By Becky Walz,
A throw of 41 feet, 7.75 inches earned Decorah senior Chloe Reiser bronze at state. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Becky Walz)
The Decorah girls and boys track teams took their talents to the Blue Oval at Drake Stadium over the weekend for the state track meet and returned with some impressive finishes.
In team scoring, the Viking girls tallied 23 points and finished 13th with Solon running away with the title, scoring 79 points. The Decorah boys did not put up any points against the stiff competition.
Top for the girls
Chloe Reiser capped off a stellar high school career with a third-place finish in the shot put. The three-time state qualifier posted a best throw of 41 feet, 7.75 inches. Drake Relays champion Charlee Morton of Hampton-Dumont-CAL reigned at the state as well, winning with a throw of 42 feet, 5.25 inches.
In the discus, Julia Alberts reached the finals and placed fifth. The senior heaved the weight 132 feet, 1 inch with Morton winning that event as well with a best of 137 feet, 6 inches.
Lani Hubka also picked up individual points for the Vikes in the 200-meter dash. The senior sprinter ran 26.14 seconds in the prelims to qualify seventh. She shaved some time off in Saturday’s finals but finished eighth in 26.08 seconds. Jessica Kyne of Des Moines Hoover had the best time of 25.06 seconds.
Three relays also scored points for the Decorah girls. Leading the way in prelims Thursday was the shuttle hurdle relay of Sydney Kipp, Renae Wilson, Kelby Kerndt and Leslie Campbell. The quartet posted a time of 1:07.87 in the prelims and was fifth in the finals Saturday in 1:08.21. Newton had the fastest time of 1:04.79 in the finals Saturday.
In the 4×100 relay prelims Friday night, Brinley Krivachek, Hayley Stowe, Kailyn O’Gara and Hubka put up a time of 49.22 seconds, finishing fifth and qualifying for the finals. There the team put together a time of 49.37 and finished sixth. In 48.28 seconds, Des Moines Hoover took the Class 3A title.
The same quartet of Krivachek, Stowe, O’Gara and Hubka combined for the sprint medley relay Saturday morning, finishing fifth in 1:48.86. Dubuque Wahlert was the champion in 1:47.60.
Several other events also competed at Drake. McKenzie Riley placed 17th in the 400-meter dash in 1:01.51. Stowe and Krivachek raced down the track in the 100-meter dash finishing 16th and 17th, respectively, in 13.12 and 13.13 seconds. Competing in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.01 seconds for 23rd place was Sydney Kipp. The 4×400 relay of Riley, Sami Mount, Lily Sandhorst and Lillian Olson competed in the 4×400 relay prelims, finishing 10th in 4:09.35. Olson, Danielle Losen, Sandhorst and Paige Werner teamed up in the 4×800 relay for a time of 10:10.77, good for 18th. The 4×200 relay was also on the track but was disqualified.
“We are very proud of the athletes who competed and how well they performed at state with great efforts by everyone involved,” said Decorah girls’ co-coaches Brad Johansen and Cristy Nimrod. “We are grateful for our seniors and all they have done to represent the Decorah Community School District. Thank you to the parents for their efforts to ensure we could have a successful season. It is greatly appreciated.”
Boys results
The Decorah boys had 10 events reach state.
Kaiden Quandahl was one of two events with the best finish of 10th place for the Viking boys. The junior had a best jump of 20 feet, 11 inches in the long jump Friday.
Dakota Johnson, Ben Wymer, Kelley Gates and Cade Olson joined forces in the sprint medley relay Saturday morning, crossing the finish line in 1:34.82 in 10th place. In 1:32.31, Epworth (Western Dubuque) was crowned the champions.
Thursday Olson had competed in the 400-meter dash, finishing 13th in 51.03 seconds.
In Friday’s 4×100 relay prelims, Johnson, K. Quandahl, Wymer and Gates posted a season-best time of 43.70 seconds, but it wasn’t enough to qualify for the finals as the Vikes finished 13th. In the finals, Harlan took the gold in 42.13 seconds. Competing in the 4×200 relay, that same quartet circled the track twice in 1:31.98, good for 16th place. Harlan won the event in 1:28.20.
In the 200-meter dash, it was Gates on the track with a personal-best time of 22.98 seconds to finish 16th overall. Wymer also competed individually in the 100-meter dash, racing the length of the track in 11.72 seconds for 22nd.
On the oval in the 4×400 relay prelims for Decorah were Gavin Groux, Olson, Trevor Kuennen and Brayden Hartl. The foursome put together a good run at 3:32.49 to finish 21st. Winning the final Saturday was Mt. Vernon in 3:18.47.
In Thursday’s shuttle hurdle relay, Joshua Adam, Tommy Sexton, Groux and Johnson went 1:03.71 for 22nd place. Cedar Rapids Xavier went on to win the event in 58.94 seconds Saturday in the finals.
Freshman Peyton Webb got a taste of the state meet in the high jump, but was unable to clearing the opening height of 5 feet, 11 inches.
Class 3A girls team scores (Top 10 plus Decorah)
1. Solon 79; 2. ADM 62; 3. Pella 42; 4. Dubuque Wahlert 41; 5. Mt. Vernon 34; 5. Des Moines Hoover 34; 7. Clear Lake 31; 8. Carroll 27; 9. Ballard 26; 10. Atlantic 25; 13. Decorah 23
Class 3A boys team scores (Top 10)
1. Pella 73; 2. Epworth, WD 63; 3. Harlan 55; 4. North Polk 47; 5. Mt. Vernon 40; 6. Central DeWitt 35; 7. Lewis Central 31; 8. Xavier 27; 9. Solon 25; 9. West Burlington, ND 25
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