State Track Notebook: First State Medal Extra Special for Solon’s Kabela
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – A state medal is a special accomplishment for any athlete.
For Solon junior Brick Kabela securing his first piece of state meet hardware came with a little extra meaning on Thursday.
Kabela finished eighth in the Class 3A 3,200 on Thursday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines to earn the first state medal of his career.
In the process Kabela broke the Solon school record in the 3,200 that was previously held by his father Mike.
The medal from Kabela was part of a strong opening day for the Spartans who racked up 17 points and are second in the 3A team standings trailing day-one leader Pella by 11 points.
Mike Kabela set the Solon 3,200 record of 9:45.2 at the Drake Relays in 1984.
Nearly 40 years later on the same track Kabela’s oldest son broke his record as Brick Kabela finished in 9:44.7 on Thursday.
Pella standout Chase Lauman won the 3A 3,200 title in 9:22.48.
It was an impressive run for Kabela who entered the state meet with the 14th fastest time in 3A this season and had the 23rd fastest time from state qualifying meets last week.
Last season Solon had one medal and scored five points at the state meet.
It took less than half of the opening session for the Spartans to sprint past those marks on Thursday.
Solon had four athletes earn medals while racking up 17 points as Ben Kampman and Adam Smith each posted top-eight finishes in the discus and Jeremey Bachus earned a medal in the 400 for the second consecutive season.
Kampman finished third in the discus with a toss of 178-5 while Smith was fourth in 169-0.
Dubuque Wahlert senior Duke Faley won the 3A discus with a 3A state meet record toss of 195-1 that ranks 11th all time.
Bachus finished fifth in the 400 in a time of 49.33.
- West High senior Meena Tate who will play basketball next season at Dartmouth, finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Class 4A high jump on Thursday. In her first season of prep track Tate joined Lyla Canny of Cedar Rapids Prairie and Sydney Skarich of North Scott in a tie at fourth clearing 5-2
- The combined attendance between both sessions on Thursday was 14,308 the most ever at the state meet. The attendance mark broke the previous record of 13,811 set in 2019.
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