Jacobsen Headlines Strong Second Day for West High at State Track and Field Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – Aidan Jacobsen added one of the few things missing from his prep track and field resume on Friday afternoon – an individual title.
In the moments after claiming his first individual title in the 400 hurdles the West High senior standout cared only about one thing – his team.
“That’s 10 points for the team,” Jacobsen said. “That’s what we needed. I would have liked to have run faster but that’s 10 points we needed and I’m glad I could get that.”
An impressive afternoon from Jacobsen highlighted a strong day from West High in which the Trojans scored in all five events and vaulted themselves back into the Class 4A team title.
Jacobsen won the 400 hurdles and added a runner-up finish in the long jump helping West High climb to fourth in a tight 4A team race.
West Des Moines Dowling and Ankeny are tied atop the 4A boys team race with 52 points followed by Cedar Falls with 37 and West High with 36.
“10 points is 10 points and we needed 10 points,” Jacobsen said. “It’s all about the team.”
It was a big individual effort from Jacobsen that pushed the Trojans into team contention.
The Drake Relays champion in the 400 hurdles last month and a multi-time relay state champ Jacobsen won the 400 hurdles in a 52.85 for his first individual title.
“This was kind of the one thing I was missing,” Jacobsen said. “I had the Drake flag, I had relay titles and all that I just needed the individual so I finally got it. It feels great.”
Jacobsen couldn’t eclipse his career-best time of 52.03 that he set at the Drake Relays last month but he was nearly a full second in front of runner-up Jaxon Schreiber of Cedar Falls who finished in 53.71.
“It feels really good,” Jacobsen said. “I get to have a plaque in our hall of fame and that never goes away so it’s good to have that.”
Jacobsen just missed earning his first state title an hour early in the long jump.
The senior finished runner-up with a career-best leap of 22-11 ¾.
Cedar Rapids Prairie junior T.Y. Pour won the long jump with a leap of 23-4 ½.
“That was an event we weren’t supposed to score anything in so I was going to be happy with a top-eight,” Jacobsen said. “Eight points is really big for us, especially in a place we weren’t supposed to get it so it felt great.”
West High earned points in three other events on Friday highlighted by a third-place finish from the Trojans’ 4×200 team.
The foursome of Todd Rent, Mason Woods, Julian Manson and Izaiah Loveless was third in 1:27.17.
West High was fifth in the distance medley as Rent, Woods, Sam Showers and Moustafa Tiea finished in 3:28.54.
Sophomore Colin Whitters continued a strong postseason with a seventh-place finish in the shot put with a mark of 51-3 ¾.
Boys Results
Class 4A State Meet
At Drake Stadium in Des Moines
Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. West Des Moines Dowling 52; 1. Ankeny 52; 3. Cedar Falls 37; 4. West High 36; 5. North Scott 18; 5. Cedar Rapids Prairie 18; 5. Davenport West 18; 8. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 15; 9. Johnston 14; 10. Ankeny Centennial 12; 29. Liberty High 1
Individual results (Event winner; area participants)
Distance medley – 1. Ankeny 3:24.56; 5. West High (Todd Rent, Mason Woods, Sam Showers, Moustafa Tiea) 3:28.54; 11. Liberty High (Brayden Bell, Cale Baldwin, Carter Meyers, Aidan Decker) 3:32.29
400 hurdles – 1. Aidan Jacobsen (West High) 52.85; 14. Phillip Kaplan (City High) 56.4; 19. Waleed Ibrahim (West High) 57.24
4×200 – 1. Ankeny Centennial 1:26.2; 3. West High (Todd Rent, Mason Woods, Julian Manson, Izaiah Loveless) 1:27.17; 21. City High (Jermaine Holmes, Deon Brown, Phillip Kaplan, Jeremiah Madlock) 1:31.18
Long jump – 1. T.Y. Pour (Cedar Rapids Prairie) 23-4 ½; 2. Aidan Jacobsen (West High) 22-11 ¾; 12. Isaac Washpun (City High) 21-1 ½; 18. Damari Lacy (West High) 20-6 ½
Shot put – 1. Nathan Rotherham (West Des Moines Dowling) 59-0 ½; 7. Colin Whitters (West High) 51-3 ¾; 8. Brady Cannon (Liberty High) 51-4 1/2; 11. Kendall Woodson (West High) 48-7 ¾ 19. Jalyn Ford (City High) 47-7 ¼
Girls Results
Class 4A State Meet
At Drake Stadium in Des Moines
Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Waukee Northwest 47; 2. Pleasant Valley 43; 3. Johnston 36; 4. Dubuque Hempstead 23; 5. Linn-Mar 22; 6. Ankeny 19; 6. West Des Moines Valley 19; 8. Ames 17; 9. Ottumwa 16; 9. Waukee 16; 15. Liberty High 9; 24. City High 4; 26. West High 2
Individual results (Event winner; area participants)
Distance medley – 1. Dubuque Hempstead 4:00.21; 20. West High (Natalie Steva, Erinn Varga, Jaylin Herring, Kate Van Waning) 4:24.23; 22. Liberty High (Haley Schroeder, Olivia Meyer, Marissa Becker, Averie Bilskemper) 4:27.99
400 hurdles – 1. Avery Winter (Waukee Northwest) 1:02.11; 7. Erinn Varga (West High) 1:06.21; 19. Ivy Nuro Gyina (Liberty High) 1:08.07
4×200 – 1. Waukee Northwest 1:39.15
Long jump – 1. Abby Mecklenburg (Linn-Mar) 18-2 ¼; 4. Alexi Thigpen (Liberty High) 17-7 ¼; 10. Ruth Cloyd (City High) 16-9
Shot put – 1. Kylee Hill (Burlington) 45-2 ½; 7. Jolie Nordell (Liberty High) 37-6; 9. Helen Penning (West High) 37-5; 10. Rachel Haack (City High) 37-4 ¼
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