West medley prevails by a sliver of a second

DES MOINES -- The margin of victory wasn't razor-thin.

It was thinner.

Shahana Williams held off a challenge by Des Moines North's Agnes Sayeh -- then beat the clock -- to give Iowa City West the Drake Relays championship in the girls' sprint medley relay Friday at Drake Stadium.

West's Kristina Bauer, Rebecca Tanner, McKennan Cronbaugh and Williams had an official time of 1:48.88 in the third heat, same as Des Moines Roosevelt, which won the second heat.

So go deeper on the clock -- West 1:48.878, Roosevelt 1:48.880. The Women of Troy prevailed by 2-thousandths of a second.

"We always talk about how every second counts," Williams said. "I knew I had to give it all I had."

All she had was enough.

Williams was running just her second 400 of the season, and Sayeh caught her on the home stretch. Sayeh tried to pass Williams on the inside, then appeared to stumble at the end.

"She bumped me as she caught up," Williams said. "I just had to fight through it."

Or, as Tanner said: "She just wasn't going to let (Sayeh) catch her."

North was third overall in 1:49.89.

Roosevelt got even in Drake's inaugural girls' 800-meter relay, in an effort (1:42.20) that ranks No. 3 all-time. Cedar Rapids Jefferson (1:43.50) edged West (1:43.80) for second place.

"We were focused more on time than place," said Jefferson anchor Rachel Broghammer. "The goal wasn't to beat West, it was to run a fast time."

But outlasting Cronbaugh down the stretch certainly was an accomplishment.

"I could see a yellow uniform out of the corner of my eye, and I thought, 'Oh, no. Oh, no. She's not passing me," Broghammer said.

Maliya Rattliffe, Summer Carber and Taylor Jacobson ran the first three legs for the J-Hawks.

Shelby Houlihan of Sioux City East grabbed the seventh Drake title of her career, eclipsing her own 800-meter Relays record in 2:07.69.

Other girls' winners Friday were Alex Gochenour of Logan-Magnolia in the 100 hurdles (14.79), Sarah Pate of Clarke in the shot put (42-1 1/4), Khanishah Williams of Burlington in the high jump (5-10) and Erin Hawkins of Roosevelt in the 100 (12.74).