By Mark Schafer | The News-Review
DES MOINES – They were close, but the leaders were just a bit too quick.
The first day of the State track and field championships were highlighted by the distance runners. Chloe Glosser from Pekin tried to keep track with St. Albert’s Lili Denton in the 3,000 meter race, but Denton proved to be just too quick.
“From the very beginning of the race I just felt like I got off to a bad start,” Glosser said after the race. “My lines through the first part of the race just never felt right. I just had to take all of those negative thoughts out of my head, and focus on having a positive mentality.”
The positive mentality helped Glosser recover from her ill start early on. She would climb to second where she would lead the chase pack. It soon became clear that Denton would not be caught though.
“She had a great race and she was able to get her PR, by a lot,” Glosser said about Denton. “I did not come close to a PR by a lot. I am just proud of her, because she puts in a lot of work. For my first time running the 3,000 at the State meet…I will take a second place.”
Glosser had to hold off a pack of four girls through the middle portions of the race. When it came time for the final lap, Glosser was able to pick up her pace and she finished well ahead of the third place finisher.
“I am super grateful to be able to come here and finish second overall in the race,” Glosser said. “It gives me a lot of confidence going into cross country and the 1,500 later this week.”
Glosser finished with a time of 10:14.43.
Sigourney’s school record holder in the 3,000, Ellie Yates, ran in the 3,000 as well. She finished 20th overall with a time of 11:39.78.
In the boys 3,200 meter run another area athlete was in a close battle for the lead.
Through the first three laps it appeared as if Gage Heyne from English Valleys was just biding his time to make the final pass.
However, he was never able to get close enough to the lead. The senior would battle his way to a second-place finish, following a strong final 200 meter kick in which he had to hold off three different runners.
“I knew Gavin Grundhovd (the North Iowa runner, who went on to win the race) was going to take control of the race early on. I wanted to stay with him for a bit, but he took it out at a pace that I wasn’t quite comfortable with,” Heyne said.
After the start of the race Heyne was able to get his footing and start to run near the top of the pack.
“It was still a good race, overall, I was able to get a personal record, so that’s a great way to end the season,” Heyne said about the 3,200.
Overall Heyne had a time of 9:29.86, which allowed him to finish second. Troy Klett from Sigourney would finish 20th overall in the same race. He had a time of 10:24.83.
Anna Hadley was able to finish sixth overall in the shot put. After winning the shot put event last year, the sixth place finish wasn’t what Hadley was expecting.
One of the reasons why she finished so far down the lineup was because she wasn’t able to throw at 100 percent.
“I did something to my forearm on one of the early throws,” Hadley admitted after the event to media at the Sate track meet. “My form wasn’t great, my release wasn’t great either.”
Overall Hadley had a best throw of 37-feet-4.5-inches, which was her very first throw. That throw advanced her into the finals, but she wasn’t able to improve on her best throw and had to settle for the sixth place finish.
Hadley said that low of a finish in an event she’s been focused on is definitely motivating for the rest of the meet.
Taylor Mikesell from English Valleys had a best throw of 34 -feet-11.75-inches, which placed her 14th overall in the event.
English Valley’s Ava Gehrking had a long, but overall successful day.
Gehrking ran in the 200 in a time of 25.72. She finished second in her heat, and qualified for the finals on Saturday with the fifth fastest time.
In the long jump Gehrking finished 24th overall with a best jump of 14-feet-6.25-inches.
Gehrking would later win her 100 meter dash prelim race with a time of 12.46. She had the second fastest time in the 100 prelims.
In the boys long jump Pekin’s Will Adam placed 12th overall with a best jump of 20-feet-3.5-inches.
The Pekin boys shuttle hurdle relay team of Robert Brown, Henry Adam, Kasey Davis and Will Adam finished with a time of 1:02.03 which placed them eighth overall and advanced them to the championship race.
English Valleys 200 meter runner Braydon Anderson finished with a time of 23.19. He finished 19th overall.
The Pekin boys 4×800 relay team of Mason Dahlstorm, Cody Silvers, Lane Fariss and Cole Millikin had a time of 8:41.42 to finish 20th overall.
Thursday ended on a bit of a sour note. The Pekin girls shuttle hurdle relay team of Reece Brisby, Kayse Miller, Charlie Gambell and Paislee Coleman finished with a time of 1:10.16, which was the seventh fastest time in the race. However, they were disqualified for a lane violation.
Photos by Mark Schafer
