Mount Vernon won the girls track title at the WaMaC Invitational on Thursday, May 2, at Marion.
Everything was a bit soggy, but the rain held off long enough to allow the conference to award titles for both boys (Solon) and girls. The winning team photo was taken in a downpour.
“It was a fun night for us and a little rain never hurt anyone,” Mount Vernon coach Kory Swart said. “It is more fun to stand in the rain once you’ve won a conference title.”
The WaMaC title is the first since 2017 for the Mustang girls. And to hold off 2023 state champion Solon, 165 team points to 152, it took a lot of things going right.
Start with the field events. Libby Dix swept the throws, winning the shot put (37 feet, 11 inches) and discus (124 feet, 3 inches).
And Sydney Maue claimed the high jump, with a leap of 5-foot-6.
It was her second straight WaMaC high jump title, earning the 2023 crown with Center Point-Urbana.
“The season has been really fun,” Maue said. “I’ve been able to meet a lot of the girls through track, since I’m new here, and they are all super nice and its really fun.”
Like many meets, Maue often finds herself jumping alone at the end of the event, trying to set a new personal record.
When asked if she thinks about stopping once she has the gold in hand … “I always keep jumping. Always,” Maue said.
Maue was a third-team all-state volleyball player as a junior. She’ll join a loaded Mustang team in the fall that finished runner-up in 3A in 2023.
But Thursday, it was track.
Another big moment for the Mustangs came when the shuttle hurdle team of Chloe Meester, Kiersten Swart, Olivia Haverback, and Elsa Appleton won the event in 1:07.99. The shuttle has been sometimes brilliant, sometimes inconsistent, for Mount Vernon this spring.
“That win was big,” Swart said. “Kiersten ran in it to free up Eastin (Whisner) for the 100 hurdles and we were still able to get the win. Then Eastin got points in the 100 hurdles.”
Whisner finished fourth in the 100 hurdles. More importantly, Whisner and Swart finished 1-2 in the 400 hurdles near the end of the meet.
“Eastin, before Drake, had run the 400 hurdles one time, to see how she could do,” Swart said. “To go 1-2 there kind of sealed the deal. It was a huge moment and those two just ran incredible. A huge momentum swing for us.”
Other first-place finishers for the Mustangs included: Claire Jensen in the 3,000 and Caliana Whitaker in the 200.
And Mount Vernon grinded, getting important points in every relay.
“Some of those events don’t get a lot of credit, but they were huge for us,” Swart said. “
The Mustangs also racked up the points with several double-placewinners in events.
“Those sixth, seventh and eight places can really make a difference in a meet that is so competitive,” Swart said.
The win shows the Mustangs can and should be a contender at the 3A state meet, but, of course, they’ve got to qualify the right events Thursday, May 9, in Manchester.
“The focus is different,” Swart said. “It is not about scoring points, it’s what can we get (to state). We want to try to go after a trophy in Des Moines.”
The Mustang boys finished seventh and did not win any events.
Junior Grady Olberding finished second in the 3,200 and the 1,600, losing the mile by less than a second to Tommy Tyynismaa of South Tama County. Brick Kabela of Solon won the 3,200 by a few seconds on Olberding.
Other top 3 finishes included Jackson Kutcher in the high jump and the distance medley team. Both finished in third.
“Our guys ran really well,” Mount Vernon Coach Ryan Whitman said. “We had some season best and some PRs, and that was great to see. We are starting to come into form.”
WaMaC Invitational
Boys team scores – 1. Solon 123.5; 2. Williamsburg 93; 3. Clear Creek Amana 88; 4. Center Point-Urbana 83.5; 5. Grinnell 77.5; 6. Benton Community 59; 7. Mount Vernon 54; 8. South Tama 39; 9. Marion 37.5; 10. Vinton-Shellsburg 34; 11. Independence 29; 12. West Delaware 23.
Winner, Mount Vernon placewinners
Long jump – 1. Aren Schlemme (CCA) 21-3.25; 6. Stanley Krob (MV) 19-6.
High jump – 1. Derek Weisskopf (W) 6-6; 3. Jackson Kutcher (MV) 6-0.
Shot put – 1. Tory Wash (VS) 56-5.75.
Discus – 1. Derek Weisskopf (W) 176-9; 6. Ian Shady (MV) 144-2.
Sprint medley – 1. Grinnell 1:33.94; 7. Mount Vernon (Colin Bentley, Evan Brase, Gabe Fairchild, Toby Neal) 1:38.15.
3,200 – 1. Brick Kabela (S) 9:31.95; 2. Grady Olberding (MV) 9:34.84.
4×800 – 1. South Tama County 8:02.92; 5. Mount Vernon (Dawson Scheil, Chasen Caskey, Cole Thurn, Seamus O’Connor) 8:21.63.
