By Becky Walz,
Following a good showing at the Class 3A District 3 state qualifying meet Decorah athletes are ready for their final run of the season at Drake Stadium. After competing in Independence Thursday and waited until the final qualifiers were announced to see what events punched their tickets to the Blue Oval.
The girls produced 126 points and nine state-qualifying efforts to finish runner-up to Epworth, who garnered 151 points. The boys came through with 102 points, good for fourth place overall. Epworth swept the team titles with the boys’ colleting 134 points over Charles City and Waverly-Shell Rock. In total, the boys will have 11 events at state.
The state track meet runs Thursday through Saturday, May 20-22, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Qualifying process
In Class 3A, the top two place winners in each event at every state qualifying site automatically advance to state. The next eight best times/distances throughout the state also move on, making 24 entries total per event.
Nine to state
The girls will be sending six of the seven relays to state, along with three individual entries.
One of the most impressive finishes came when the Vikings went 1-2 in the 100-meter hurdles. Breaking the tape in 15.84 seconds was Isabella Knutson, who is now seeded seventh overall for the state meet. Kallie Mincks was a close second, posting a time of 16.78 seconds to punch her ticket to state as well. The junior is seeded 22nd in the event heading into state.
Chloe Reiser’s shot put throw of 38 feet 9.5 inches gave her the title and an automatic bid to the state meet. Seeded seventh, it will be the sophomore’s first opportunity to compete at Drake Stadium.
Decorah sprinted to victory in the shuttle hurdle relay in 1:08.78 to have the sixth-best overall time. Members of the winning relay were Mincks, Anya Lovstuen, Autumn Schaller and Knutson.
In the speedy sprint medley, Krivachek, Brielle Buresh, Hubka and Sami Mount qualified for state after finishing third in 1:53.69. They are seeded 13th.
The 4×100 relay is seeded seventh overall in 50.60 seconds. Members of the relay are Brinley Krivachek, Knutson, Kailyn O’Gara and Lani Hunka.
Posting a seed time of 1:47.12, gave the Decorah quartet of Mount, O’Gara, B. Buresh and Hubka a ninth seed at state in the 4×200 relay.
Combining in the 21st-seeded 4×400 relay finished third in a time of 4:15.80. Looking to compete at state in the event are Mount, B. Buresh, Abby Halverson and O’Gara.
Racing to a runner-up finish in the 4×800 Thursday as Halverson, Danielle Losen, Rebecca Anderson and Samantha See. The quartet posted a seed time of 10:14.46, good for 12th.
Boys advance 11
With 11 events slated to compete in the state meet, Decorah will see a variety of individuals and relays compete at Drake Stadium this week.
Joseph Hjelle will represent the field events for the Vikings, qualifying in both the discus and shot put. Finishing second in the shot put with a throw of 52 feet 7 inches, the junior is seeded eighth. Hjelle’s discus throw of 142’5” at the qualifying event gives him a 21st seed at the state meet.
Crossing the finish line third, Haywood Stowe earned an at-large bid and 20th seed with his time of 11.51 seconds in the 100-meter dash.
Senior Brady Hogan is a two-time individual state qualifier. Hogan was the runner-up for an automatic bid in the 3200-meter run in 9:42.83 and is seeded third for the state run. Later he posted a time of 4:34.20, good for third and a 10th seed in the 1600-meter run.
Jacob Pipho had a time of 57.76 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. Placing third, he qualified based on time. He is seeded 17th.
It will be Austin Wilkins, Briggs Duwe, Dakota Johnson and Pipho competing in the shuttle hurdle relay. The Vikings finished fourth at the state-qualifying meet in 1:03.40 and is seeded 18th in Thursday’s competition.
The 4×100 relay quartet of Addae Whitsitt, Cael Luzum, Drew Snyder and Stowe will compete in Friday’s preliminary as 10th seed after finishing third in 44.16 seconds.
Winning the 4×200 in 1:31.69, Viking runners Whitsitt, Snyder, Duwe and Stowe will enter the state meet with a eighth-seed.
