Waukee girls win fifth in a row, eighth overall in 4A, with Cedar Falls boys capturing first title in a decade; Mid-Prairie girls three-peat in 2A, first crowns for Underwood boys in 2A and Madrid girls in 1A, completing sweep for Tigers

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

It was an impressive return to the Blue Oval at Jim Duncan Track inside Drake Stadium for the Iowa High School State Championships, with the three-day event in Des Moines drawing a total of 38,122 spectators for the six sessions, the second-highest total in meet history, trailing only the 38,161 in 2016.

And following the absence of the state meet last year as a result of the pandemic, teams like the Waukee girls in 4A and Mid-Prairie girls in 2A picked up where they left off in 2019 by extending their title streaks. There was also the coronation of a pair of first-time champions, with the Underwood boys winning in 2A and the Madrid girls in 1A.

Mia Doebelin, a senior at Lewis Central, won four girls wheelchair events and Waukee senior Evan Correll captured four boys wheelchair titles.

Doebelin prevailed in the 100-meter dash (36.25), 200 (1:21.80), 400 (3:01.69) and shot put with a 9-5 (2.87m) effort. Correll triumphed in the 100 (16.07), 200 (29.17), 400 (56.09) and 800 (1:46.08), with Union freshman Sam Spore earning the wheelchair shot put win at 17-1.50 (5.21m).

Class 4A

Before Waukee splits into two schools next season with the addition of Waukee North, the Warriors celebrated their fifth consecutive girls team championship – equaling the streak of Davenport Assumption in 3A in 2017 – and eighth overall, more than any girls program in any classification in state history.

Waukee scored in 12 events, including six relays, to finish with 96 points. Pleasant Valley was runner-up with 57 points.

Mackenzie Carney and Natalie Harris were both two-time winners for Waukee, which also received a victory from Layanna Green in the high jump with a 5-7 clearance (1.70m) on the first attempt.

Carney captured the 100-meter hurdles crown in 14.54 and contributed to the 4x100 shuttle hurdle relay championship with Kynzi Winger, Camryn Weers and Harris, a lineup that clocked 1:00.75, giving Waukee the top five times in the event in state history.

Harris teamed with Sehansa Karunatilaka, Ainsley Schlicher and Kaliyah Perry to win the 4x200 in 1:41.24.

Waukee also placed second to Pleasant Valley by a 49.91 to 50.17 margin in the 4x100. Carney also finished second in the 400 hurdles in 1:04.46, with Emily Wood of Pleasant Valley securing the title in 1:03.30.

Sarah Jordan, Catie Reittinger and Gabby Cortez of Cedar Rapids Prairie contributed to relay victories in the 800 sprint medley in 1:46.65 and 1,600 sprint medley in 4:09.10.

Ames prevailed in the 4x400 relay in 3:54.72, with Southeast Polk securing victory in the 4x800 relay in 9:21.62.

Iowa City Liberty junior Ashlyn Keeney won the 800 in 2:12.70 and 1,500 in 4:41.30, in addition to placing second in the 3,000 final to Lauren McMahon of Ankeny by a 9:57.17 to 9:58.57 margin.

Holly Duax, a junior at Sioux City West, prevailed in the 100-meter dash in 12.12 and 200 in 24.59.

Sophomore Claire Farrell of Norwalk, who was second in the 100 (12.36) and third in the 200 (25.24), captured the 400 title in 56.48.

Shelby Romig of Ankeny won the long jump with a sixth-round effort of 18-0.75 (5.51m).

Riley Vice of Pleasant Valley secured the shot put crown with a sixth-round mark of 40-6.75 (12.36m) and Maya Brinker of Cedar Falls emerged victorious in the discus final with a fifth-round throw of 128-8 (39.22m).

The boys championship came down to the last event, but Dowling Catholic didn’t have a team competing in the 4x400 relay final, resulting in Cedar Falls not only winning the race in 3:15.85, but earning the second team title in program history with 87 points, including the first victory for the Tigers since 2011.

Cedar Falls, led by 400 winner TJ Tomlyanovich (47.54), also won the 1,600 sprint medley relay in 3:25.84.

Dowling Catholic relied on Mikey McClain winning the 100 (10.79) and 200 (21.59), Adam Wright securing victory in the 110 hurdles (14.51) and Jackson Heidesch capturing the 3,200 title (9:18.32), but Cedar Falls scored in 13 events compared to 11 for the Maroons.

