Photo by Jeff Yoder | Solon state track photo gallery

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – There are fitting endings and fond farewells and then there is the sendoff the seniors on the Solon 4×400 relay got on Saturday.

Solon narrowly missed titles in the 4×400 each of the past two seasons but the senior-laden Solon squad pulled away from the field early on Saturday and raced to the 3A crown in a school-record time of 3:54.99.

After ending their previous two seasons with runner-up finishes seniors Erin Kerkhoff, Abby Smith and Taylor Ryan walked off the famed blue oval inside a cloud-covered Drake Stadium one final time on Saturday as state champions.

Call it a storybook ending if you please, to Kerkhoff it was the only ending she would accept.

“This is the only way I wanted it to go,” Kerkhoff said fighting through tears. “I honestly never wanted this season to end but since it had to end this was the only way I could see it ending. It’s perfect.”

Smith, Kerkhoff and Ryan broke the Solon school record while finishing runner-up to Decorah in 2017.

That same trio helped the Spartans set a new school record last season but again came up short finishing second to Decorah.  

Saturday the Spartans teamed with freshman Emma Bock to get the title they had to wait their entire careers to celebrate.

For Kerkhoff it was worth the wait.

“This is good redeeming moment,” Kerkhoff said. “Last year we went in with the mindset to get a championship but it was definitely better our senior year to have to wait.”

The 4×400 title capped a strong state performance for Solon which finished fifth in the 3A teams standings with 40 points.

Solon prided itself on its balance all season and had four top-three relay finishes at the state meet including a third-place performance from the sprint medley squad on Saturday.
However, this day was all about the 4×400 team and its three senior leaders.

“Being that close but not getting it for two years and then pulling through my senior year is so, so awesome,” Smith said. “It’s so fun to be able to do it with this core group. It’s just a small part of our big family as a track team.”

The Solon foursome entered the state meet with the second fastest time in Class 3A this spring but clocked the fastest time by more than three seconds in Friday’s prelims.

Preparing for its third 4×400 in as many seasons there was only one outcome the group was prepared to accept.

“We all looked at each and said think of a better way to end your senior year than winning this race,” Ryan said. “That meant the world to us because after getting second place the last two years we knew if we ended our track careers on that note it wasn’t going to be right.”

Ryan raced to the front of the pack on the leadoff leg and no other Spartan relinquished the lead.

The lone newcomer on the team from a year ago, Bock gave Solon a comfortable lead after 800 meters.

“It’s amazing feeling to be able to see each of us do our part to come together and run a 3:54 and win state is amazing,” Bock said. “To do it with these three seniors…..it’s an honor.”

It was Smith and Kerkhoff that put the finishing touches on the Spartans’ first ever 4×400 title and fourth relay crown in school history.

“I was running down the back stretch and I kind of glanced up at the video board and I thought just finish this and Erin will take this home,” Smith said. “I saw Erin getting further and further ahead and it set in that we were going to do it.”

By the time Smith handed to Kerkhoff for the anchor the Spartans were well on their way to their first relay title since 2013.

“As soon as Erin got it I was already crying,” Ryan said. “Erin would never let anyone pass her even if they were right behind her so I knew it was secured as soon as she had it.”

Kerkhoff, who finished third in the 3A 400 on Friday, crossed the finish line and covered her face in disbelief.

“I never thought we could get that time to be honest,” Kerkhoff said. “I knew we were capable but to have everyone run their best on the same day is hard so having us do that was pretty great.”

The winning time of 3:54.99 broke the previous Solon school record by more than three seconds and was nearly four seconds faster than runner-up Sioux City Heelan.

A four-year state qualifier and three-time four-event qualifier Kerkhoff had to wait until her final event for her first state title in her favorite event.

“We haven’t really switched this team up much in four years, we've been together for a long time and it's our favorite event,” Kerkhoff said. “Doing this with my best friends, my senior year is the best thing ever.”
 

Class 3A

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Glenwood 65; 2. Dubuque Wahlert 64.5; 3. Davenport Assumption 59; 4. Sioux City Heelan 41; 5. Pella 40; 5. Solon 40; 7. Mount Vernon 29; 7. Carlisle 29; 9. Dallas Center-Grimes 27; 9. Decorah 27

Individual results (Event winners; area participants)

100 – 1. Carly King (Davenport Assumption) 12.41

200 – 1. Libby Wedewer (Dubuque Wahlert) 24.74

800 – 1. Janette Schraft (Glenwood) 2:12.28; 6. Emma Bock (Solon) 2:18.05

1,500 – 1. Janette Schraft (Glenwood) 4:41.53

100 hurdles – 1. Grace Martensen (Benton Community) 14.66

4×100 – 1. Dubuque Wahlert 48.28

4×400 – 1. Solon (Taylor Ryan, Emma Bock, Abby Smith, Erin Kerkhoff) 3:54.9

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Glenwood 1:05.51; 7. Solon (Peyton Sands, Jada Buffington, Rachael Nelson, Gabbi Bullard) 1:07.8

Sprint medley relay – 1. Davenport Assumption 1:46.6; 3. Solon (Khaylor Fleck, Makinley Levin, Taylor Ryan, Erin Kerkhoff) 1:50.23

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by becoming a member.