Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – The final prep track season for Eva Reynolds couldn’t have started much worse.

The day before practice started Reynolds broke her collarbone in a skiing accident.

When the City High senior finally returned to the track she trained her quadricep.

“It was tough,” Reynolds said of the early injuries. “I just wanted to get back out there.”

On Friday Reynolds got a finish better than she ever could have imagined.

Reynolds finished runner-up in the 400 hurdles on Friday in a career-best time of 1:03.36 on the second day of the Class 4A state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“I honestly never expected this,” Reynolds said. “I was injured a lot of this season and I was excited to get back into hurdles and I wanted to see my times keep dropping and I had a big pr today so I am happy with that.”

Reynolds was seventh in the 400 hurdles at the state meet last season in a time of 1:06.49.

Once she got past her early injuries Reynolds continued to see that time drop during her final prep season.

She ran a then career-best 1:05.11 at the state qualifying meet last week.

In the final 400 hurdle race of her career Reynolds had her best time ever by nearly a full two seconds.

“Last year I placed seventh and I was pretty disappointed in that and I wanted to continue to improve,” Reynolds said. “I can’t believe what I was able to do today. I’m really happy.”

Reynolds finished behind only Ames senior Ali Frandsen who won in a time of 1:01.98 that tied for 18^th best in state history.

Reynolds held off a late charge from Waukee Northwest sophomore Avery Winter who finished third in 1:03.43.

“I didn’t see her until right at the end and I couldn’t tell if I got second or third,” Reynolds said. “Sometimes I can hear people but I didn’t hear her and I was aiming for second but I looked ont eh clock and I saw I got second so I was happy with that.”

The runner-up finish was the second medal of the day for Reynolds who was part of the City High distance medley relay team that finished fourth in 4:06.46.

Reynolds ran the 400-meter third leg on the medley team that was anchored by sophomore standout Ani Wedemeyer.

“I definitely felt like my hardest 800 of the year. I needed to get out fast, I knew that because I wanted to try to catch Ankeny,” Wedemeyer said. “I needed to push myself especially in the first lap, I’ve been trying to get out faster and I’ve been working on it in practice so I was trying to do that.”

City High clocked its time of 4:06.46 in the second of three heats, finishing behind only runner-up Ankeny (4:05.69) in the second heat.

Dubuque Hempstead won the distance medley relay in 4:05.27.

“I knew going in it was going to be different and I had to change some things to try to adapt to that,” Wedemeyer said. “I knew I needed to go through the 200 and the 400 just to set me up for that last lap to put us in the running for a good place.”

GIRLS

Class 4A

State Track and Field Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Team scores (top 10; area teams) – 1. Waukee Northwest 43; 2. Ankeny 42; 3. Pleasant Valley 38; 4. Ames 25; 5. West Des Moines Dowling 23; 6. Johnston 18; 7. Dubuque Hempstead 14; 7. Ankeny Centennial 14; 7. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 14; 10. West Des Moines Valley 13; 10. City High 13

Individual events (winner; area participants)

Long jump – 1. Jaeden Pratt (Ankeny Centennial) 18-1; 3. Alexi Thigpen (Liberty High) 17-5 ¾; 4. Jasmine Barney (Liberty High) 17-4 ½; 16. Meena Tate (West High) 16-3 ¼; 19. Emily Arling (City High) 16-1 ½; 23. Ruth Cloyd (City High) 15-8

Shot put – 1. Mackenzie Fah (Pleasant Valley) 41-3 ¾; 11. Helen Penning (West High) 36-2 ½; 19. Jolie Nordell (Liberty High) 33-7 ½

400 hurdles – 1. Ali Frandsen (Ames) 1:01.98; 2. Eva Reynolds (City High) 1:03.36; 9. Erinn Varga (West High) 1:06.91

4×200 – 1. Waukee Northwest 1:41.28; 12. Liberty High (Amira Coleman, Jasmine Barney, Natalie Ramsey, Alexi Thigpen) 1:45.23; 22. City High (Sierra Pruessner, Josephine LeClair, Lucy Thompson, Ruth Cloyd) 1:48.01

Distance medley – 1. Dubuque Hempstead 4:05.27; 4. City High (Ruth Cloyd, Josephine LeClair, Eva Reynolds, Ani Wedemeyer) 4:06.46; 13. Liberty High (Hannah Ramsey, Natalie Ramsey, Malia Taylor, Cori Mac) 4:20.1

Class 1A

Team scores (top 10; area teams) – 1. AGWSR 24; 2. Peki 21; 3. Calamus-Wheatland 20; 4. Lawton-Bronson 16; 4. Grand View Christian 16; 6. Algona Garrigan 15; 6. Nashua-Plainfield 15; 8. Council Bluffs St. Albert 14; 8. South Winneshiek 14; 8. Don Bosco 8

Individual events (winner; area participants)

High jump – 1. Jaden Gatts (Midland) 5-5

Discus – 1. Anna Hadley (Pekin) 134-10; 13. Sydney Wagner (Regina) 103-9

400 hurdles – 1. Nia Howard (Springville) 1:04.9

4×200 – 1. Riverside 1:46.13

Distance medley – 1. Calamus-Wheatland 4:10.65

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