L-S boys win conference title, girls place fourth

Lynnville-Sully track and field teams confirmed they have some of the top athletes in the conference during the SICL Meet on Monday, May 6. Between the boys and girls teams, the Hawks won the title in six events, and the boys team was named SICL champion. The L-S girls worked hard for a fourth-place team finish.

                After being postponed a week because of the weather, Monday’s meet at North Mahaska had much better running conditions, though the final few races did experience some light rain.

BOYS’ RESULTS

                “It was a great meet,” said L-S Boys Coach Mike Parkinson. “Our boys put in so much effort, it was unbelievable. I think we accomplished a lot as a team tonight and even some as individuals. This is our fifth conference title in eight years, and our team is really starting to come together.”

                Monday was an historic night for senior Tyson Vander Linden, who won four open events – an accomplishment not attained by any L-S athlete since Parkinson and his assistant coach, Jeff Corbett, started coaching at L-S. Vander Linden won the 100-m dash in 11.25 seconds, the 200-m dash in 23.63, the 400-m dash in 51.36, and the 400-m hurdles in 58.43.

Sophomore Carter Dunsbergen clears the bar with room to spare at the conference meet on Monday. He finished the day in eighth place.

                “This was a tough schedule for him, but he put each event on his list of goals for the night to help us get to the team goal of becoming a champion,” Parkinson said. “A lot of other guys made big sacrifices for the SICL title, and we believe this is a great launching-off point for our district track meet.”

                Senior Gage Vander Leest had a speedy night as well and was champion in the 110-m hurdles with a personal record time of 15.13. He ran in the 400-m hurdles with Vander Linden and placed third with another PR of 59.87.

                The L-S boys had one other individual event champion – senior Rylan James in the shot put with a throw of 49’1.75”. He also did well in the discus with a personal best throw of 139’2” for second place. Senior Grant Wehrle took fifth behind him in the discus with a 107’7” throw.

                In other field event results, junior Kinnick McFarland and Vander Leest went four-and-seven in the long jump with leaps of 19’ and 18’4”. Wehrle threw the shot 38’7.25” for eighth, and sophomore Carter Dunsbergen cleared 5’2” for eighth in the high jump.

                The Hawks gained points from several fourth-place finishes in the running events, including sophomore Isaac Johnson in the 3200 with a PR of 11:45.02. He was followed by classmate Mason Jansen in fifth (12:05.48). The shuttle hurdle team of Dunsbergen, McFarland, sophomore Blake Rea, and Jansen earned fourth in 1:11.66. The sprint medley also placed fourth; juniors Ethan Wyma and Slater Young joined with McFarland and Vander Leest for a time of 1:41.86.

                Wyma and Young were also on the distance medley team with I. Johnson and sophomore Kodie Waggoner that placed fifth in 4:10.9 and were on the 4x100 with McFarland and senior Evan Squires that earned fifth in 48.01. Wyma and Young also ran with Waggoner and B. Rea in the 4x400, claiming fifth in 3:59.45.

Junior Slater Young runs his leg of a relay at the conference meet. He helped the Hawks score points in four relay events on Monday.

                The L-S 4x800 team (freshmen Josh Hardenbrook, Braden Alberts and Brodey Johnson, sophomore CJ Snethen) finished in seventh in 10:23.90.

                Eighth-place finishes were earned by I. Johnson in the 1600-m run (PR 5:21.88), Dunsbergen in the 110-m hurdles (18.01), and the 4x200 team (B. Rea, Hardenbrook, freshman Gage Elscott, Waggoner) in 1:44.66.

GIRLS’ RESULTS

                The L-S girls came in fourth at the SICL Meet with 81.5 points behind first-place Belle Plaine (122), BGM (100), and Sigourney (90). The Hawks had two events win conference titles at North Mahaska: Sophomore Korinne Jansen in the 100-m dash (PR 13.50) and the 4x800 team (sophomores Megan Van Zante, Cayler Noun Harder, and Meleisha Vos, senior Emily Van Gorp) in 11:13.42.

                The 4x800 group had one of the more exciting races of the whole night early in the evening as they battled from start to finish with Iowa Valley. According to L-S Girls Coach Darin Arkema, “The battle for the lead was back and forth, but in the final 100 meters, Meleisha kicked hard to hang on for the victory by .08 seconds. Megan had one of her best splits, and both Cayler and Meleisha had their fastest times of the season.”

                The Hawks’ only runner-up finish of the night was in the 4x100. Sophomore Dylann Huyser, freshman Reagan McFarland, junior Mallory Loftus, and Jansen ran the race in 55.10 seconds.

Sophomore Dylann Huyser flies around the track in one of the four relay events in which she competed and scored points on Monday.

                Sophomore Caitlin Alberts had “probably her best meet of the year,” according to Arkema. She ran three 400s, each one right around 1:05 in the sprint medley, 4x400, and open 400. Alberts placed third in the 400-m dash (1:05.63) as well as third in the 4x400 with sophomore Cally Gibbs, freshman Aysia Vander Linden, and Van Zante (4:39.29).

                Another third-place finish was earned by McFarland in the 100-m dash in 13.81 seconds. In the 800-m dash, Van Zante and Van Gorp placed third and eighth, respectively, with times of 2:45.41 and 2:55.58.

                Vos and junior Brittney Hansen placed fourth and eighth, respectively, in the 1500-m run with times of 6:03.46 and 6:29.04. Hansen also ran in the 3000-m, earning sixth in 14:29.13.

                Both the sprint medley and 4x200 placed fourth. Sprint medley runners were Huyser, Loftus, Gibbs, and Alberts, finishing in 2:01.27. The 4x200 runners were Huyser, Gibbs, Loftus, and Jansen, clocking in at 1:58.17.

                The shuttle hurdle team (Loftus, A. Vander Linden, junior Ashton Thompson, senior Kaylee Maasdam) earned fifth in 1:21.37. Distance medley runners (Huyser, sophomore Jaden Brand, Thompson, Noun Harder) placed seventh in 5:12.20.

Sophomore Krystal Van Dyke leaps into the long jump pit while competing at the conference meet.

                In the field events, junior Janelle Rozendaal threw the discus 84’9” for sixth place, and sophomore Krystal Van Dyke tied for seventh in the high jump at 4’4”.

                “We had a number of good splits, open times, and performances, so I was very proud of the girls stepping up their efforts, having themselves ready to compete, and representing very well,” Arkema said. “Now we can concentrate our efforts on recovery and fine tuning the next couple days to be as ready as possible for the state-qualifying meet.”

                L-S athletes will be at the state-qualifying meet at Sigourney this Thursday, May 9.

                Good luck, Hawks!            

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