Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Over the first several weeks of the season the City High girls track team showed steady improvement.

Just how far have the Little Hawks come over a short amount of time?

Look no further than Wednesday’s Forwald/Coleman Relays to gauge the early-season growth.

A year after placing sixth at its home meet with 70 points last season City High more than doubled its scoring output in a runner-up finish at the 52^nd edition of the Forwald/Coleman Relays on a sunny afternoon at Raffensperger Track in Iowa City.

“Our first three meets we were scoring 100 points and either winning or getting second which surprised everybody and now they know that they are good and we can compete for a conference title in a few weeks and then a district title and then see what we can do at state,” City High coach Joe Graf said. “The girls are starting to buy in and now we just have to figure out where to plug the pieces and put them in the right spots.”

City High won three events and finished runner-up in four others on Wednesday while racking up 142 points to finish 39 points behind team champ Pleasant Valley.

Freshman Maeve Bowen-Burt and junior Abigail Burns won individual titles and the Little Hawks won the sprint medley relay to finish 25 points in front of third-place West Des Moines Valley.

Linn-Mar was fourth with 102 points followed by West High with 65.

“I’m really happy with what we did today,” Burns said. “It’s a really big improvement from last season and I am really happy with the team we have.”

Burns won the 800 in a time of 2:20.11 and was part of the Little Hawk 4×800 relay team that finished third and 4×400 squad that placed fourth.

“This year I wanted to focus more 400 and 800s more and really cutting down my 800 time,” Burns said. “I feel like I have each meet consistently cut down a second or two.”
Bowen-Burt joined Burns as an individual champ, winning the 400 in a time of 1:00.5.

The freshman standout also anchored the City High sprint medley relay team that also included Cooper Hamilton, Janiah Newell and Ellie Fraga to a title in 1:50.53.

“It was really fun and I just feel really lucky that I could be here,” Bowen-Burt said. “I’ve wanted to run at this meet since seventh grade so I just feel just really lucky.”

City High got runner-up finishes in each throwing event as Rachel Haack was runner-up in the shot put (40-11 ½) and Hannah Braun was runner-up in the discus (124-0).

The Little Hawks had a top-five finish in all four field events and had two athletes in the top eight in both throwing events and the high jump.

Braun was fourth in the shot put and Haack was fifth in the discus.

“The field events are a huge part of it,” Graf said. “Hannah and Rachel are both great in the throws and they’ve been awesome.”

Nina Peterson added a runner-up finish in the 3,000 in 10:30.03 while sister Nicole was fourth and the City High distance medley relay team of Betsy Wolfe, Josephine LeClair, Esther Oyunge and Calissa Fruin was runner-up in 4:33.16.

“The biggest thing is just putting girls in the right spots and they do all the work,” Graf said. “It’s kind of the same team as last year and the continuity of the group is good. We are just plugging the pieces in and we’ve been very impressed with them.”

West High got an individual title from Amara MacLagan who won the long jump with a leap of 16-11 ¾ and the Trojan 4×100 relay team of Miracle Stewart, MacLagan, Evelyn Cornish and Natalie Steva won in 50.61.

Forwald/Coleman Relays

At Raffensperger Track in Iowa City

Team scores – 1. Pleasant Valley 181; 2. City High 142; 3. West Des Moines Valley 117; 4. Linn-Mar 102; 5. West High 65; 6. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 56.5; 7. Liberty High 37.5; 8. Waukee 26

Individual results (event winners; area placewinners)

High jump – 1. Claire Lorenz (L-M) 5-1 ¼; 3. Alice Edelen (ICH) 5-1 ½; 4. Evelyn Cornish (ICW) 4-11 ½; 5. Sophia Austen (ICW) 4-9 ¼; 7. Greta Daniels (ICL) 4-7 ¼; 7. Kaitlin Loria (ICH) 4-7 ¼

Long jump – 1. Amara MacLagan (ICW) 16-11 ¾; 5. Ellie Fraga (ICH) 16-3; 8. Ava Bruxvoort (ICW) 14-6 ¾

Shot put – 1. Mackenzie Fah (PV) 43-3; 2. Rachel Haack (ICH) 40-11 ½; 4. Hannah Braun (ICH) 35-9 ¼; 6. Sydney Van Heukelom (ICL) 33-9 ¼;

Discus – 1. Gabrielle Ragins (PV) 135-2; 2. Hannah Braun (ICH) 124-0; 5. Rachel Haack (ICH) 115-7; 8. Sydney Van Heukelom (ICL) 101-1

