Tipton’s Lenz runs to second title of the weekend

DES MOINES - Eric Lenz ran straight to the front of the pack, without a thought of a state meet record entering his head, until the final lap.

Just as he had done in his two-mile win on Thursday, the Tipton senior ran without another runner within three seconds of him in the 1,600-meter run. As he heard the bell for his final lap, Lenz the booming voice of the PA enthusiastically say he was on record pace.

'When the crowd kind of gets behind you, it helps a lot because you get this big adrenaline boost,” Lenz said. 'It just means you're having that much more fun out there.”

Lenz was just a couple seconds off the record, but his time of 4:18.47 was still enough to give him his second championship of the weekend.

The 2A state cross-country champion and state runner-up wrestler implemented a fairly simple strategy. Lenz was going to take every advantage and run where he was most comfortable: out front.

'It's really hard to describe right now, but it's all starting to sink in,” Lenz said. 'I think when I go home and lay down for a bit, it'll all start to sink in. It's just awesome.”

Nolan Teubel, who anchored Mount Vernon to a third-place finish in Friday's distance medley, was runner-up in the 800-meter run. The Mustangs' senior clocked in at 1:54.42 while Nic Scheelhaase of KP-WC won in 1:53.32.

Teubel started by running to the front before he and Scheelhaase were neck-and-neck with a lap to go.

'I was trying to kick (with 300 meters to go) and gain a little ground, but you've got to give it to him,” Teubel said. 'He's a good runner and he got me.”

West Branch junior Cooper Koenig - the third-place finisher in long jump - took third in the 200-meter dash. He clocked in at 22.21 while Isaiah Trousil of West Burlington/Notre Dame won in 21.90.

'Everyone knows me as the long jumper from West Branch, but what I really pride myself on is the 200,” Koenig said. 'I wanted to open some eyes coming into this and I've definitely done so.”

Iowa City Regina was second in the 4x100-meter relay (43.01) and Dyersville Beckman was fourth in the shuttle hurdle relay (57.98).

Tipton (3:25.33) and Monticello (3:26.43) were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 4x400-meter relay. West Branch junior Hunter Wargo was eighth in the 110-meter hurdles (15.59).

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