The remaining relay victories were spread out, with Southeast Polk securing the 4x100 in 42.35, West Des Moines Valley taking the 4x200 in 1:27.06, Ankeny Centennial emerging victorious in the 800 sprint medley in 1:31.72, Iowa City Liberty capturing the 4x800 in 7:49.45 and Cedar Rapids Prairie winning the 4x110 shuttle hurdle relay in 57.73.

Drew Bartels of Cedar Rapids Kennedy prevailed in the 400 hurdles in 52.49 and added a long jump title with a fifth-round leap of 23-6 (7.16m).

Aniey Akok of Ames triumphed in the 800 in 1:52.95, with Bo Gryp of Iowa City Liberty clocking 4:19.02 to capture the 1,600 crown.

Matt Kapustka of Waukee won the shot put with a fourth-round mark of 60-6.25 (18.45m) and Linn-Mar junior McKade Jelinek captured the discus championship with a sixth-round throw of 178-11 (54.53m).

Logan Flanagan of Dubuque Senior and Jacob Kieler of Cedar Falls both cleared 6-5 (1.96m) in the high jump. Flanagan earned the title based on a first-attempt clearance, with Kieler needing three tries.

Class 3A

The clash involving Pella and Adel-Desoto-Minburn to decide the boys team championship also came down to the 4x400 relay.

Pella prevailed in 3:22.29, with Adel-Desoto-Minburn finishing fourth in 3:26.09, allowing the Dutch to win their first title since 2016 and fourth overall with 80.5 points. Adel-Desoto-Minburn was runner-up with 75 points.

In addition to Kody Huisman securing the shot put crown with a fourth-round mark of 59-4.75 (18.10m), Pella also won the 4x800 relay in 7:55.14, with Tony Schmitz and Karl Miller contributing to both victorious relays. Adel-Desoto-Minburn prevailed in the 800 sprint medley in 1:34.05.

Pella nearly added a title in the 4x110 shuttle hurdle relay, but was edged by Western Dubuque by a 59.47 to 59.50 margin, with both teams running faster than the 2019 meet record of 59.63 achieved by Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

Dallas Center-Grimes captured the 4x100 in 42.48, Carlisle triumphed in the 4x200 in 1:30.56 and Humboldt was the 1,600 sprint medley champion in 3:30.11.

Nate Mueller did all he could to keep Adel-Desoto-Minburn in contention, winning the 800 (1:54.83), 1,600 (4:16.70) and 3,200 (9:13.84). Brevin Doll added a 200 victory for the Tigers in 22.19.

Ian Collins of Charles City also earned multiple titles, clearing 6-9 (2.06m) on his first attempt in the high jump and producing a leap of 23-0.75 (7.03m) in the sixth round of the long jump.

Ryan Brosius of Dubuque Wahlert Catholic clocked 11.22 in the 100 and Elijah Morris of Washington triumphed in the 400 in 49.73.

North Polk senior Hunter Manock secured the 110 hurdles victory in 15.07, with Tegan Bock of Boone emerging victorious in the 400 hurdles in 53.38.

Brandon VanderSluis of LeMars took the discus with a third-round throw of 170-6 (51.97m).

Although Western Dubuque junior Audrey Biermann was the star of the 3A girls championships with victories in the 100 (12.37), 200 (25.48), 400 (55.80), and 800 sprint medley relay (1:47.58) to contribute to a fourth-place finish with 42 points, it was Dubuque Wahlert Catholic that captured the team championship with 59 points, earning the third title in program history for the Golden Eagles, including the first since 2012.

Arianna Yaklich, Meghan McDonald and Abigail Wallace contributed to victories in both the 4x100 (48.59) and 4x200 (1:43.91) for Dubuque Wahlert Catholic.

Emma Bock and Kaia Holtkamp helped Solon, runner-up with 51 points, triumph in both the 1,600 sprint medley relay (4:05.77) and 4x800 relay (9:21.84).

Davenport Assumption prevailed in the 4x400 in 3:56.77 and Clear Creek-Amana clocked 1:05.39 to capture the 4x100 shuttle hurdle relay title.

Carlisle, which finished third with 46 points, was led by Ainsley Erzen clocking 2:09.79 in the 800 and 4:42.21 in the 1,500 to win both events. Erzen also placed second to Biermann in the 400 in 56.21. Isabelle Noring added a long jump victory for the Wildcats with a fourth-round leap of 17-11.25 (5.47m).

