Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Tay Seals excels in an event filled with obstacles.

Despite the nature of the event Seals had avoided any serious stumbles, staggers or setbacks over the past two seasons while establishing himself as one of the top hurdlers in the state.

When disappointment did come earlier this season in form of a fall in the Drake Relays finals Seals handled it like a true hurdler – he cleared it clean.

“That didn’t throw me off at all,” Seals said of his fall at the Drake Relays. “I know my training, I know I could have won that race, some mistakes happen, it’s hurdles. There is always going to be something but what really matters if you get back on the horse and you don’t let you stop you. Everyone is going to face adversity it just depends how you come back from it.”

Seals got his redemption on Saturday cruising to a second consecutive title in the Class 3A 110 hurdles at the state track and field meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

The Clear Creek Amana won in a time of 13.73 which easily outdistanced runner-up Logan VanDenBroek of Pella.

“You saw my slip up at Drake Relays I was not going to let it happen again,” Seals said. “I just told myself all you have to do is finish this race and you are a two-time state champion in this event. I had to defend my title. I had to really grit my teeth in that race right there.”

Last month in the Drake Relays final Seals stumbled on the final hurdle and finished seventh.

In Saturday’s state finals he was clean from start to finish in an impressive performance that gave him his second consecutive title and the sixth in Clipper history.

“I can’t even explain the feeling,” Seals said. “It’s euphoric. There is nothing better. Crossing that finish line in first place and throwing your hands up and being able to see your mom in the stands and give her a hug it’s the greatest feeling ever.”

The 110 hurdle title for Seals came just 20 minutes after he secured a third-place finish in the 100.

Seals posted a career-best time of 10.64 in his third-place finish in the 100.

Ryan Bair of Keokuk won the 100 title in 10.48 and Kellan Harter of Grinnell was runner-up in 10.62.

Seals also ran a leg on the Clippers sprint medley relay team that finished fourth on Saturday and plans to dedicate his offseason work to improving his speed.

“This offseason I am going to work a lot more on the top end speed,” Seals said. “A little less hurdles, because you guys saw me, I am pretty good so I can really switch my focus a little bit to a different event but I am still definitely going to keep the 110 hurdles in the back of my mind always.”

The big day from Seals capped a strong weekend for Clear Creek Amana that saw the Clippers finish fifth in the 3A team standings with 47 points.

Seals teamed with Brady Hilsman, Adam Zeman and Quade Jensen to finish fourth in the sprint medley in a team of 1:31.94.

Sophomore Carson Meskimen earned his second individual of the weekend finishing sixth in the 1,600 in a career-best time of 4:16.27.

The Clipper 4×400 relay team of Cade Overman, Riley Colvin, Jack Timmerman and Jensen capped the weekend with a fifth-place finish in a time of 3:21.2.

Class 3A State Meet

At Drake Stadium in Des Moines

Girls Results

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Mount Vernon 67; 2. ADM 60; 3. Pella 55; 4. Sioux Center 53; 5. MOC Floyd-Valley 42; 6. Burlington 34; 6. Dubuque Wahlert 34; 8. Marion 33; 9. Williamsburg 31; 10. North Polk 29; 18. Clear Creek Amana 12; 34. Solon 3

Individual results (Event winner; area competitors)

100 – 1. Kaleigh Tooker (MOC-Floyd Valley) 12.0

200 – 1. CaliAna Whitaker (Mount Vernon) 24.44

800 – 1. Evelyn Moeller (Mount Vernon) 2:11.46; 24. Falyn Svalstad (Solon) 2:33.26

1,500 – 1. Evelyn Moeller (Mount Vernon) 4:28.07; 13. Alison Seidl (Clear Creek Amana) 4:53.09

100 hurdles – 1. Elise Coghlan (ADM) 14.2; 6. Addilyn Scheetz (Clear Creek Amana) 14.97

Sprint medley – 1. Marion 1:46.46; 8. Solon (Piper Stahle, Marin Ashbacker, Tenley Levin, Jerzey Haluska) 1:49.93; 16. Clear Creek Amana (Anna Johnson, Thea Nelson, Bailey Simpson, Payton Curtin) 1:51.53

Shuttle hurdle – 1. North Polk 1:02.59; 5. Clear Creek Amana (Sydney Pfeiffer, Bella Behrens, Jaylin Herring, Addilyn Scheetz) 1:06.26

4×100 – 1. ADM 48.24; 7. Clear Creek Amana (Anna Johnson, Thea Nelson, Elizabeth Timmerman, Addilyn Scheetz) 48.89

4×400 – 1. Dubuque Wahlert 3:52.04; 8. Solon (Jerzey Haluska, Mailee Schmidt, Ava Rolwes, Tenley Levin) 4:01.31

Boys Results

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Pella 105; 2. Clear Lake 64; 3. Western Dubuque 56; 4. Gilbert 49; 5. Clear Creek Amana 47; 6. Waverly-Shell Rock 42; 7. Grinnell 30; 8. Solon 27; 9. Keokuk 26; 9. Benton Community 26

Individual results (Event winner; area competitors)

100 – 1. Ryan Bair (Keokuk) 10.48; 3. Tay Seals (Clear Creek Amana) 10.64

200 – 1. Ryan Bair (Keokuk) 21.45

800 – 1. Canaan Dunham (Pella) 1:50.61; 3. Mac Svalstad (Solon) 1:52.8; 16. Jackson VanHorn (Clear Creek Amana) 1:58.03; 23. Jaimyn Bevans (Solon) 2:01.31

1,600 – 1. Quentin Nauman (Western Dubuque) 4:08.16; 6. Carson Meskimen (Clear Creek Amana) 4:16.27

110 hurdles – 1. Tay Seals (Clear Creek Amana) 13.73

Sprint medley – 1. Pella 1:30.91; 4. Clear Creek Amana (Brady Hilsman, Adam Zeman, Tay Seals, Quade Jensen) 1:31.94

Shuttle hurdle – 1. Pella 57.17

4×100 – 1. Clear Creek Amana 42.3

4×400 – 1. Clear Lake 3:16.3; 4. Solon (Paxton Holtkamp, Eli Kampman, Jackson Burk, Mac Svalstad) 3:20.93; 5. Clear Creek Amana (Cade Overman, Riley Colvin, Jack Timmerman, Quade Jensen) 3:21.2

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