Pella boys claim second 3A state title in three years, Lady Dutch snatch third place
May 20—DES MOINES — It's becoming a yearly tradition for the Pella boys to be in contention with everything up for grabs on championship Saturday at the famed Blue Oval for the Iowa High School State Track and Field Meet. And for the second time in three years, it was the Dutch hoisting up the championship trophy.
Pella dominated the regular season and were seen as the favorites coming into this year's meet. It wasn't easy, and Western Dubuque put up a good charge, but it was the Dutch gathering 73 points to hold off the Bobcats by 10 points to get their fifth boys track and field state title in school history.
"It's a big relief," Pella's Chase Lauman said. "We were the favorites all year and I was the favorite in all of my events, it causes a lot of pressure and targets on our backs. So just to get out here and not have the best weekend as a team and still get the job done today is just really satisfying."
Pella entered the day 19 points ahead of Western Dubuque but the Bobcats would continue their push with a win in the sprint medley while Pella's quartet finished 12th with a time of 1:35.08.
Lauman got the Dutch back in the right direction with another great last kick to make a move and pick up a huge win in the 800 meter with a new 3A record time of 1:52.61.
All eyes were then on the shuttle hurdle where Pella and Western Dubuque were both competing with the Bobcats expected to score high while the Dutch came in as the six seed. Instead it was a brilliant run by both teams and with a DQ in the top two, Western Dubuque would slid to second and Pella would join them with a big-time podium finish after racing to a time of 1:00.89 in the first heat.
Last year, Pella's shuttle hurdle set a 3A state record on their way to winning the event. Luke Fairchild was the lone returner from that group and served as anchor for this year's quartet that came up with a big result when their team needed it.
"It's so cool to see those guys get there," Pella boys track head coach Brent Van Hauen said. "They have progressively gotten better all year long and to do it on this stage, with only one guy back from last year's state title team, was awesome and I'm excited to see that group back next year."
That would set up the biggest race for Pella on the day with the 1600 with Lauman and freshman Canaan Dunham. Lauman entered as the favorite and Dunham was expected to score points. The Dutch would need both results as they didn't qualify for the finals in the 4x100 and 4x400 while Western Dubuque qualified for both.
The start of the race saw Lauman settle into the middle of the pack early down the back stretch before using some energy to go around the outside and eventually take the lead after one lap.
"I just really wanted to have control of that race," Lauman said. "I didn't want to leave it up to chance and I didn't want to make any mistakes. It was the perfect race and I ran exactly how I wanted to and to get the win was awesome."
From there it was smooth sailing for the senior as he went on to pick up his third state title of the weekend with a time of 4:16.90. Right after Lauman crossed the finish line, he quickly looked back to cheer on Dunham, who finished a very good sixth place at 4:24.11.
For Lauman, he came into this week without an individual state title and some disappointment after coming up short at state last year. But now, the Northern Iowa signee leaves Pella as a Drake Relays champion and a three-time state champion.
"Coming into this year, I had no expectation of this happening," Lauman said. "Throughout the winter I started to realize that I could be one of the best guys and started improving my times in the 800 and 1600. Then I knew we could do some big things at state this year."
When the dust settled, Pella had gained a 22-point advantage with two races to go, securing themselves the top spot in 3A again.
Unlike the previous two years where Pella raced in the 4x400 with the championship on the line, this year they were able to sit back and relax while watching the last two events without having to worry about the nerves or pressure.
"We didn't make it easy for ourselves," Van Hauen said. "We left a lot of points out there this weekend but to have the championship wrapped up with two events to go was nice. We were able to sit back and actually enjoy the last 4x100s and 4x400s, which was fun."
The Pella seniors continued what has almost become a new tradition as they wore their cap and gowns onto the Blue Oval after all the races finished on Friday night. They got to celebrate graduation in their own way after missing Pella's ceremony on Friday due to competing at state.
That special group of seniors also got to finish off a career that started with missing their freshmen seasons due to COVID, and followed it up with two state titles and one runner-up over the next three years.
"We have such a great group of guys this year," Lauman said. "We're just putting in so much work and we have great team chemistry and love each other very much. To come out here and get the job done all together as one team, it's a great way to go out."
The Pella boys track and field team had one state title back in 1986 before Van Hauen took over as head coach in 2006. Since then, he has built up what has now become a perennial state title contender that has shown little signs of slowing down.
