Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

MOUNT VERNON – Kate Shafer was ready to make the most of her final opportunity.

The senior wrapped up her final classes at Solon High School early on Thursday, then arrived in Mount Vernon for a Class 3A state-qualifying meet intent on making up for last season.

Shafer did so in splendid fashion.

“I was very happy with my performance,” Shafer said after her throw of 130 feet, eight inches bested the field and delivered Shafer to the state meet for the first time in two years. “Somehow I have PR’d (achieved a personal record) by at least a foot these past three weeks, which I am very happy (about).”

After placing seventh at state as a sophomore, Shafer missed out on a return trip last year when all of her preliminary throws at the 2024 state-qualifying meet sailed out of bounds.

In response, she rededicated herself to a weightlifting regimen and studied videos of two-time Olympic champion Valarie Allman and current Duke thrower Ben Kampman – a Solon graduate – to perfect her technique.

“In practice, I just learned how to reverse at the end of a throw,” Shafer said. “That’s definitely been helping.”

Shafer entered Thursday ranked fifth in 3A, three spots behind Mount Vernon senior Libby Dix. Shafer bested Dix for first place by more than three feet.

“I’m really proud of Kate,” Solon girls’ track and field coach Jessica Hotek said. “She has stepped up big time this year. Super impressed. She has been on fire lately. Really consistent, which has been really good to see.”

Solon closed the meet with a rousing win on the 4×400 relay as freshman Reese Hahn was a last-minute injury replacement for senior Kobi Lietz and ran the anchor leg behind freshman Quinn Armentrout, sophomore Jerzey Haluska and senior Grace Hoeper to edge rival Mount Vernon by more than a second in 4:06.47.

“It’s always fun to finish with a four-by-four win,” Hotek said. “Stepped up and got the job done.”

Solon auto qualified its 4×200 and distance medley relays for the Class 3A state meet with runner-up finishes on Thursday.

The Solon

Solon (105 points) finished fourth in the girls’ team standings behind Mount Vernon (167), Williamsburg (124) and Newton (116).

The Solon boys finished fifth with 80 points as sophomore Kaden Hoeper qualified for state with a runner-up performance in the high jump,

Newton (178 points) won the boys’ crown.

The state meet is May 22-24 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Class 3A State Qualifying Meet

At Mount Vernon High School

Girls Results

Team scores – 1. Mount Vernon 167; 2. Williamsburg 124; 3. Newton 116; 4. Solon 105; 5. Washington 95; 6. Grinnell 59; 7. Benton Community 49; 8. South Tama 22

Individual results (event winners; area placewinners)

High jump – 1. Sydney Maue (MV) 5-10; 2. Ellie Nielsen (WIL) 5-5; 7. Sophia Miles (SOL) 4-8

Long jump – 1. Aiden Gosselink (GRI) 20-3; 2. Lucy Wischmeyer (MV) 17-6 ¼

Shot put – 1. Ana Glawe (BC) 38-8; 2. Libby Dix (MV) 37-6; 3. Kate Shafer (SOL) 36-11 ¾ 6. Piper Johnson (SOL) 32-1 ¾

Discus – 1. Kate Shafer (SOL) 130-8; 2. Libby Dix (MV) 127-5; 5. Piper Johnson (SOL) 113-1

100 – 1. Aiden Gosselink (GRI) 12.46; 2. Ailea Wetjen (WIL) 12.51; 8. Cydney Jaster (SOL) 13.63

200 – 1. CaliAna Whitaker (MV) 25.16; 2. Aiden Gosselink (GRI) 25.36; 6. Allie Stahle (SOL) 26.88

400 – 1. CaliAna Whitaker (MV) 57.62; 2. Ava Hocker (WIL) 57.75; 3. Jerzey Haluska (SOL) 1:00.15; 4. Jillian Elijah (SOL) 1:04.11

800 – 1. Evelyn Moeller (MV) 2:21.79; 2. Sam Schoff (MV) 2:26.82; 6. Sydney Dee (SOL) 2:36.8

1,500 – 1. Evelyn Moeller (MV) 4:58.67; 2. Iris Dahl (WAS) 4:59.62; 4. Addison Seamans (SOL) 5:09.55

3,000 – 1. Edith Dawson (MV) 11:29.18; 2. Channing Becker (WIL) 11:30.13; 4. Liv Nelson (SOL) 11:40.64; 5. Kinley Mai (SOL) 11:58.83

100 hurdles – 1. Tori White (NEW) 15.68; 2. Leighton Messinger (WAS) 15.91; 7. Cydney Jaster (SOL) 17.7

400 hurdles – 1. Ava Hocker (WIL) 1:05.05; 2. Eastin Whisner (MV) 1:07.25; 7. Trea Eidahl (SOL) 1:12.82; 8. Keegan Kleppe (SOL) 1:18.15

