Heading to the Drake Relays late this week, the Solon girls track and field team left an impressive stamp on their latest track outings. The Lady Spartans ran away with the win, April 21, at the Davenport Assumption Last Chance meet. Earlier in the week, they blew away the field at home during the Denny Gruber Relays on April 19. Solon won 14 of the 19 events, placing second in three others.
At Drake, one of the country’s classic track and field festivals each year, an entry needs to come under the meet’s tough “blue standards” in an early season meet to qualify automatically. Otherwise, they qualify for one of the remaining “at large” slots.
Look for Solon’s girls in 11 events in the combined one class high school sessions. They line up in six relay events. In the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400, the times rank in the top three or four across all high school enrollment classes in Iowa. They also made it in the sprint medley, 4×800 and the shuttle hurdle relay.
Individuals making the field include MaKinley Levin, whose 17-7.25 long jump, last Thursday, met the ‘blue standard’ just hours before the midnight deadline. Aly Stahle and Mia Duckett are in for the 100-meters. Sophia Stahle made the field in the 100-hurdles. Emma Bock runs in both the 400- and 800-meter. Expect to see them in some of those relays too as coaches assemble the best available combinations for Drake medals.
Girls double down in Gruber CO-ED Relays rout
The Denny Gruber Co-Ed Relays quickly turned into a rout. By meet’s end, Solon’s 223 points more than doubled runner-up Mount Vernon (107). Back in the pack were Marion (82), Vinton-Shellsburg (58), Davenport Assumption (33), Iowa City Regina (32) North Cedar (31) and Dyersville Beckman (1). Also in on the scoring, Solon’s JV picked up eight points in the varsity events.
Relays were Solon’s strength with wins in six of seven. It started with a 1:53.63 in the sprint medley. Addie McQuinn, Emma Wolff, Mia Duckett and MaK Levin carried the baton to a nine second victory. In the 4×800, Emma Bock anchored a 9:58.17 win as Kaia Holtkamp, Meghan O’Neill and Gracie Federspiel brought the stick around. Jada Buffington anchored the shuttle hurdle relay to a 1:08.24 win after carries from Mia, Aly and Sophia Stahle.
There are five, sometimes six, girls vying for a spot on the shuttle hurdle relay.
“It gives us more of a drive. We know we can be the best, looking at the (Drake) entry times going in,” reflected Buffington. “(At Assumption), our finish was seven seconds better than second. Still, we are running our own races and going after the school record.”
So, for the rest of the season, what is she working on?
“Keeping my start really strong. That’s a positive and I want to work on my ending; not hitting so many hurdles; finishing my race strong, for my team.”
“We are really deep. That allows us to do a lot at a meet,” assessed Coach Brent Sands. “It can also create difficulties. With the (cold, rainy) weather we had early in the season, we are fortunate we could take care of those things; (such as) who is next up in a relay, if we pull one of the top four or five runners for an individual event? We are still trying to figure that out. Fortunately, we are good enough we can take care of a lot of those things.”
In the distance medley, Ava Stebral, McQuinn, Callie Levin and Anna Quillin were edged by Marion but their 4:33.58 held up for second. In the 4×200, it went Duckett to Mia Stahle to Aly Stahle then MaK Levin for first in 1:47.24. 4×100 Mia Stahle to Aly Stahle to Duckett to MaK Levin made 50.88 a winner. O’Neill led off the 4×400 with a 60 second leg and got the baton to Federspiel. It then went to Kaia Holtkamp and Emma Bock crossing at 4:04 for the win.
For O’Neill, a four year letter winner in cross country and a middle distance ace through high school, 2022 meant shorter 200s and 400s.
“Last fall, I found out I had runner’s anemia so I thought about doing shorter stuff. (The coaches) had me consider sprints,” relayed O’Neill.
Is it different coming out of blocks for a race that is over in less than 30 seconds? “It is (but) in cross country, we need to get out fast too, to get into a good position. So we worked on sprints,” recalls O’Neill. “Trying to get up to full speed in an 800, you can run hard longer, if you do get out to a poor start.”