"When Coach Cutler and I started in 2006 we had 25 guys on the team," Van Hauen said. "We had that goal to be a top 10 team in four years and stay there. And I think outside of one year, we've been in the top 10. When we won our first title in 2013, I was like 'gosh this is great', thinking it would never happen again. Now we are here 10 years later with four titles and a runner-up and it's a pretty cool feeling. The kids and the assistant coaches are phenomenal and I'm just so proud of these guys."
Lady Dutch snag third on final race
While the boys were fighting for a state title, the Lady Dutch snuck themselves into the conversation for third place in 3A. And with four medal finishes on Saturday, they were able to get it done.
It started in the morning with the sprint medley of Kamryn Long, Marissa Hackman, Delanie Reynolds and Jacie Trine racing to fourth with a time of 1:48.50. That put some good points on the board early and Trine was able to add to it with after later taking fourth in the 200 with her time of 25.64.
Next up was Marissa Ferebee in the 1500. She was coming up a very good third place finish in the 3200 earlier in the week and was hoping to have a good follow up. Ballard's Paityn Noe, an Arkansas commit that has broken records all season, broke another one as she raced well ahead of the pack and topped the 3A record with a time of 4:28.80.
While everyone was watching Noe, Ferebee had a huge last kick in her final leg to jump all the way from fourth to second and pick up eight huge points for the Lady Dutch after posting a new school record time of 4:47.54.
That would set up the last event of the evening with Pella's 4x400 quartet of Macy Schroeder, Abby Teagarden, Lizzie Neumann and Trine needing a good showing. Wahlert trailed the Lady Dutch by five points in the team race entering the event and they were favored to win it. That meant if Wahlert won, Pella would need to take third to hold them off for that final trophy.
Wahlert would live up to those expectations as they would race to the win. Meanwhile, Pella was running PRs in each of their first three legs but they still found themselves back in sixth. Trine would kick it into gear with all she had left, needing to make three passes in the final 50 meters and she would do just that with an incredible close to snatch third place.
"That was my sixth race this weekend so I was feeling it," Trine said. "I was so dead but the girls didn't give up on me. They had their best splits in front of me so I told myself that they didn't give up on me so I'm not going to give up on them. I didn't know that we needed the third to win but thankfully it worked out."
Despite not knowing she needed the third place finish, she delivered in a big way for the Lady Dutch as they would quickly find out that would take third place in 3A after their rally on Saturday.
"It's so cool," Trine said. "I wouldn't want to share the experience with anyone other than my teammates. I wasn't sure if this was possible at the beginning of the season, but as we got closer and closer, it became more evident that if we tried our best and performed our best we could do it. I'm really proud of the whole team and it's really fun to share this success with everyone."
Pella finished 20 points behind ADM for second and 37 points behind Solon for first, but with a large group of their state qualifiers returning next year, they're hoping they can continue to climb the ladder and join in the title hunt next season.
"It shows that it really takes the team and not just one person," Trine said. "We're really proud of everyone's success. Everyone contributed, even the people who aren't here today, and we're really excited to see what we can do next year."
Oskaloosa's Westercamp grabs medal in final race
Oskaloosa wrapped up their state meet experience with a couple of events running on Saturday.
Tatum Westercamp wrapped up his busy weekend by running in the 110 hurdle finals. He came in as the four seed and would run right with his peers until the end, bringing home a medal for his fourth place finish while also breaking the school record in the process with his time of 14.53.
"It's amazing," Westercamp said. "Racing against guys with the same skill set, they're pushing me and hopefully I'm pushing them too. There are so many people that came out here to watch and it was awesome."
Freshman distance runner Tierney Carter finished off her first state meet with a pair of races on Saturday. She would end up taking 15th in the 800 at 2:23.04 and 21st in the 1500 at 5:14.40. Both were PR times as she got to battle against the top distance runners in 3A.
Despite the Indian girls only tallying three points this year, they sent several girls to the state meet this season and almost all of them will back next year with a chance of getting back and improving.
"The future looks bright with all state qualifiers returning except for Maleah [Walker] next year," Oskaloosa girls track head coach Betsy Luck said. "It has been a wonderful season for the team with a lot of exciting things taking place."
Pella Christian sprinters collect multiple medals
It was a busy final day of the state meet for the Pella Christian sprinters.
On the girls side, Meredith Van Wyk had three races on the day and the freshman would end up leaving with three medals. She joined Amelia Boender, Anna DeBoef and Bailey Vos for what was a major jump from their six seed to a second place finish with a blazing new school record time of 1:49.16.