Shuttle hurdle – 1. Clear Creek Amana 1:00.37; 6. Mount Vernon (Jackson Hird, Brogan Meyer, Jackson Jaspers, Maddox Thede) 1:06.68.
100 – 1. Evan Mahoney (G) 11.11.
Distance medley – 1. Clear Creek Amana 3:38.77; 3. Mount Vernon (Colin Bentley, Gabe Fairchild, Braxton Pitlik, Dawson Scheil) 3:41.67.
400 – 1. Nathan Miller (CPU) 49.72.
4×200 – 1. Grinnell 1:30.59; 5. Mount Vernon (Colin Bentley, Evan Brase, Ethan Wood, Gabe Fairchild) 1:33.68.
110 hurdles – 1. Aren Schlemme (CCA) 14.93.
800 – 1. Tommy Tyynismaa (STC) 1:58.73.
200 – 1. Kellan Harter (G) 22.09.
400 hurdles – 1. Nathan Miller (CPU) 55.26.
1,600 – 1. Tommy Tyynismaa (STC) 4:29.11; 2. Grady Olberding (MV) 4:29.92; 7. Dawson Scheil (MV) 4:40.96.
4×100 – 1. Grinnell 43.13; 8. Mount Vernon (Colin Bentley, Ethan Wood, Jase Jaspers, Gabe Fairchild) 45.51.
4×400 – 1. Williamsburg 3:24.98; 5. Mount Vernon (Gabe Fairchild, Seamus O’Connor, Braxton Pitlik, Grady Olberding) 3:35.19.
Girls team scores – 1. Mount Vernon 165; 2. Solon 152; 3. Marion 79; 4. West Delaware 80; 5. Williamsburg 65; 6. Clear Creek Amana 64; 7. Grinnell 50; 8. Benton Community 31; 9. Independence 20; 10. Vinton-Shellsubrg 18; 11. Center Point-Urbana 14; 12. South Tama 9.
Winner, Mount Vernon placewinners
Long jump – 1. Aiden Gosselink (G) 17-3; 4. Lucy Wischmeyer (MV) 15-10.25; 7. Elsa Appleton (MV) 14-8.
High jump – 1. Sydney Maue (MV) 5-6; 7. (tie) Paige Schurbon (MV) 4-8.
Shot put – 1. Libby Dix (MV) 37-11.
Discus – 1. Libby Dix (MV) 124-3.
Sprint medley – 1. Solon 1:48.85; 3. Mount Vernon (Lillian Wischmeyer, Josie Niehaus, Kara Swantz, Eastin Whisner) 1:52.99.
3,000 – 1. Claire Jensen (MV) 11:06.79; 4. Edith Dawson (MV) 11:36.75.
4×800 – 1. West Delaware 9:47.22; 4. Mount Vernon (Sam Schoff, Abbie Moss, Madison Hoffert, Evelyn Moeller) 9:53.03.
Shuttle hurdle – 1. Mount Vernon (Chloe Meester, Kiersten Swart, Olivia Haverback, Elsa Appleton) 1:07.99.
100 – 1. Mia Duckett (S) 12.52; 4. Caliana Whitaker (MV) 12.73.
Distance medley – 1. West Delaware 4:21.04; 2. Mount Vernon (Josie Niehaus, Kara Swantz, Alivia Truitt, Kiersten Swart) 4:23.70.
400 – 1. Ava Hocker (W) 58.10; 3. Caliana Whitaker (MV) 1:00.25; 4. Eastin Whisner (MV) 1:00.36.
4×200 – 1. Solon 1:48.69; 5. Mount Vernon (Lillian Wischmeyer, Lucy Wischmeyer, Olivia Haverback, Grace Hale) 1:51.32.
100 hurdles – 1. Aly Stahle (S) 15.69; 4. Eastin Whisner (MV) 16.59.
800 – 1. Kyra Cordes (M) 2:22.90; 2. Evelyn Moeller (MV) 2:29.00; 4. Sam Schoff (MV) 2:29.27.
200 – 1. Caliana Whitaker (MV) 26.26.
400 hurdles – 1. Eastin Whisner (MV) 1:08.17; 2. Kiersten Swart (MV) 1:08.64.
1,500 – 1. Sydney Dee (S) 5:08.14; 4. Claire Jensen (MV) 5:16.96; 5. Edith Dawson (MV) 5:20.28.
4×100 – 1. Solon 50.57; 6. Mount Vernon (Lillian Wischmeyer, Josie Niehaus, Alivia Truitt, Lucy Wischmeyer) 53.42.
4×400 – 1. Marion 4:08.46; 5. Mount Vernon (Kara Swantz, Abbie Moss, Kiersten Swart, Caliana Whitaker) 4:14.73.
Mount Vernon’s Claire Jensen leads the pack in the 3,000 during the WaMaC Invitational on Thursday, May 2, in Marion. Jensen would go on to win the event.