Breaking Down the Your Prep Sports Area Teams at the Class 2A State Track and Field Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The high school track and field season has hit the home stretch.
The three-day state track and field meet gets underway at 9 a.m. on Thursday at Drake Stadium and concludes on Saturday afternoon.
Before the action gets rolling in and around the track at Drake Stadium Your Prep Sports will take a look at every area team competing in Des Moines this week.
We start with a look at the teams taking part in the Class 2A meet.
Boys
Regina
Individual event entries qualified: Three (200; 1,600; discus)
Relays qualified: Four (4×100; 4×200; 4×400; sprint medley)
Athlete to watch: Sophomore Edwin Gangba can put a big-time exclamation point on what has already been a breakthrough season with a strong showing at the state meet.
Gangba has the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the 200 at 22.6 and is a part of three state-bound Regal relay teams all with top-14 qualifying times.
Gangba is a member of the Regal 4×100 team that has the sixth fastest time, the 4×200 squad with the seventh-fastest time from state qualifying meets and the sprint medley team seeded 14th.
Relay to watch: The Regals can certainly make noise in the 4×100 relay but perhaps the best opportunity for Regina to climb the standings is in the 4×200.
The foursome of Gangba, Jackson Naeve, Alex Jensen and Michael Martin clocked the sixth fastest time at qualifying meets with a 1:31.63 which ranks as the eighth fastest time in 2A this season.
Outlook: Regina will look to finish off an impressive season of growth with a strong state meet showing.
Samuel Welter (1,600) and Drew Streb (discus) join Gangba as individual qualifiers but the best chance for Regina to take home hardware is in the relays.
In addition to the 4×100, 4×200 and sprint medley the Regals qualified in the 4×400 which has the 21st fastest qualifying time.
West Branch
Individual event entries qualified: One (long jump)
Relays qualified: One (distance medley)
Athlete to watch: Senior Auron Marsh is the lone individual qualifier for the Bears after winning the long jump title at the state qualifier last week.
The winning jump of 20-5 for Marsh last week was the 16th best at a state qualifier and marked a significant improvement for the senior who will look to build on that performance at the state meet.
Relay to watch: West Branch qualified just one relay for state meet but has a chance to do some damage in the distance medley.
The foursome of Conner Capper, Brandon Pedersen, Lincoln Naber and Joe Hamann ran a 3:38.85 at the state qualifier last week, good for the 11th best qualifying time and 12th best in 2A this season.
The state qualifying meet time was nearly three seconds faster than the previous best for the group with came a week earlier at the River Valley Conference meet.
Outlook: West Branch has taken strides as a program this season but takes just two events to Des Moines this week.
If Marsh and the distance medley relay team can continue to make the improvements they have at recent meets it could be a productive weekend for the Bears despite their limited number of participants.
Girls
Regina
Individual event entries qualified: Four (200; 1,500; 100 hurdles; high jump)
Relays qualified: Three (4×100; 4×200; 4×800)
Athlete to watch: Sophomore Reese Naeve is a four-event qualifier and enters with top-eight qualifying marks in a pair of individual events.
Naeve is eighth in both the 100 hurdles (15.77) and high jump (5-1) and is a member of the Regal shuttle hurdle relay team and 4×100 relay team.
Multiple medals this weekend are within reach for Naeve who was a multi-event qualifier last season as a freshman.
Relay to watch: The Regina shuttle hurdle relay team is coming on at the right time.
The Regal foursome of Alli Clark, Ella Keune, Morgan Miller and Naeve ran a 1:08.09 last week at the state qualifying meet, good for the fifth fastest time in 2A this season.
Regina is less than two seconds off the pace set by 2A leader Ridge View who has run 1:06.61 this season.
Outlook: Last season Regina qualified seven entries over six different events for the Class 1A state meet.
The Regals have built on those number this spring in its return to Class 2A.
Regina qualified eight event entries including four relays this season after sending three relays to state last season.
Ruby Greving has the 12th fastest qualifying time in the 1,500 and Regina has the 14th fastest qualifying time in the 4×100.
West Branch
Individual event entries qualified: Three (800; 1,500; Shot put)
Relays qualified: One (distance medley)
Athlete to watch: Freshman Grace Hamann has burst onto the scene this season and will look to continue her immediate impact on the West Branch program at the state meet this week.
Hamann is a three-event qualifier, earning spots at the state meet in the 800 and 1,600 and running the anchor on the distance medley relay team.
The freshman standout has the third fastest 800 time in 2A this season at 2:21.33 and owns the seventh fastest time in the 1,500 at 4:53.37.
Relay to watch: The Bears bring one relay to Des Moines this week but it has a chance to be in the medal hunt.
The West Branch distance medley team of Addi Schultes, Kennedy Simpson, Lexi Skay and Hamann has the eighth fastest time in Class 2A this season at 4:23.2.
Outlook: A year after qualifying six entries over five events the Bears have four entries this season but have a serious shot at earning a medal in all four.
Hamann is a medal candidate in both of her individual events as is junior Alyssa Pierce who is a three-time state qualifier in the shot put and has the fourth best qualifying mark at 41-1 ¾.
If West Branch can snag a few medals this weekend it will be a strong finish to what has been another solid season for the Bears.
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