DUBUQUE — A fresh coat of March snow in eastern Iowa? Another indoor track meet. It was warm and dry inside for the Spartans at the University of Dubuque Indoor Track and Field championship, March 25 on the UD campus.
Class 4A power Cedar Falls took the title with 103 points among the nine teams scoring. Solon’s 88½ were good for second place in the 14-event meet. Following were Dubuque Hempstead (73), Iowa City West (69½), Dubuque Wahlert (44), Dubuque Senior (38), Mason City (25), Central (13), and Mid-Prairie (10). Several schools listed in the lineups did not score. The outdoor season gets underway this week across much of Iowa. The Lady Spartans were scheduled for Tipton, Tuesday, March 29.
As the meet opened Solon’s Kayla Young, Ashlyn Williams, Mary Fiala and Grace Hoeper grabbed third place (10:23.64) in the 4×800 meter relay. Cedar Falls (9:53.44) ran away with the win. Dubuque Senior crossed three seconds before Solon taking second. Senior Kayla Young led off for Solon. “I felt pretty good. We did really well as a team,” reviewed Young. “I stayed steady in fourth place. In the last lap, I moved up to second by the handoff.
Young usually gets more of the ‘mileage’ at the meets, and at Dubuque came back later in the 3000 meters on a 200-meter track half the size of the outdoor venues. “It’s definitely different from running it outside with 15 laps instead of 7½. It means a lot more turns, a lot tighter (course),” noted Young. At Dubuque, Young clocked a 10:54, nine ticks slower than a week earlier in Grinnell but good for second place. “I was running on the outside of a girl for the entire race today, giving up a little leeway. I’m not satisfied yet, but we have a whole lot of season remaining.”
Early in the meet Solon freshman Piper Stahle’s 7.69 55-meter dash final pushed Meghan McDonald. However, the senior from Dubuque Wahlert ran 7.49 for the win. Solon senior Emma Wolff was eighth at 7.96.
In the 55 hurdles, Erina Carter of City High ran a 9.07 to claim the title. Solon picked up points with Mia Stahle (9.13) and Sophia Stahle (9:14) in third and fourth place.
Gracie Federspiel got the win for Solon in the 400 running 58.67 for a nearly one-second edge over the runner up from Dubuque Wahlert. Solon’s Kerrigan Lyons was seventh in 1:04.99. Later, teammate Mary Fiala was eighth in the 800 at 2:41.57.
In the relays, Solon’s Mia Stahle, Emma Wolff, Piper Stahle and Sophia Stahle came across in 1:50.48, for second in the 4×200 relay, just behind a Wahlert first in 1:48.54.
In the meet ending 4×400, the decibel level went to ‘ROAR’ at each handoff. Sophia Stahle led off for Solon. Lyons took the pass from her. “I got to the second lap and felt the next girl right there on my shoulder,” reviewed Lyons. “I thought, ‘I gotta pick it up.’ It helped me, mentally, get the handoff across the finish line (to Federspiel).” With Grace Hoeper anchoring, Solon (4:07.42) pushed Hempstead to the wire.
In the field events, Solon picked up points from Sophia Miles (6th, 4’6) and Olivia Bonnema (T-8th, 4-4) in the high jump. Piper Stahle went 15’4 in the long jump for fourth place. With 15-0, Aisley Foster was sixth.
And in the shot put, Solon showed that ‘depth does count.’ Often, only the results from a couple participants per school are scored by meet officials. At this meet though, Solon’s four throwers collectively outscored Iowa City West’s only place winner, Helen Penning (first place and ten points with her best heave of 35-5). Solon, however, saw all four entrants advance to the finals too. Kate Shafer picked up six points for third place (throwing 32-8), Hilary Wilson got three points for sixth place (31-8), and Abigail Felton added two 7th place points with her 31-7. Leah Kollar’s 30-2 8th place toss was good for a point meaning a 12-point Solon pickup in a single event.
It’s good to have team depth!