Linn-Mar runners dominated the distance races as the state coed track meet opened in Drake Stadium. Sophomore Stephanie Jenks set an all-time Iowa record by winning the class 4A three thousand meter run in a time of 9:24.67, the second fastest time in the country this season. Jenks says she looked at the clock and decided she could do it and decided to push herself to see if she could do it.
Jenks says she actually got bored midway through the race. “I smiled at one of my friends on the homestretch of lap 3 because I was starting to get bored,” Jenks says. She says the crowd went wild after the announcer mentioned the record and that pushed her to finish.
Linn-Mar senior Josh Evans successfully defended his title in the class 4A 3,200 meter run. He set a 4A record with a time of 9:00.97 but came up short of the Iowa all-time mark. Evans says he is happy with the win and the team points.
Sitting in third place with two laps to go Mount Ayr senior Noah Larsen burst into the lead and pulled away to win the class 1A 3,200 meter run. “We decided to go for it and I’ve really been training for it,” Larsen says. Larsen hopes it is the start of a great weekend for the Mount Ayr team.
Griswold senior Rebekah Topham had to go to the lead sooner than she wanted but it did not matter as she cruised to the 3,000 meter title in class 1A. “I’d rather not catch them so fast, but they went out slow, so it happened,” Topham says.
Topham’s winning time of 9:56.73 was just off of the 1A record. “I didn’t even think I could get that close, I didn’t even think I could break 10,” Topham says.
Johnston junior Jordan Seay cleared 6-7 to win the class 4A high jump. It feels really good, I thought I would get it last year, but I didn’t and to come back two years after my freshman year really expecting to be a state champion, it feels good,” Seay says.
Seay cleared the winning height on his first attempt then had to wait as runner up Brady Ernst from Clinton made his three attempts. Seay says it’s “very scary” to have to wait and see what happens.