100 – 1. Abby Mecklenburg (L-M) 12.6; 4. Ellie Fraga (ICH) 13.01; 5. Alexi Thigpen (ICL) 13.1; 7. Natalie Steva (ICW) 13.38

200 – 1. Sarah White (L-M) 26.4; 7. Savannah Graham (ICW) 28.32

400 – 1. Maeve Bowen-Burt (ICH) 1:00.5; 4. Noelle Schnoebelen (ICH) 1:03.43; 5. Sophia Austen (ICW) 1:05.8;

800 – 1. Abigail Burns (ICH) 2:20.11; 6. Averie Bilskemper (ICL) 2:29.44; 7. Claire Locher (ICH) 2:34.02 8. Nora Brown (ICL) 2:38.17

1,500 – 1. Hailey Kozloski (L-M) 4:57; 4. Eliza Doster (ICH) 5:05.08; 6. Nicole Peterson (ICH) 5:12.47

3,000 – 1. Maddie Millage (PV) 10:21.94; 2. Nina Peterson (ICH) 10:30.03; 4. Nicole Peterson (ICH) 10:41.03; 8. Kalli Titus (ICW) 12:14.49

100 hurdles – 1. Emma Havighurst (WDV) 14.24; 3. Sophia Olivo (ICW) 15.31; 5. Ivy Nuro-Gyina (ICL) 15.97; 8. Willow Schultz (ICH) 17.19

400 hurdles – 1. Rylee Kluver (WDV) 1:09.42; 4. Willow Schultz (ICH) 1:13.6; 5. Josephine LeClair (ICH) 1:15.07; 8. Margaret Maassen (ICL) 1:18.49

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. West Des Moines Valley 1:03.4; 4. City High (Gloria Konu, Bernadette Hamilton, Mary Hamilton, Willow Schultz) 1:12.21; 5. West High (Savannah Graham, Amara MacLagan, Ava Sieren, Lily McConnel) 1:13.14

Sprint medley relay – 1. City High (Cooper Hamilton, Janiah Newell, Ellie Fraga, Maeve Bowen-Burt) 1:50.53; 4. Liberty High (Ivy Nuro-Gyina, Alexi Thigpen, Lilly McManus, Averie Bilskemper) 1:54.9; 6. West High (Caroline Dickens, Anna Dickens, Aarianna Shaw, Amita Nelson) 2:03.5

Distance medley relay – 1. Pleasant Valley 4:31.52; 2. City High (Betsy Wolfe, Josephine LeClair, Esther Oyunge, Calissa Fruin) 4:33.16; 5. West High (Anna Dickens, Kylie Stevens, Jena Frank, Hannah Geng) 4:40.89; 7. Liberty High (Bailey Kirchner, Margaret Maassen, Chelsea VeDepo, Katherine Prahm) 4:52.6

4×100 – 1. West High (Miracle Stewart, Amara MacLagan, Evelyn Cornish, Natalie Steva) 50.61; 4. Liberty High (Ivy Nuro-Gyina, Marissa Becker, Kelsey Kaut, Lilly McManus) 52.32; 5. City High (Cooper Hamilton, Janiah Newell, Besty Wolfe, Dede Aboussa-Folly) 52.69

4×200 – 1. Waukee 1:44.89; 4. Liberty High (Alexi Thigpen, Marissa Becker, Lilly McManus, Kelsey Kaut) 1:49.97; 6. City High (Cooper Hamilton, Janiah Newell, Laila Pho, Dede Aboussa-Folly) 1:51.22 7. West High (Caroline Dickens, Ava Bruxvoort, Amita Nelson, Adriana Vargas) 1:54.67

4×400 – 1. Pleasant Valley 3:57.83; 4. City High (Laila Pho, Abigail Burns, Ellie Fraga, Maeve Bowen-Burt) 4:05.8; 5. West High (Savannah Mathias, Avery Nepple, Kate Van Waning, Eva Willis) 4:06.5; 6. Liberty High (Katherine Prahm, Greta Daniels, Carson Perry, Margaret Maassen) 4:38.81

4×800 – 1. Pleasant Valley 9:22.8; 3. City High (Calissa Fruin, Eliza Doster, Abigail Burns, Nina Peterson) 9:41.2; 6. West High (Mia Ahn, Ivy Hendrickson, Sidney Tranel, Lydia Evans) 11:34.63

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