Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – The running was the easy part.

It was the waiting that proved difficult for the members of the Solon distance medley relay team.

“It was really stressful,” Solon junior Jackson Burk said. “It was painful.”

The wait turned out to be well worth it for the Spartans.

Solon blazed to a 3:27.58 in the opening heat of the distance medley relay and the time stood up through the final two heats as the Spartans claimed the second relay title in program history and first since 2010 on Friday at the Class 3A state meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

“It was just a lot of anticipation and a lot of waiting,” Burk said. “Just hoping that our time makes it. It feels really good.”

The Solon foursome of Eli Kampman, Paxton Holtkamp, Burk and Mac Svalstad joins the 2010 Spartan 4×100 team as the program’s relay champions.

Solon won the opening heat by more than four seconds than watched as 16 more team took at shot at their 3:27.58.

Mount Vernon and Western Dubuque, anchored by Oregon recruit Quentin Nauman each came close but couldn’t crack the Spartans’ time.

“It was just a good opportunity,” Holtkamp said. “It was fun to be in the first heat and then watching it and hoping it was nice. It was definitely tough just because you know that you are going to have to wait at the end.”

Kampman and Holtkamp took Solon to an early lead and Burk extended it with a strong 400-leg.

Svalstad, the freshman anchor who finished sixth in the 400 in his state meet debut on Thursday, posted a 1:52.66 split on his 800-meter leg.

“I have never really done that before,” Svalstad said. “Going through I felt really strong and I looked at the clock and I saw I could finish in 57 and still go that fast so I felt really strong and I’m glad by guys put me in a good spot.”

Mount Vernon got a 1:53.59 anchor from Dawson Scheil and finished runner-up in 3:28.4.

Nauman split a 1:52.38 on his anchor leg and brought Western Dubuque back to a third-place finish in 3:30.08.

“When you saw the second heat nobody was really near us and it felt really good and then I saw them coming down the last 100 and I was calculating in my head what they would have to go,” Svalstad said. “I saw the finish line and just celebrated.”

None of the four Spartans to run on Friday ran at the district meet.

The foursome of Sawyer Hancox, Jacob Donnenwerth, Greyson Burg and Jaimyn Bevans secured the spot at state.

Kampman, Burk, Holtkamp and Svalstad turned it into a state title.

“We’ve been playnning this relay since winter,” Kampman said. “We wouldn’t be in this position if our guys, Sawyer Hancox, Jacob Donnenwerth, Greyson Burg and Jaimyn Bevans didn’t qualify it. A lot of credit goes to them for qualifying at districts.”

Class 3A State Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines  

Girls Results

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Pella 50; 2. Sioux Center 35; 2. Mount Vernon 35; 4. Williamsburg 23; 4. ADM 23; 6. Burlington 20; 7. Marion 17; 8. MOC-Floyd Valley 15; 8. Dubuque Wahlert 15; 10. North Polk 14; 10. Des Moines Christian 14; 26. Clear Creek Amana 3; 34. Solon 1

Individual events (Event winners; area competitors)

400 hurdles – 1. Ava Hocker (Williamsburg) 1:00.46; 18. Mya Fordice (Solon) 1:09.44

4×200 – 1. Dubuque Wahlert 1:41.16; 6. Clear Creek Amana (Payton Curtin, Bailey Simpson, Addilyn Scheetz, Elizabeth Timmerman) 1:43.17; 14. Solon (Piper Stahle, Marin Ashbacker, Trea Eidahl, Tenley Levin) 1:45.42

Distance medley – 1. Sioux Center 4:00.09; 16. Clear Creek Amana (Anna Johnson, Jaylin Herring, Mia Bartusek, Alison Seidl) 4:17.51; 20. Solon (Elynn Hemann, Sofia Ortega, Reese Hahn, Mailee Schmidt) 4:22.99

Shot put – 1. Kylee Hill (Burlington) 46-6

Long jump – 1. Aiden Gosselink (Grinnell) 19-7 ¼; 20. Tenley Levin (Solon) 15-5

Boys Results

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Pella 41; 2. Clear Lake 31; 3. Gilbert 27; 4. Western Dubuque 24; 4. Benton Community 24; 6. Washington 22; 7. Waverly-Shell Rock 21; 8. Newton 19; 8. Clear Creek Amana 19; 10. Solon 16

Individual events (Event winners; area competitors)

400 hurdles – 1. Owen Von Ahsen (Benton Community) 52.71; 22. Will Brandt (Solon) 57.85

4×200 – 1. Clear Lake 1:26.99; 3. Clear Creek Amana (Tay Seals, Riley Colvin, Adam Zeman, Quade Jensen) 1:27.44; 13. Solon (Channing Wildrick, Jackson Burk, Paxton Holtkamp, Eli Kampman) 1:29.72

Distance medley – 1. Solon (Eli Kampman, Paxton Holtkamp, Jackson Burk, Mac Svalstad) 3:27.58; 11. Clear Creek Amana (Brady Hilsman, Cade Overman, Jack Timmerman, Carson Meskimen) 3:36

Shot put – 1. Greyson Hartman (Washington) 60-4 ¾; 19. Carson Bromwell (Clear Creek Amana) 49-2 ¼

Long jump – 1. Rylan Peters (Waverly-Shell Rock) 22-9

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