Mount Vernon-Lisbon distance medley relay members celebrate their Class 3A title Friday at Drake Stadium. (Photo by Brian Ray)
DES MOINES — It’s still a deficit. But it seems a little more manageable.
Mount Vernon-Lisbon won the distance medley relay, finished second in two events and crept closer to Dubuque Wahlert in the Class 3A girls’ standings at the state track meet Friday at Drake Stadium.
Moran Lonning of Decorah races to victory in the Class 3A girls' 3,000-meter run Thursday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. (Photo by Brian Ray)
DES MOINES — It was impossible to stay cool.
But when the typical early-race energy rush captivated many of her competitors, Moran Lonning did remain calm and collected.
Lonning worked her way through the field, then won the girls’ Class 3A 3,000-meter run convincingly at the state track meet Thursday at Drake Stadium.
A class by class glance at the girls’ state track meet:
Marion's Kelsey Labs sprints to victory in the 100-meter dash at Friday's Class 3A state-qualification track meet at Thomas Park Field. Labs also won both hurdles races (Photo by Chris Macklin)
MARION — They didn’t win this meet.
But the girls from Mount Vernon-Lisbon put themselves in a position to win the next one.
The one that matters.
Led by Karly Cochrane (maroon uniform), Mount Vernon-Lisbon's girls are ranked in the top two in five relays in Class 3A. MV-L will compete at the 3A district/regional at Marion on Friday.
Is it better to be in a stronger track district, or a weaker one?
Depends on your situation. And your gender.
Karly Cochrane of Mount Vernon-Lisbon (4295) is the Class 3A state leader in the 800 meters, and Mount Vernon-Lisbon has the top time in 3A this season in five relays. (Gazette photo by Jim Slosiarek)
Mount Vernon-Lisbon is top-ranked in six girls’ track events in Class 3A.
The team, self-proclaimed as Mermaids, leads 3A in five relays — the 800, 1600, 3,200 and both medleys. Karly Cochrane is the top 3A runner in the 800 meters.
Iowa City West's Jessica Gehrke finishes second to Waukee's Whitney Westrum at the end of the girls' 400-meter relay at the Drake Relays Saturday (Gazette photo by Jim Slosiarek)
DES MOINES — They’d spent their high school careers chasing “a special moment.”
An all-time Iowa best — in their final race of their final Drake Relays. Yeah, that’s special.
Waukee ran the 1,600-meter relay like no girls team in Iowa has run it before. Whitney Westrum outdueled Sioux City East’s Ellen Dougherty in the final stretch to give the Warriors the gold in 3:50.21. East’s 3:50.58 also beat the former standard (3:51.70), set by Starmont 28 years ago.