The field events were good for the Lady Spartans. Lilly Towne was second with 4-10 in the high jump. Kaia Holtkamp was fourth at 4-8. MaK Levin managed 16-10.5 in the long jump, Sister Callie was third (15-8.75) Aisley Foster claimed sixth (15-3.75). In the throws, Ellie Holubar’s 101-8 throw in the discus was good for third place. Abigail Felton was fourth at 100 foot even. Holubar was third also in the shot put (34-6). Leah Kollar was a spot behind (34-2).
Solon locked in three ‘1-2’ sprint finishes. Aly Stahle (12.98) and Emma Wolff (13.55) did it in the 100. It was Mia Duckett (27.10) and O’Neill (27.40) in the 200. Bock (58.47) and Federspiel (59.77) took the top spots in the 400.
Kaia Holtkamp was tops in the 800 (2:19.87) for another Solon first. Teammate Grace Fiala (2:43.92) added fifth place points. Ashlynn Williams was sixth (5:26.32) in the 1500. Kayla Young built a 55 second margin with 11:04.88 to win the 3,000 meters. And don’t forget the 100 hurdles, Sophia Stahle at 16.74 came out first with Calla Foster fourth (17.41). Stahle returned late in the meet for first (1:08.48) in the 400 hurdles. Tatum Holtkamp’s 1:14.22 was good for third.
Trip to Assumption yields another victory, more Drake Berths
A return trip to Davenport Assumption yielded the same results against a different cast of characters. The Lady Spartans racked up 195 points for the win. Eight teams took a last shot to push through entries ahead of a midnight deadline to make it to the Drake Relays. Solon did add a couple more Drake entrants, noted above.
Solon again put up a wide gap over runner-up Dubuque Senior (93). Williamsburg was third (90). From there, Cedar Rapids Xavier (81), Assumption (77), Wahlert (66), Camanche (61) and Regina (23) filled out the field. Aly Stahle (12.72) and Mia Duckett (12:74) ran within an eyelash of each other for 1-2 in the 100. MaK Levin (26.62) and Meghan O’Neill (26.78) did likewise in the 200. In the 400, Emma Bock (57.94) and Gracie Federspiel (59.54) finished 1-3, as did Kaia Holtkamp (2:19.20) and Anna Quillin (2:28.71) in the 800. In the 1500, Mary Fiala was third (5:30.68) with Annika Kruse sixth (5:36.43). Sophia Stahle leaned to a half-second win (15.36) in the 100 hurdles. Jada Buffington was fifth (18.03). Stahle came back in the 400 hurdles taking second (1:06.57) with Mia Stahle third (1:09.96). In the 3,000, Kayla Young was third in 11 minutes flat.
As mentioned, MaK Levin qualified for Drake here with a 17-7.25 long jump. Aly Stahle, 15-7.25, nailed down fourth place. Tatum Holtkamp and Olivia Bonnema were third and fourth in the high jump, each clearing 4-6. With a 34-4.5 heave, Ellie Holubar was fourth in the shot. Leah Kollar tossing it 31-9 was eighth. Holubar’s 101-7 flip of the discus was good for second place. Abigail Felton was third at 98-0.
In the relays, it was Solon first in the 4×100 (49.76), first again in the 4×800, this time in 9:41.81. And in the shuttle hurdle it was the Lady Spartans across first in 1:09.08. Add in third place in the 4×200 (1:58.03) and second in the 4×400 (4:15.71) too.
“That shows our depth. The four who ran that, Grace Hoeper, Aisley Foster, Kobi Lietz and Kerrigan Lyons really impressed us,” emphasized Sands. “4:15 is enough to make it to State in some years. Hoeper’s time in the 800 went down too. It’s great to see some of these kids get their chance and then really show up.”
Lilly Towne arches over the bar on her way to a career best 4-10, runner-up finish in the high jump last week in the Denny Gruber Relays.