MOUNT PLEASANT — The varsity boys track & field team collected their third-straight District Championship Thursday, May 11 and qualified in 17 of 19 events at this week’s State Co-Ed Track & Field Meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines for a total of 30 Spartans competing.
The Spartans dominated the meet with 180 team points, 50 better than runner up Washington (130). WaMaC West rival Clear Creek Amana was third with 117. Mount Pleasant (91), Fort Madison (85), West Burlington (73), Fairfield (38), and Keokuk (15) rounded out the field of competitors.
There were top-two automatic State qualifying finishes in ten different individual events for Solon.
Winners were Adam Smith in the discus (21-05), Blake Timmons in the 200-meter dash (22.69), Jeremy Bachus in the 400 dash (49.81), Mike Yeomans in the 800 run (2:04.65), and Brick Kabela in the 3,200-meter run (10:37.63).
Second place went to Oaken Foster in the high jump (6-00), Caleb Bock in the long jump (21-05), Ben Kampman in discus (159-04), Keenan Kruse in the 400-meter hurdles (56.98), and Kabela in the 1,600 run (4:45.29).
Rhett Mesch, Yeomans, Grant Knipper, and Bachus won the 4×400 in 3:27.06 to advance.
Second place finishes advanced the 4×200 (Brayden Moore, Mesch, Austin Knight, and Timmons in 1:31.05), distance medley (Milo Ashbacker, Knipper, Grant Bumsted, and Kabela in 3:43.59), and sprint medley (Moore, Timmons, Bachus, and Knight in 1:36.19).
Also qualifying for State via at-large berths were the shuttle hurdle relay (Charlie Brandt, Cole Carney, Ben Duckett, and Nash Kotar) with a school record 1:01.92 (good for third place), Oaken Foster’s third place long jump finish (21-03.50), the 4×800 (Yeomans, Maddox Shipley, Wyatt Applegarth, and Bumsted) with a fourth place finish in 8:22.43, and the 4×100 (Brett White, Moore, Ashbacker, and Timmons) with a third place finish in 44.07.
Head Coach Mark Sovers said he was very proud of the team, “and the fact that they can go out and show everyone what being a TEAM means to them. When you invest in what is important to you each and every day, you will have the opportunity to shine through in the right moment. That is what we are the most proud of; that our team was able to step up and be at their best when their best is required of them.”
Success is centered on people, he said. “There were so many examples of people making sacrifices and stepping up to help their teammates experience success. When you have confidence in the investment you have made in yourself, and you would do anything to help others be successful as well, you create moments for special things to happen. I am looking forward to more special moments ahead this week in Des Moines.”
2023 State Track and Field Meet information
The meet opens at 9:00 a.m. Thursday, May 18 and runs through Saturday, May 20 at Drake University Stadium. The full schedule is available at https://www.iahsaa.org along with a link to the IHSSN Livestream. Tickets are also available ($10/day) at https://www.iahsaa.org/tickets/.
Adam Smith cuts loose with a throw in the finals of the boys discus at the May 11 State Track and Field qualifying meet in Mount Pleasant. Smith won and punched his ticket to State with a 21’-5” throw.