL) 23.26; 5. Jackson Naeve (ICR) 23.66

400 – 1. Jensen Meeker (MV) 49.44; 3. Jeremy Bachus (SOL) 50.96; 4. Rhett Mesch (SOL) 52.64; 6. Samuel Welter (ICR) 1:00.17

800 – 1. Michael Yeomans (SOL) 2:05.56

1,600 – 1. Brick Kabela (SOL) 4:44.59

3,200 – 1. Brick Kabela (SOL) 10:14.89; 6. Colin Bumsted (SOL) 11:22.16

110 hurdles – 1. Miles Francois (MV) 17.25; 5. Benjamin Duckett (SOL) 18.59

400 hurdles – 1. Ryne Moeller (MV) 58.43; 2. Keenan Kruse (SOL) 58.58; 3. Charlie Brandt (SOL) 1:00.78

Sprint medley relay – 1. Mount Vernon 1:40.63

Distance medley relay – 1. Solon (Knipper, Timmons, Yeomans, Bumsted) 3:38.6

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Solon (Brandt, Carney, Kruse, Kotar) 1:04.48

4×100 – 1. Mount Vernon 43.36; 3. Solon (Moore, Ashbacker, White, Knight) 44.59; 4. Regina (Jensen, Olney, Daniel, Naeve) 45.64

4×200 – 1. Mount Vernon 1:32.69; 3. Solon (Moore, Ashbacker, Schade, Knight) 1:34.67; 6. Regina (Ingalls, Olney, Olney, Daniel) 1:42.88

4×400 – 1. 1. Mount Vernon 3:24.6; 3. Solon (Mesch, Kruse, Bumsted, Knipper) 3:33.64

4×800 – 1. Mount Vernon 8:13.46; 3. Solon (Shipley, Applegarth, Michels, Kabela) 9:02.32;

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