Breaking Down the Your Prep Sports Area Teams at the Class 2A State Track and Field Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The state track and field meet is here.
The three-day meet gets underway at 9 a.m. on Thursday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines with Classes 1A and 4A starting this off in the early session.
Classes 2A and 3A will get rolling on Thursday afternoon.
Before the action heats up on the track and in the throwing areas at Drake Stadium we take a look at the teams from the Your Prep Sports area that will be competing in the 2A meet this week.
BOYS
West Branch
Individual events qualified: Two (200; discus)
Relays qualified: Three (4×100; 4×200; 4×800)
Athlete to watch: Senior sprinter Evan Striegel has had a huge final season and would like nothing more than to close it with some state meet medals.
Striegel enters with the 11th fastest time in 2A in the 200 at 22.68 and is the anchor for both the West Branch 4×100 and 4×200 teams that enter with top 13 qualifying times.
Relay team to watch: The West Branch 4×100 team backed up a big-time performance at the River Valley Conference meet with another stellar run at the state qualifier last week.
The foursome of Carver Boelk, Zach Walker, Wyatt Fiderlein and Evan Striegel ran a school-record 43.57 to win the RVC meet earlier this month, the sixth fastest time in Class 2A this season.
At the state qualifier last week the Bears did it again, clocking a 43.64 on its way to another win.
Now the Bears will take on the big stage as they attempt to secure a spot in the Saturday finals where they will be after a state medal.
OABCIG has the top time in 2A this season at 43.24 followed by Treynor at 43.32.
Outlook: West Branch had two individual qualify in three events last season scoring six points at the state meet.
The Bears have already bested both of those qualifying marks, sending five events to state including three relays and have a great chance to improve on its state scoring mark from a year ago.
In addition to Striegel and the sprint relays the Bears enter with the 13th fastest time in the 4×800 with the group of Joe Hamann, Lincoln Naber, Lincoln Edwards and Oliver Palmer running 8:24.27.
Junior Reese Trepanier has the 18th best qualifying mark in the discus.
GIRLS
West Branch
Individual events qualified: Three (100; 200; shot put)
Relays qualified: Two (4×100; 4×200)
Athlete to watch: Senior Iva Senio has enjoyed a stellar end to her prep track career and can add an exclamation point by leaving Des Moines with some state hardware.
Senio is a four-event qualifier earn spots at the state meet in the 100 and 200 as well as anchoring the West Branch 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams to spots at the state meet.
Last season Senio was on the Bears state qualifying 4×200 relay team so she has experience and has a serious shot to earn medals in every event this season.
Senio enters with the seventh fastest qualifying time in the 100 (12.84) and 18th fastest in the 200 (26.91) while both the Bear relay teams have top-10 qualifying times.
Relay team to watch: Both the West Branch 4×100 and 4×200 teams enter with top-eight qualifying times, top-10 times in 2A this season and very real chances to secure state meet medals this week.
The 4×200 team of Avery Schultes, JaLynn Falco, Addi Schultes and Senio has the seventh-fastest qualifying time at 1:48.04 which ranks as the eighth fastest time in 2A this season.
Outlook: It has already been a season of impressive growth for the Bears under first-year coach Luke Posivio.
A year after qualifying three entries for the state meet the Bears doubled that total sending six entries across five events.
Now West Branch will look to cap its season with state medals.
The 4×100 relay team of Ava Finley, Avery Schultes, Addi Schultes and Senio has the eighth fastest qualifying time at 50.95.
West Branch also has a pair of throwers capable of strong performances in senior Sadie Smith and sophomore Alyssa Pierce.
Pierce enters with the 14th best qualifying mark in the shot put after finishing 21st at state last season as a freshman.
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