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Newton 1:05.78; 2. Washington 1:08.16; 5. Solon (Jaster, Kleppe, Eidahl, Grimm) 1:11.55

Sprint medley relay – 1. Williamsburg 1:47.48; 2. Mount Vernon 1:49.39; 4. Solon (Stahle, Ashbacker, Haluska, Lietz) 1:50.98

Distance medley relay – 1. Mount Vernon 4:18.65; 2. Solon (Stahle, Hoeper, Hahn, Svalstad) 4:20.86

4×100 – 1. Grinnell 48.65; 2. Washington 49.32; 5. Solon (Stahle, Ashbacker, Jaster, Hahn) 51.16

4×200 – 1. Newton 1:45.03; 2. Solon (Stahle, Hoeper, Ashbacker, Lietz) 1:46.66

4×400 – 1. Solon (Armentrout, Haluska, Hoeper, Hahn) 4:06.47; 2. Mount Vernon 4:07.98

4×800 – 1. Mount Vernon 9:53.5; 2. Newton 10:01.5; 5. Solon (Dee, Fordice, Seamans, Rolwes) 10:17.84

Class 3A State Qualifying Meet

At Mount Vernon High School

Boys Results

Team scores – 1. Newton 178; 2. Mount Vernon 102; 3. Grinnell 94; 4. Washington 88; 5. Solon 80; 6. Williamsburg 71; 7. Benton Community 69; 8. South Tama 48

Individual results (State qualifiers; area placewinners)

High jump – 1. Eli Patterson (BC) 6-8; 2. Kaden Hoeper (SOL) 6-4

Long jump – 1. Rayce Heitman (WIL) 22-2 ½; 2. Alameen Shanto (NEW) 21-6 ¾; 3. Caleb Bock (SOL) 21-4 ½; 7. Maddox Kelley (SOL) 20-1 ¾

Shot put – 1. Greyson Hartman (WAS) 55-4 ½; 2. Nick Milburn (NEW) 54-11 ¼

Discus – 1. Greyson Hartman (WAS) 173-1; 2. Cameron Corey (GRI) 150-7

100 – 1. Caden Klein (NEW) 11.15; 2. Nick Thomason (NEW) 11.28; 3. Eli Kampman (SOL) 11.49;

200 – 1. Caden Klein (NEW) 22.09; 2. Christian Ergenbright (NEW) 22.43; 3. Eli Kampman (SOL) 23.1; 6. Owen Gange (SOL) 23.98

400 – 1. Rayce Heitman (WIL) 50.27; 2. Grant Hocker (WIL) 50.31; 7. Gavin Wisman (SOL) 57.25

800 – 1. Harrison Laug (GRI) 1:59.89; 2. Dawson Scheil (MV) 1:59.98; 5. Owen Young (SOL) 2:06.06; 8. Kaden Recker (SOL) 2:10.68

1,600 – 1. Grady Olberding (MV) 4:32.38; 2. Cadel Conner (GRI) 4:32.85; 8. Preston Raasch (SOL) 5:01.39

3,200 – 1. Cadel Conner (GRI) 9:56.25; 2. Lance Zaabel (NEW) 10:20.51; 5. Anders Holmes (SOL) 11:02.79

110 hurdles – 1. Reilly Trease (NEW) 15.14; 2. Austin Arauz (NEW) 15.55

400 hurdles – 1. Caden Klein (NEW) 54.2; 2. Owen Von Ahsen (BC) 54.21; 5. Will Brandt (SOL) 57.75; 8. Justin Moore (SOL) 1:02.15

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Newton 1:01.58; 2. Benton Community 1:01.84; 3. Solon (Bigelow, Moore, Sieverding, Carney) 1:07.96

Sprint medley relay – 1. Newton 1:32; 2. Williamsburg 1:32.12; 4. Solon (Kelley, Kampman, Carney, Burg) 1:38.25

Distance medley relay – 1. Mount Vernon 3:37.86; 2. Grinnell 3:38.84; 7. Solon (Gange, White, Holtkamp, Michels) 4:02.83

4×100 – 1. Newton 42.69; 2. Grinnell 43.84; 6. Solon (Kelley, White, Gange, Carney) 45.02

4×200 – 1. Newton 1:28.68; 2. Benton Community 1:30.91; 4. Solon (Carney, Kampman, Burk, White) 1:32.82

4×400 – 1. Williamsburg 3:24.36; 2. Benton Community 3:24.74; 4. Solon (Hoeper, Holtkamp, Burk, Burg) 3:31.18

4×800 – 1. Mount Vernon 8:08.02; 2. Washington 8:10.25; 3. Solon (Brandt, Young, Raasch, Michels) 8:27.38

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