Breaking Down the Your Prep Sports Area Teams at the Class 3A State Track and Field Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The high school track and field season is coming down to the wire.
The three-day state track and field meet gets underway at 9 a.m. on Thursday at Drake Stadium and concludes on Saturday afternoon.
Before the action gets rolling in and around the track at Drake Stadium Your Prep Sports will take a look at every area team competing in Des Moines this week.
We start with a look at the teams taking part in the Class 3A meet.
Boys
Solon
Individual event entries qualified: 13 (100; 200; 400; 800; 1,600; 3,200; 110 hurdles; long jump; discus; shot put)
Relays qualified: Seven (4×100; 4×200; 4×400; 4×800; distance medley; shuttle hurdle; sprint medley)
Athlete to watch: Solon senior Ben Kampman made history earlier this season when he became just the fifth athlete in state history to throw 200 feet in the discus.
A state qualifier in both the discus and the shot put Kampman will look to close a brilliant senior season with a strong state meet showing.
Kampman owns the top discus throw in the state this spring at 200-5 and had the top throwing at state qualifying meet last week at 177-4 and also has the sixth best shot put effort in 3A this season at 54-10.
Relay to watch: Stick around for the final event as Solon should be a factor in the 4×400.
The Spartan squad of Rhett Mesch, Grant Knipper, Grant Bumsted and Michael Yeomans ran the third fastest time in 3A this season at 3:23.09 last week at the state qualifying meet.
That time was the top time at a qualifying meet and is less than four seconds off 3A leader Ballard which ran 3:19.41 at the Drake Relays.
Outlook: An outstanding season for Solon that included a second straight WAMAC Conference title continued with an impressive effort and a team title at the state qualifying meet last week.
The Spartans will send athletes to state in 10 individual events including three events, (shot put, discus and 1,600) with two individual qualifiers.
Solon qualified all seven relays and has top-13 qualifying times in five of those relays highlighted by the 4×100 and the shuttle hurdle team of Cole Carney, Charlie Brandt, Ben Duckett and Nash Kotar which has the sixth fastest time at 1:00.76.
Brick Kabela is a two-event qualifier (1,600, 3,200) and returning state qualifier and junior Caleb Bock has the top qualifying mark in the long jump at 22-6 ¾.
Clear Creek Amana
Individual event entries qualified: 10 (800; 1,600; 3,200; 110 hurdles; 400 hurdles; long jump; discus; shot put)
Relays qualified: Six (4×100; 4×200; 4×800; distance medley; shuttle hurdle; sprint medley)
Athlete to watch: Sophomore Aren Schlemme is a candidate to be the breakthrough performer of the meet.
Schlemme has already had a huge sophomore season and is poised to show off on the state’s biggest stage this week.
The sophomore has the third fastest qualifying mark in the 110 hurdles (14.78) and the long jump (22-0 ½) and is anchor of the Clippers’ shuttle hurdle relay team that is seeded fourth and the 4×100 squad that has the 16th fastest time.
Relay to watch: The Clear Creek Amana shuttle hurdle relay team of Tay Seals, Luke Higdon, Owen Rosenberg and Schlemme has emerged as medal contender in Class 3A.
The foursome set a meet record while winning the WAMAC title two weeks ago and posted the fourth-fastest qualifying time at state qualifying meets last week with a season-best time of 1:00.15.
If the Clippers can improve again this week they should grab some hardware and have a chance to push into the top three.
Outlook: In a season filled with improvement the Clippers appear to be peaking at the exact right time.
Clear Creek Amana won the team title at the state qualifying meet last week while qualifying 10 individuals across eight events and securing spots for six relays at the state meet.
Isaac Sorensen has the sixth fastest time in the 800 (1:59.93), Tay Seals is seventh in the 110 hurdles (15.05) and Landon Prince is a two-event qualifier in both the discus (12th) and shot put (23).
Clear Creek Amana has three relay teams seeded in the top 10 with the distance medley (3rd) and the 4×800 (9th) joining the shuttle hurdle relay with top-10 qualifying meet times.
The distance medley relay team of Brayden Frank, Joey Dains, Cale Berry and Sorensen has the third fastest qualifying time at 3:37.34.
Girls
Solon
Individual event entries qualified: Nine (100; 1,500; 3,000; 100 hurdles; high jump; long jump; discus; shot put)
Relays qualified: Seven (4×100; 4×200; 4×400; 4×800; sprint medley; shuttle hurdle; distance medley)
Athlete to watch: Junior Aly Stahle should be in the mix in the 100 hurdles as well as being a key part of the Solon relay lineup this week.
Stahle has the sixth fastest qualifying time in the 100 hurdles at 15.66 and ran on three relays that reached the state meet.
The junior is a part of the Spartan shuttle hurdle relay team with the seventh-fastest qualifying time, the 4×100 squad that is the eighth-fastest entering state and the distance medley that has the seventh-best qualifying time.
Relay to watch: As has become a tradition at Solon the Spartans should once again be in the mix in the 4×400.
Solon ran the fifth fastest time in 3A this season at the Drake Relays last month (4:00.82) and the foursome of Jerzey Haluska, Anna Quillin, Grace Hoeper and Kobi Lietz ran 4:04.08 at the state qualifying meet last week good for the third fastest qualifying time.
Look for this team to cut major time at the state meet and once again be in the mix for a medal.
Outlook: The two-time defending 3A champ Spartans will look for another strong state meet showing.
Solon qualified nine individual entries across eight events highlighted by two-event qualifiers Sydney Dee (1,500 and 3,000) and Abigal Felton (shot put and discus).
During its two-year state title run the Spartans were dominant in the relays and will look to rack up points in those events again this season.
Solon qualified all seven relays for the state meet and has top-12 qualifying times in all seven.
The 4×400 (3rd), sprint medley (4th), distance medley (7th), shuttle hurdle (7th) and 4×100 (8th) all have top-eight qualifying times.
Clear Creek Amana
Individual event entries qualified: Three (200; high jump; long jump)
Relays qualified: Five (4×200; 4×400; 4×800; shuttle hurdle; sprint medley)
Athlete to watch: It will be a busy week for Clear Creek Amana sophomore Elizabeth Timmerman who is a four-event qualifier.
Timmerman has the 18th best qualifying time in the 200 (26.28) and has the 10th best mark in the long jump at 16-10.
The sophomore will also be a part of the Clipper 4×200 relay team that enters with the 14th fastest qualifying time and the sprint medley team that has the 21st fastest time from qualifying meets.
Relay to watch: The Clear Creek Amana senior trio of Kiera Rogers, Sam Schrage and Bliss Beck along with freshman Bailey Simpson enter in medal contention in the 4×400.
The Clippers clocked the 10th fastest time at state qualifying meets at 4:08.66 and with a strong showing in Des Moines can push into the top eight.
Outlook: The Clippers hit stride at the right time, clicking down the stretch at the WAMAC Conference and state qualifying meets.
Clear Creek Amana has three individual event qualifiers in Timmerman and Beck in the high jump.
The strength is in the relays where the Clippers have five teams qualified including three (4×200, 4×400 and 4×800) with top-15 times from state qualifiers.
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