Corbett's sizzling 400 actually a stellar 390

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Nick Corbett stood wide-eyed, reflecting on a superb time in the 400-meter dash.

"To be honest, I can't tell you how it happened," said the junior from Cedar Rapids Washington.

There's a catch. He actually ran 390 meters, not 400.

Upon the conclusion of Thursday's Wilkinson Relays, coaches gathered on the Kingston Stadium track and realized the staggers were wrong for the 400. With the exception of Lane 1, each of the contestants in the open 400 started further up on the first curve than they should have.

Corbett's time of 48.70 seconds, though aided by a 10-meter goof, was still plenty impressive.

"He was in the high 51s last year," Washington Coach Bill Pinckney said. "We could see this coming. Last year, we trained him as a distance runner. This year, we trained him as a sprinter."

Corbett also anchored Washington's 1,600-meter relay winner as the Warriors paced the seven-team field.

Washington tallied 135 points, followed by Marion (123) and Linn-Mar (117).

Whether he ran 390 meters or 400, Corbett is an much improved runner. Like Pinckney, he credits the new workouts.

"Mondays and Thursdays, I run a lot of short bursts, 40s and 60s," he said. "Tuesdays and Fridays, I run more 200s and 300s.

"So I have the fast-twitch muscles going, and some endurance too."

The Warriors won six events. Drake Hickok edged Linn-Mar's Brandon Ophoff in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 54.52 seconds. Will Griffin (100) and Robert Hogg (3,200) also were winners, as was the Warriors' 400-meter relay.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Derek Jacobus needed just one attempt to wrap up the long jump title. So that's all he took.

"My left knee is a little sore, and I think I might have shin splints," Jacobus said after sailing 21 feet, 4 inches.

"Last year, I didn't take the warm-up seriously. By the end of the season, it really started clicking for me."

Marion more than held its ground against the bigger schools. The Indians won four events, including three field events.

Zach Bornes swept the throws, heaving the shot 48-1 and flinging the disc 141-4.

Isaac Frazier won the high jump and the Indians were victorious in the 3,200-meter relay.

WILKINSON RELAYS

At Kingston Stadium

Teams -- 1. C.R. Washington 135, 2. Marion 123, 3. Linn-Mar 117, 4. C.R. Kennedy 58, 5. C.R. Jefferson 57, 6. C.R. Prairie 47, 7. Waterloo East 19.

Shot put -- 1. Zach Bornes (Mar), 48-1; 2. Justin Dolley (Mar), 47-5; 3. Jack Halupnick (LM), 47-3 1/2; Discus -- 1. Zach Bornes (Mar), 141-4; 2. Tyler Burrell (CRW), 133-1 1/2; 3. Zach Gillis (CRW), 131-5; High jump -- 1. Isaac Frazier (Mar), 6-4; 2. Willie Rhodes (CRK), 6-2; 3. Jacob Shannon (CRK), 5-10; Long jump -- 1. Derek Jacobus (CRK), 21-4; 2. Famiek Cook (CRK), 20-5 1/2; 3. Colton Sanchez (LM), 19-10 1/2.

3,200 -- 1. Robert Hogg (CRW), 10:37.55; 2. Etienne Nzoyisaba (CRW), 10:37.61; 3. Cole Kuethe (Mar), 10:48.89; 3,200 relay -- 1. Marion (Mees, Sam, Kelly, Garthwaite), 8:14.89; 2. C.R. Prairie, 8:27.00; 3. C.R. Washington, 8:27.10; Shuttle hurdle relay -- 1. Linn-Mar (Ophoff, Keiser, Freese, Sanchez), 59.42; 2. C.R. Kennedy, 59.53; 3. Marion, 59.63; 100 -- 1. Will Griffin (CRW), 10.88; 2. Aaron Taylor (WE), 10.95; 3. Derrick Williams (Mar), 11.35; *400 -- 1. Nick Corbett (CRW), 48.70; 2. Jabez Walker (LM), 49.30; 3. Trevor Luebe (CRW), 50.38; 800 relay -- 1. C.R. Prairie (Delamuth, Beyer, Aune, Harper), 1:31.12; 2. Marion, 1:31.27; 3. Linn-Mar, 1:32.60; 110 hurdles -- 1. Brandon Ophoff (LM), 14.39; 2. Taylor Rogers (Mar), 14.84; 3. Drake Hickok (CRW), 15.01; 1,600 -- 1. Josh Evans (LM), 4:25.16; 2. Chase Grabau (LM), 4:32.45; 3. Lukas Mees (Mar), 4:32.94; 200 -- 1. Aaron Taylor (WE), 22.00; 2. Derrick Williams (Mar), 22.47; 3. Will Griffin (CRW), 22.57; 400 hurdles -- 1. Drake Hickok (CRW), 54.52; 2. Brandon Ophoff (LM), 54.61; 3. Forrest Vega (CRW), 57.52; 1,600 medley relay -- 1. C.R. Prairie (Delamuth, Harper, Beyer, Aune), 3:35.20; 2. C.R. Jefferson, 3:35.90; 3. Marion, 3:45.38; 800 -- 1. Jabez Walker (LM), 2:00.30; 2. Matt Simon (LM), 2:00.68; 3. Greg Sam (Mar), 2:04.52; 400 relay -- 1. C.R. Washington (Tovey, Griffin, Bredeson, McBride), 43.17; 2. C.R. Jefferson, 44.49; 3. Linn-Mar, 44.89; 1,600 relay -- 1. C.R. Washington (Hickok, Dostal, Hogg, Corbett), 3:28.90; 2. Linn-Mar, 3:36.69; 3. C.R. Jefferson, 3:37.31.

*Note: 400 started from the incorrect lines.

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