Shewaye Johnson, a sophomore at Ballard Community, added a 3,000 state title to her cross country championship in the fall, clocking 9:57.21.

Faith DeRonde of Oskaloosa captured the discus title with a fifth-round throw of 140-1 (42.70m) and Jadan Brumbaugh of Mount Pleasant produced a sixth-round mark of 44-9 (13.64m) in the shot put.

Miracle Ailes of Keokuk repeated as high jump champion by clearing 5-7 (1.70m) on her first attempt.

Kendall Anderson of Bondurant-Farrar prevailed in the 100 hurdles in 15.10, with Darci Wiseman of Winterset running 1:03.91 to triumph in the 400 hurdles. 

Class 2A

Mid-Prairie High of Wellman just keeps marching along, winning a third straight girls title with 61 points, as the latest standout from one of the state’s most decorated families enjoyed her first opportunity in the championship spotlight.

Freshman Danielle Hostetler captured the 1,500 (4:45.09) and 3,000 (10:25.26), along with contributing to a third title in the 1,600 sprint medley relay in 4:10.42 for the Golden Hawks. it marked the fifth consecutive 1,500 final won by a Hostetler sibling. Marie Hostetler won three in a row from 2016-18 and Anna Hostetler captured the crown in 2019, with the victories by Danielle giving the family 15 state track championship overall.

Ellie Rickertsen kept runner-up Northeast, which finished with 49 points, in contention by securing victories in the 100 hurdles (14.78) and 400 hurdles (1:03.43). She also helped the Rebels set a meet record in the 4x100 final, as Northeast clocked 49.29 to eclipse the 2008 record of 49.30 by North Polk.

McKenzie Goodwin, Paige Kuchel and Erika Kuntz helped Kingsley-Pierson/Woodbury Central win the 4x400 relay in 3:59.53 and the 800 sprint medley in 1:47.86.

Dike-New Hartford triumphed in the 4x200 in 1:44.21, Van Meter won the 4x800 in 9:42.03 and Osage emerged victorious in the 4x100 shuttle hurdle relay in 1:06.25.

Jaidyn Sellers of Panorama doubled in the 100 (12.58) and 200 (25.91), with Kennedy Kramer of West Lyon Community clocking 56.25 in the 400 and Madison Brouwer of Sibley-Ocheyedan running 2:13.18 in the 800 final.

Sophomore Maddie Olson of Sheldon cleared 5-9 (1.75m) on her first attempt in the high jump, with Kylee Sallee of Hudson producing a third-round leap of 17-11.75 (5.48m) in the long jump.

Annika Headington of Waukon delivered a sixth-round effort of 42-6 (12.95m) in the shot put, with Abigayle Angell of Central Springs winning the discus following a second-round throw of 133-10 (40.79m).

Senior Brayden Wollan helped Underwood earn its first boys team title, taking the 200 in 21.86, the 400 in 47.73, and anchoring the victorious 4x400 relay that prevailed over Treynor by a 3:25.42 to 3:26.88 margin.

Underwood triumphed with 66 points, ahead of Treynor’s 60, with Brady Griebel leading Bellevue to a third-place finish with 47 points.

Griebel, a senior, won the 800 in 1:56.05, the 1,600 in 4:22.57 and the 3,200 in 9:22.83, in addition to helping secure a victory in the 1,600 sprint medley in 3:36.00.

Tyler Wieringa, Clayton Bosma, Logan Franken and Tanner Schouten led Unity Christian to a 1:31.76 performance in the 800 sprint medley relay, smashing the 2018 meet record of 1:33.69 achieved by Beckman Catholic. The same quartet also ran 1:28.58 to win the 4x200 relay championship.

Sid Schaaf of Treynor won the 400 hurdles in 54.30 and helped the Cardinals emerge victorious in a thrilling 4x110 shuttle hurdles relay by a 1:01.142 to 1:01.150 margin over Spirit Lake, the closest finish of the weekend. Jack Latham of Spirit Lake won the 110 hurdles crown in 14.49. 

Cooper DeJean of Odebolt-Arthur-Battle Creek-Ida Grove secured the 100-meter title in 11.16, won the long jump with a 23-7.50 (7.20m) effort on his first attempt and contributed to a 42.59 victory in the 4x100 relay.

