Men’s, women’s track turn in early places on first day at State

On Thursday May 11, the mens and womens track and field teams had their first showing of the championship season, after their performances at the Drake Relays. 

The men’s and women’s teams competed at the district championships, which took place in Dubuque, at Dalzell Field. Both teams had competed at this location once before, and they made it evident that they are ready for the state meet. The top two finishers in each event qualified for State, and then it proceeded to the next 12 fastest times.

Men’s District results + Early State results

The men started off strong with the sprint med where they finished in first place with a time of 1:32.72.

They continued the success in the 3200m, where freshman Jaden Merrick led the pack, winning with a time of 9:27. Junior Luke Hartman trailed close behind, where he placed fourth, where he qualified as well, based off of time. In the 3200m at State, freshman Jaden Merrick finished in seventh place, earning a medal and scoring 2 points. He finished with a time of 9:21. Hartman also had a good run, as he finished with a time of 9:32. 

“I am proud of how my season went. I feel that I competed very well, and I had big gains from last year. I finished State with the same placing as last year, but my time was 30 seconds faster than what I ran last year. I am happy with my progress this season, and I am excited for next year,” Hartman said. 

In the 4x800m, the Tigers finished second, with their time of 8:02. This earned them a spot as well. In the 4x800m at State, the Tigers finished in eighth place, with a huge PR, and a time of 7:59.11.

In the shuttle hurdle relay, they finished in second place, with a school record and a PR of 59.06. This was almost a 1-second PR. In the first round at the state meet, they qualified for the final, where they will be the 5th seed. Their final will take place on Saturday. 

In the 100m wheelchair, Xavier Conlin finished second with a time of 33.76. This time qualified him for the state meet.

In the distance medley, the Tigers finished yet again, second place. They qualified for the state meet, which they will compete at on Friday. They ran a time of 3:34. 

In the 400m dash, senior Tanner Jacobson finished second with his time of 51.87. This earned him a spot in Thursday’s timed final. He competed and finished with another PR, an official time of 51.13. 

In the 4x200m, the team placed second with a PR, and their first time breaking 1:30. The team consisting of sophomore Hunter Russell, senior Ben Roussell, senior Cade Courbat and senior Derek Woods finished with a time of 1:29, qualifying them for the state meet. 

In the 110m high hurdles, junior Tyler Kenega finished first, with a time of 15.06. This qualified him for the state meet. Kenega is also on the shuttle hurdle team.

In the 800m dash, freshman Brennan Hoyer had an outstanding race, as he finished second in a very competitive field. He ran under 2 minutes for the first time, breaking the freshman school record, and qualifying for the state meet. His time was 1:59.08.

In the 400m hurdles, senior Morgan Hendrickson finished second with his time of 55.45. He is also featured on the shuttle hurdle relay team. 

In the 1600m, freshman Jaden Merrick doubled back for another win, qualifying for State with a time of 4:20.72. Senior Colby Cryer was close behind, with his finishing time of 4:29.75. This time qualified him as well. 

In the 4x100m, the Tigers finished second, automatically qualifying them for the state meet. They ran the fifth fastest time in school history, finishing with a time of 42.89.

In the 4x400m, Cedar Falls once again remained dominant, rounding out the meet with a first place finish, qualifying them for State as well. They finished with a time of 3:19.94, which is the current team’s first time breaking 3:20. 

The Tigers finished out the meet with the ladies winning as a team, and the men winning as well. On the men’s side they finished with 195 points, making them district champions. They had auto qualifiers in 15 out of 19 events. 

“This is our team and our tradition. I am proud of the way that we competed, and the amount of people that we had qualified. We are finally getting close to the finalized lineup, as we head into next week. It is time to show them what the Tiger-tradition is about,” men’s head coach Dirk Homewood said. 

So far after day one of the state meet, the men’s team is sitting in seventh place, with a total of 9 points, as they head into day two.  

 

Women’s State early results

In the women’s shuttle hurdle, the Tigers qualified for the final, with the time of 1:06.48. This was a PR for the team, as they prepare for the finals later on in the state meet. 

In the 3000m run, junior Maddie Gallagher finished in 20th with her finishing time of 10:58. 

In the 4x800m, the team finished in eighth place, which earned them a medal. They had a PR time, finishing with a time of 9:32. They had sophomore Josee Simonson on the anchor, who split a time of 2:14, to help the Tigers move up. 

In the 400m dash, freshman Karis Finley finished in 15th with her time of 59.96, breaking 60 once again. 

Cedar Falls women’s team is sitting in 22nd as a team., with 1 point.

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