DES MOINES – Clarke’s girls track and field team experienced a roller coaster last weekend at the Co-ed State Track Meet held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
The ride took several ups and downs, twists and turns, but ended with the Lady Indians medaling in two events.
Clarke’s hurdlers shined throughout the meet, as they have all season long.
The shuttle hurdle relay team held on for a fourth-place finish in Class 2A Saturday morning after winning the first heat of two finals heats with its team of 1:08.85.
Pocahontas Area claimed the Class 2A title with its time of 1:05.72. Clarke’s team of Solanna Zimmerman, Chynna Beydler, Ashlynn Oehlert and Bailey Zimmerman cruised to the win in heat one, besting
Underwood by more than half a second, setting the time to beat.
“We wanted to make finals for sure,” Solanna said. “Then we wanted to run our best time. We didn’t do that, but we made finals. We wanted to be in the top five, at least.”
Clarke qualified to Saturday’s finals with the fifth-fastest time from prelims, running 1:08.80 in Thursday’s prelims. Sibley-Ocheydan, which qualified fourth with its time of 1:08.63, finished fifth overall in 1:09.38.
Solanna and Bailey have been constants in Clarke’s shuttle hurdle relay lineup all four years of high school, but had never made it to finals.
“This is the last time we’ll all run together,” Bailey said.
“It was a great ending to the weekend,” Oehlert added. “It was a lot of fun.”
It was a satisfying end to Bailey’s career, after she suffered heartbreak in Friday’s Class 2A 100 meter hurdles prelims.
Both Bailey and Solanna appeared to be well on their way to qualifying for Saturday’s finals of the events, with Bailey running second in the third heat and Solanna running third behind Pocahontas Area’s Faith Meyer.
But, just one year after Bailey hit the fourth hurdle and tumbled to the track during prelims, ending her dream of qualifying for finals of the event, she suffered a similar fate as she hit the eighth hurdle and fell to the track.
Bailey finished the race with a time of 21.62 seconds after picking herself off the track. But, she would not qualify for finals, as Solanna qualified seventh overall to finals with her time of 16.07.
“I’m just really glad we were here (shuttle hurdle finals), otherwise it would have been a lot harder,” Bailey said. “It makes it a lot easier to have at least done good in this, so I’m glad.”
Solanna, meanwhile, went on to improve on her seed in finals, finishing fifth with her time of 16.20 into a headwind.
Solanna entered the race with a PR of 15.80 and a season’s best time of 16.00, hoping to best both of those times. Even though she didn’t beat those times, she was happy to have earned the first two state medals of her career.
“I’ve never had any, so I guess that’s a good way to end my senior year,” she said. “I wouldn’t have wanted it to end any other way. I’m just glad I’m here.”
Solanna said she got off to a good start in Saturday’s finals, but felt tired toward the end of her race.
She was involved in a close finish at the line, as Panorama’s Morgan Johnk clipped her at the line in 16.17 and Sarah Vorwerk of Mediapolis finished close behind in 16.25.
Clarke freshman Caitlin Clark ran in the 400 meter dash Thursday evening, finishing 24th with her time of 1:05.84.
In boys action, Clarke’s long jump duo of Payton Winship and Brian Avalos finished 19th and 20th in Thursday’s Class 2A competition.
Winship, a sophomore, finished 19th with his best leap of 18-8.25, which he recorded on his second leap. Avalos recorded a jump of 18-7.75 on his first jump, which held up as his best mark for a 20th-place finish.
Atwood medals
Also in Class 2A, Central Decatur sophomore Emma Atwood finished third in the girls high jump competition.
Atwood sailed over the first three heights of the competition on her first attempt at each height, which proved to be critical.
Only two jumpers cleared 5-4 in the competition, and Atwood was the only other jumper in the competition with a clean sheet through 5-2.
Cardinal teammate Raegan Boothe capped off her high school track and field career by tying for 14th place with a clearance of 4-10.
Atwood also finished 16th in 16.38 in the 2A 100 meter hurdles prelims.
Co-ed State Track Meet
Class 2A
Boys
Thursday
Long jump – 1. Miles Rupiper, Kuemper Catholic, 21-11.25; 19. Payton Winship, Clarke, 18-8.25; 20. Brian Avalos, Clarke, 18-7.75.
Girls
Team scores – 1. Cascade 65, 2. Mid-Prairie 58, 3. Pocahontas Area 44, 26. Clarke 9, 35. Central Decatur 6.
Thursday
400 meter dash – 1. Lily Peterson, Alta/Aurelia, 57.74; 24. Caitlin Clark, Clarke, 1:05.84.
Shuttle hurdle relay prelims – 1. Cascade, 1:05.75; 5. Clarke (Solanna Zimmerman, Chynna Beydler, Ashlynn Oehlert, Bailey Zimmerman), 1:08.80.
Friday
100 meter hurdles prelims – 1. Lisa Tucker, Cascade, 15.45; 7. Solanna Zimmerman, Clarke, 16.07; 16. Emma Atwood, Central Decatur, 16.38; 24. Bailey Zimmerman, Clarke, 21.62.
High jump – 1. Cassie Van Beek, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley, 5-4; 3. Emma Atwood, Central Decatur, 5-2; 14. Raegan Boothe, Central Decatur, 4-10.
Saturday
Shuttle hurdle relay finals – 1. Pocahontas Area, 1:05.72; 4. Clarke (Solanna Zimmerman, Chynna Beydler, Ashlynn Oehlert, Bailey Zimmerman), 1:08.85.
100 meter hurdles finals – 1. Faith Meyer, Pocahontas Area, 15.54; 5. Solanna Zimmerman, Clarke, 16.20.