That set the mood for the day for the Eagles as Van Wyk later went on to grab her other two medals in the 100 (6th, 12.76) and 200 (3rd, 25.84).
Vos ran to 16th in the 800 with her time of 2:23.47 and would later anchor the 4x400 for her third race of the day along with teammates Amaia Agre, Josie Settles and DeBoef. The quartet would finish their state meet out strong with a fifth place finish at 4:02.79. That finish also moved PC to a tie for fifth in the team standings with 30 points, just six behind Unity Christian for third place.
The PC boys also started their day in the morning with the sprint medley. Noah Nunnikhoven, Luke Nikkel, Isaac Kacmarynski and Peyton Ritzert raced in the first section and had to wait for their final placing after the second section. When all the times got in, it was the Eagles taking sixth with their time of 1:35.22.
Kacmarynski had two other individual races on the day as he later grabbed two more medals in the 100 (5th, 11.08) and 200 (4th, 22.43). Those finishes helped the Eagle boys climb to eighth in the team standings with 24 points.
Saturday followed suit of the first three days with record crowds packing into Drake Stadium. The Saturday record was broke with 10,214 in attendance this year while the three-day total was also broken at 110, 214.
The State Track and Field Meet in Iowa continues to be a premier event every year and area athletes were able to leave their marks and make history again in 2023.
Saturday area girls results
Girls (2A) sprint medley: 2. Pella Christian (Amelia Boender, Anna DeBoef, Meredith Van Wyk, Bailey Vos, 1:49.16)
Girls (3A) sprint medley: 4. Pella (Kamryn Long, Marissa Hackman, Delanie Reynolds, Jacie Trine, 1:48.50)
Girls (2A) 800: 16. Bailey Vos (Pella Christian, 2:23.47)
Girls (3A) 800: 11. Abby Teagarden (Pella, 2:21.38), 15. Tierney Carter (Oskaloosa, 2:23.04)
Girls (2A) 100: 6. Meredith Van Wyk (Pella Christian, 12.76)
Girls (2A) 200: 3. Meredith Van Wyk (Pella Christian, 25.84)
Girls (3A) 200: 4. Jacie Trine (Pella, 25.64)
Girls (3A) 1500: 2. Marissa Ferebee (Pella, 4:47.54), 21. Tierney Carter (Oskaloosa, 5:14.40)
Girls (2A) 4x400: 5. Pella Christian (Amaia Agre, Josie Settles, Anna DeBoef, Bailey Vos, 4:02.79)
Girls (3A) 4x400: 3. Pella (Macy Schroeder, Abby Teagarden, Lizzie Neumann, Jacie Trine, 4:02.05)
Saturday area boys results
Boys (2A) sprint medley: 6. Pella Christian (Noah Nunnikhoven, Luke Nikkel, Isaac Kacmarynski, Peyton Ritzert, 1:35.22)
Boys (3A) sprint medley: 12. Pella (Ethan Hol, Cam Schulte, CJ Shetterly, Trey Van Hauen, 1:35.08)
Boys (3A) 800: 1. Chase Lauman (Pella, 1:52.61)
Boys (3A) shuttle hurdle: 3. Pella (Cor Huyser, Andrew Vanderhoff, Levi Shetterly, Luke Fairchild, 1:00.89)
Boys (2A) 100: 5. Isaac Kacmarynski (Pella Christian, 11.08)
Boys (3A) 110 hurdles: 4. Tatum Westercamp (Oskaloosa, 14.53)
Boys (2A) 200: 4. Isaac Kacmarynski (Pella Christian, 22.43)
Boys (3A) 1600: 1. Chase Lauman (Pella, 4:16.90), 6. Canaan Dunham (Pella, 4:24.11)
Girls 2A standings
1. Van Meter (71), 2. Mid-Prairie (49), 3. Unity Christian (36), T5. Pella Christian (30)
Girls 3A standings
1. Solon (79), 2. ADM (62), 3. Pella (42), T39. Oskaloosa (3)
Boys 2A standings
T1. Mediapolis (62), T1. Williamsburg (62), 3. DM Christian (58), 8. Pella Christian (24)
Boys 3A standings
1. Pella (73), 2. Western Dubuque (63), 3. Harlan (55), 33. Oskaloosa (5)
Colin Peters can be reached at 641-672-2581, by email at cpeters@oskyherald.com or on Twitter @ColinPetersOH.
