SOLON — A 60 point win, placing in all 19 events, and logging a couple more Drake Relays qualifiers highlighted the Solon girls’ night on their home track, April 18 at the Denny Gruber Co-Ed Relays.
The Lady Spartans also logged double places in nine events on the way to a 215-163 margin over second place Mt. Vernon on the girls’ side of the co-ed meet. Marion was third with 58 points. From there, the scoring went Iowa City Regina (44), Vinton-Shellsburg (37), Davenport Assumption (34), North Cedar (16), and Dyersville Beckman (15).
Through this weekend, the attention has now turned to the ‘Blue Oval’ for the high school division of the annual Drake Relays track and field festival. “It’s become a big thing for the kids, especially those high achievers. It gives them a goal to work for. Competing against the best of the best; (Class) 1A through 4A is really cool and special to the girls,” relays Solon head girls coach Jess Brimeyer. “It’s also nice to see some of that competition that we never see throughout the regular season. It motivates us; After Drake, you’re conference, district and then state meets.”
Leading up to that though? At their home meet, Solon won nine events—and was runner-up in nine. Kayla Young was a double winner taking the 3000 meters in 10:46.60 and breaking the Gruber Relays meet record by a quarter second. Young came back to win the 1500 in 5:07.71. The Lady Spartans showed strength in the longer events too. Anna Quillin, Grace Hoeper, Ashlyn Williams and Gracie Federspiel teamed up for a 9:50.59 win in the 4×800 relay. Quillin came back to take the open 800 in 2:27.41, virtually identical to her 4×800 split. Williams (2:34.91) was fourth there with teammate Jillian Elijah backing her as the eighth runner across the line. Meet rules, though, allow only a school’s first two individual finishers and first relay team across the line, to score.
That rule came into play a couple other times. In the throwing events, Abigail Felton (throwing 117-3), Kate Shafer (108’8) and Hilary Wilson (103’1) were second, third, and fourth in the discus arena…but only Felton and Shafer scored. In the shot put, Shafer’s 33’4 toss was third with Leah Kollar fourth at 33’1½ for the points. Felton’s 32-7½ and Wilson’s 32’3¼ tosses were eighth and ninth.
Solon high jumpers Lilly Towne (4’10) and Olivia Bonnema (4’6) went second and third. Aisley Foster finished second, stretching 15’8 in the long jump.
Back on the track, Solon’s Emma Wolf, Hailey Miller, Piper Stahle, and Kobi Lietz crossed second in the 800 sprint medley in 1:55.22. The shuttle hurdle relay combo–Mia Stahle to Calla Foster to Sophia Stahle to Aly Stahle–was good for first with a 1:06.90. Mia Stahle (1:08.14) was second in the 400 hurdles with Trea Eidahl (1:13.66) fourth. Over the 100 hurdles, Mia Stahle was second (16.73) with Calla Foster fourth (17.72).And it was Mia Stahle second again (13.59), with teammate Emma Wolff 13.67 third in the 100. Federspiel (57.67) and Lietz (1:03.32) crossed 1-2 in the 400 for Solon.
In the ‘double-the-distance’ 1600 medley relay Ella Sheeley anchored her team of Addie Miller, Britt Elijah and Bella Jedlicka to second place in 4:46.72. Also second were Aly Stahle, Wolff, Piper Stahle and Jozie Lahr, in 1:49.08 in the 4×200 relay, just more than a second back of Mount Vernon’s foursome. In the open 200, Sophia Stahle hit the finish line in 26.18 with teammate Mia Duckett third at 27.88.
Aly Stahle, Wolff, Piper Stahle and Aisley Foster brought the baton around in 50.46 for a win in the 4×100 relay; one which came under the Drake Blue Standard. How tight is the meet to meet competition? Their teammates Bella Jedlicka, Britt Elijah, Marin Ashbacker and Olivia Bonnema’s 54.67 would have been fifth of the 17 teams on the track but for the ‘only one scoring team per school’ requirement.
Closing out the show, Solon posted a 4:07.76 finish in the 4×400 relay. The baton went Quillin to Grace Hoeper to Kobi Lietz to Federspiel for a four-second win over Marion. And, again, showing some depth, Solon’s Lahr, Addie Miller, Williams and Hailey Miller’s 4:25.39 would have been good for fourth, if more than one team per school could be scored.
“At Drake, it’s the same conditions, same night,” reasoned Brimeyer. “We’ll be able to compare where we are with the 3A competition (in the days after) to see where our times and distances stack up…then, to piece things together, to score the most points, by the state meet.”
Iowa’s Annual Track and Field Classic—the Drake Relays, in Des Moines—will have a good share of Solon’s girls’ team in the blocks for the high school division. The Lady Spartans have qualified in all six relay events, and five individual events offered to home-state Iowa high schools. Meeting the ‘Blue Oval Standard’, Solon is going in the 4×100 meter relay, the 4×200, 4×400, 4×800, the sprint medley and the shuttle hurdle relay. Competing in individual events will be Sophia Stahle in the 100 hurdles and the 400 hurdles…Gracie Federspiel in the 400 and the 800, with Kate Shafer in the discus. High school events begin Thursday, with prelims and finals continuing through Saturday. Get more information at Drake Relays website.
Coach Brent Sands encourages Joli Sinnwell as Kayla Young laps her in the 3,000-meter run Tuesday, April 18 during the annual Denny Gruber Co-Ed Relays. Young turned in a “double” winning the 3,000 and 1,500.