Thursday afternoon, Duwe, Kyle Renken, Trey McCain and Bennett Schutte will lace up their sneakers for the 4×400 relay prelims. They were third Thursday in 3:32.07, placing 20th best in the state.
Luzum, Renken, Schutte and Hogan will take the track in the distance medley after placing third in 3:43.13. The quartet’s time has them seeded 12th in the state.
Girls’ individual results
*denotes state qualifier
High jump – 4. Annika Franzen, 4’6”; 9. Ashley Schneberger 4’6”
Long jump – 3. Hayley Stowe, 16’1”; 5. Ellie Luzum, 14’3.25”
Shot put – 1. Chloe Reiser, 38’9.5”*; 12. Sally Laybourn, 29’9”
Discus – 4. Julia Alberts, 116’5”; 14. Laybourn, 78’6”
100m – 3. Fiona Buresh, 13.33; 6. Brinley Krivachek, 13.63
200m – 7. Dahlyn Headington, 28.86; 9. Stowe, 29.06
400m – 6. Samantha See, 1:06.52; 8. Sydney Kipp, 1:06.92
800m – 7. Danielle Losen, 2:35.61; 10. Brynn Storhoff, 2:46.79
1500m – 8. Rebecca Anderson, 5:16.41; See, 5:28.00
3000m – 8. Kathryn Kelly, 12:27.66; 9. Storhoff, 12:46.73
100m hurdles – 1. Isabella Knutson, 15.84*; 2. Kallie Mincks, 16.78*
400m hurdles – 5. Emma Nierengarten, 1:12.05; 7. Kipp, 1:15.68
Shuttle hurdle – 1. Mincks, Anya Lovstuen, Autumn Schaller, Knutson, 1:08.78*
4×100 – 1. Krivachek, Knutson, Kailyn O’Gara, Lani Hubka, 50.60*
4×200 – 1. Sami Mount, O’Gara, Brielle Buresh, Hubka, 1:47.12*
4×400 – 3. Mount, B. Buresh, Halverson, O’Gara, 4:15.80*
4×800 – 2. Halverson, Losen, Anderson, See, 10:14.46*
Sprint medley – 3. Brinley Krivacheck, B. Buresh, Hubka, Mount, 1:53.69*
Distance medley – 5. Ellie Luzum, Grace Thompson, Halverson, Anderson, 4:36.52
Boys’ individual results
*denotes state qualifier
High jump – 5. Kaiden Quandahl, 5’10”
Long jump – 4. Trey McCain, 19’5.25”; 11. Kody Bodensteiner, 16’9.25”
Shot put – 2. Joseph Hjelle, 52’7”*; 10. Ethan Frana, 42’8”
Discus – 4. Hjelle, 142’5”*; 6. Frana, 135’2”
100m – 3. Haywood Stowe, 11.51*; Addae Whitsitt, 11.71
200m – 11. Nicholas Einck, 24.63
400m – 4. Corbyn Palmer, 54.04; 10. Quandahl, 56.19
800m – 7. August Witt, 2:09.76
1600m – 3. Brady Hogan*, 4:34.20
3200m – 2. Hogan, 9:42.83*; 12. Danny See, 11:59.84
110m hurdles – 5. Austin Wilkins, 16.54; 9. Bodensteiner, 17.63
400m hurdles – 3. Jacob Pipho, 57.76*; 8. Bodensteiner, 59.98
Shuttle hurdle – 4. Austin Wilkins, Briggs Duwe, Dakota Johnson, Pipho, 1:03.40*
4×100 – 3. Addae Whitsitt, Cael Luzum, Drew Snyder, Haywood Stowe, 44.16*
4×200 – 1. Whitsitt, Snyder, Duwe, Stowe, 1:31.69*
4×400 – 3. Duwe, Kyle Renken, McCain, Bennett Schutte, 3:32.07*
Sprint medley – 8. Ben Wymer, Luzum, Snyder, Renken, 1:39.54
Distance medley – 3. Luzum, Renken, Schutte, Hogan, 3:43.13*
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