Carson Lienau of Jesup swept both throwing titles, achieving marks of 165-5 (50.42m) in the discus and 55-0.50 (16.78m) in the shot put.

Isaac Jones of Clarinda cleared 6-6 (1.98m) on his first attempt to triumph in the high jump and Northeast won the 4x800 relay in 8:15.69.

Class 1A

Madrid swept both team titles, with the boys capturing their seventh crown with 65.5 points, including the first since a co-championship in 2A in 2017. The other six victories have come in 1A.

The Tigers secured their first girls championship with 51 points, ahead of runner-up South O’Brien with 41 points.

Jason Renze and Ella Santi were the standouts for Madrid, one leading in the distance events and the other in the sprints.

Renze swept the 800 (1:56.57), 1,600 (4:24.40) and 3,200 (9:26.34) to help the Tigers hold off runner-up Lisbon, which finished with 57 points.

Lisbon had Kole Becker secure victories in the 110 hurdles in 15.06, the 400 hurdles in 54.90 and the long jump with a sixth-round leap of 22-4 (6.81m). The Lions also triumphed in the 4x100 relay in 44.60 and the 4x110 shuttle hurdle relay in 1:00.20.

Earlham was third with 52 points, including victories in the 4x800 relay in 8:04.37 and 1,600 sprint medley relay in 3:37.91.

Wapsie Valley, which placed fourth with 50 points, set a meet record in the 800 sprint medley relay by clocking 1:33.57, eclipsing the 2018 mark of 1:33.83 by Lynnville-Sully.

Wapsie Valley also added wins from Trevor Sauerbrei in the 400 in 50.10, along with Gunner Meyer in the high jump with a 6-5 (1.96m) clearance on his first attempt.

Gehlen Catholic prevailed in the 4x200 relay in 1:31.31 and Danville captured the 4x400 title in 3:28.68, with Beau Flander of English Valleys earning the 100 crown in 11.12 and Kase Baker of St. Edmond taking the 200 title in 22.31.

Senior Layne Pryor of Woodbine won the discus with a fourth-round throw of 182-9 (55.70m) and Zach Verzani of Lawton-Bronson triumphed in the shot put with a mark of 58-11.25 (17.96m), also in the fourth round.

Santi teamed with Lilly Ostert, Erin Schieltz and Jillian Dodds to win the 4x100 in 50.92, the 4x200 in 1:44.82 and the 800 sprint medley relay in 1:50.95 for Madrid, in addition to prevailing in the 100 in 12.74.

Her 100 victory marked the third member of the family to win the state sprint title. Rylan Santi secured the girls 2A crown in 2017 and 1A championship in 2018. Michael Santi captured the boys 2A victory in 2017.

Peyton Pogge of Tri-Center also contributed to four victories, securing titles in the 800 (2:19.20), 1,500 (4:56.68) and 3,000 (10:32.91), along with anchoring the winning 1,600 sprint medley (4:16.00).

Rachel Fehr of West Bend-Mallard doubled in the 200 in 26.15 and 400 in 58.12.

North Cedar senior Kelly Proesch earned titles in the 100 hurdles (15.20) and 400 hurdles (1:04.97).

West Monona won the 4x400 in 4:08.30, St. Edmond captured the 4x800 crown in 9:56.70 and Belle Plaine emerged victorious in the 4x100 shuttle hurdle relay in 1:07.90.

Audi Crooks of Bishop Garrigan secured the shot put championship on her opening attempt with a mark of 41-9.75 (12.74m) and her teammate Molly Joyce produced a 17-5 (5.31m) performance in the fifth round of the long jump to take the title.

Danielle Hoyle of Paton-Churdan triumphed in the discus with a sixth-round throw of 130-11 (39.90m) and Cadence Douglas of Lenox outlasted three other athletes in the high jump, clearing 5-2 (1.57m) on her first attempt and achieving the tiebreaker based on fewest misses.

Team Champions

Class 4A: Cedar Falls boys 87 points, Waukee girls 96 points  RESULTS

Class 3A: Pella boys 80.5 points, Dubuque Wahlert Catholic girls 59 points  RESULTS

Class 2A: Underwood boys 66 points, Mid-Prairie girls 61 points  RESULTS

Class 1A: Madrid boys 65.5 points, Madrid girls 51 points  RESULTS