City High sweeps team titles at Forwald-Coleman Relays

IOWA CITY — The focus for early- and mid-April, for most schools, is Drake Relays qualification.

Points matter in May.

Isn’t that right, Jovan Harris?

“No, team titles matter every meet to us,” said the Iowa City High senior.

“We want to win everything. We’re hungry for everything.”

The Little Hawks feasted at the Forwald-Coleman Relays on Thursday at Raffensperger Track and Bates Field.

Led by stars like Harris, Ford Washburn and Ammon Smith, the host team captured eight events and more than defended their home turf.

On a night packed with memorable performances as spring finally arrived, the Little Hawks had the most. They also had the most points, with 142. Linn-Mar was the runner-up, with 125 1/3.

“We’re stacked in nearly everything,” Harris noted, correctly. “Sprints, distance, all of the field events. We’re great at everything.”

The Little Hawks hope to carry that full slate to a Class 4A state championship in a month. City High built a dynasty in winning 11 of 13 state titles between 1992 and 2004, but haven’t won one since.

“We’re so much better than we were last year,” said Washburn, who prevailed in a loaded boys’ 3,200-meter field. “We definitely have a shot to win a state title.”

The 3,200 is the deepest boys’ event in Iowa this year, and the Forwald-Coleman field was solid evidence of that. Each of the top six finishers reached Blue Standard status for Drake (9:34.50), a fancy name for automatic qualification.

Washburn moved to the lead with two laps to go, ran the final 800 meters in 2:07 and won the race in 9:15.90, climbing to No. 2 in the state.

“I was planning on going out slower and saving my legs,” Washburn said. “But the guys that were leading took it out fast, so I figured I’d might as well go for it.

“I was saving a lot, but I saw an opportunity once I moved up to second place, so I got out and took the lead.”

Washburn followed with a 4:13.24 beauty in the 1,600, which moves him to No. 1 in the state. He is second in the 3,200.

Harris made his first statement of the night immediately, anchoring City High’s sprint medley relay. He spent the final stretch over his shoulder, gauging the competition, and still ran his split in 50.9 seconds.

“I just wanted to win, I wasn’t worried about a fast time,” he said. “This was just the start of it.”

He certainly didn’t coast in the open 400, winning it in 50.03 seconds. And he booked through the 200 in 22.07 seconds, moving him to No. 2 statewide.

Smith vaulted to No. 2 in Iowa in the 800, in 1:54.64.

Freshman Ani Wedemeyer led City High to the girls’ title, winning four events.

She anchored the Little Hawks to the sprint medley relay title (1:36.77, No. 2 in Iowa) by three-hundredths of a second and claiming the 100 (12.79) by one-hundredth.

“I really like to win,” Wedemeyer said. “I focus on how it will feel after the race if I win. I can’t be satisfied unless I give everything I’ve got.

“I run so I can feel good about myself. I watch the pro races, and they do a little lean forward at the end. I do that, and if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have won those two races.”

Wedemeyer wasn’t done. She won the 800 (2:16.37) and anchored the Little Hawks’ 1,600-meter to a title; they became the first 4x400 quartet to break the 4-minute barrier.

Iris Wedemeyer, Mia DePrenger, Sierra Pruessner and Ani Wedemeyer were clocked in 3:58.82.

In other highlights Thursday:

Girls Results

Teams — 1. Iowa City High 123, 2. Iowa City Liberty 112.5, 3. West Des Moines Valley 107, 4. Pleasant Valley 105, 5. Waukee 90, 6. Linn-Mar 82, 7. Iowa City West 64, 8. C.R. Kennedy 54.5.

Shot put — 1. Kennedy Evans (LM), 39-4; 2. Caitlyn Cox (Valley), 37-11 3/4; 3. Katelyn Kiefer (PV), 36-11 3/4.

Discus — 1. Darya Acas (ICL), 128-9; 2. Reese Goodlet (PV), 126-10; 3. Alex Buscher (Waukee), 112-11.

High jump — 1. Isabelle Woody (ICL), 5-3 1/4; 2. Allison Burger (Waukee), 4-11; 3. Sierra Emison Clair (Valley), 4-11.

Long jump — 1. Kaylee Bunn (ICH), 16-8; 2. Jasmine Barney (ICL), 16-7 1/4; 3. Elodie Stroup (PV), 16-5 3/4.

Sprint medley relay — 1. Iowa City High (Cloyd, Brown, DePrenger, Wedemeyer), 1:48.83; 2. C.R. Kennedy, 1:48.86; 3. West Des Moines Valley, 1:54.56.

3,000 — 1. Addison Dorenkamp (Valley), 10:08.08; 2. Kamryn Ensley (Valley), 10:30.37; 3. Bethany Smeed (CRK), 10:32.89.

3,200 relay — 1. Pleasant Valley (Boleyn, Sommer, Foad, Case), 9:36.65; 2. Iowa City Liberty, 9:49.44; 3. Iowa City High, 10:05.92.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Iowa City West (War, Carter, Olivo, Woods), 1:07.14; 2. Iowa City High, 1:07.57; 3. West Des Moines Valley, 1:09.31.

100 — 1. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH), 12.79; 2. Amira Coleman (ICL), 12.80; 3. Kaylee Bunn (LM), 12.97.

Distance medley relay — 1. West Des Moines Valley (Sandvig, Brown, Burns, DouBrava), 4:26.83; 2. Waukee, 4:29.38; 3. Iowa City High, 4:34.13.

400 — 1. Addison Swartzendruber (CRK), 57.16; 2. Iris Wedemeyer (ICH), 1:00.59; 3. Eva Reynolds (ICH), 1:03.25.

800 relay — 1. Linn-Mar (Gustason, Hand, Gaffney, Schmidt), 1:45.72; 2. Iowa City Liberty, 1:46.34; 3. Waukee, 1:48.02.

100 hurdles — 1. Ella Woods (ICW), 15.32; 2. Grace Braden (CRK), 15.35; 3. Sierra Pruessner (ICH), 15.90.

800 — 1. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH), 2:16.87; 2. Molly Bannister (Waukee), 2:19.18; 3. Addison Dorenkamp (Valley), 2:19.63.

200 — 1. Mia DePrenger (ICH), 26.35; 2. Hannah Ramsey (ICL), 26.81; 3. Kaliyah Perry (Waukee), 26.91.

400 hurdles — 1. Erinn Varga (ICW), 1:05.51; 2. Mallory Drake (Waukee), 1:06.18; 3. Martha Hamilton (ICH), 1:08.58.

1,500 — 1. Ashlyn Keeney (ICL), 4:43.31; 2. Grace Boleyn (PV), 4:46.28; 3. Lydia Sommer (PV), 4:48.13.

400 relay — 1. Linn-Mar (Gustason, Bunn, Carsello, Schmidt), 50.48; 2. West Des Moines Valley, 51.31; 3. Iowa City Liberty, 51.63.

1,600 relay — 1. Iowa City High (Wedemeyer, DePrenger, Pruessner, Wedemeyer), 3:58.82; 2. Pleasant Valley, 4:06.59; 3. Iowa City West, 4:09.96.

Boys Results

Teams — 1. Iowa City High 142, 2. Linn-Mar 125.33, 3. Iowa City West 109, 4. West Des Moines Valley 101, 5. Iowa City Liberty 80.33, 6. Pleasant Valley 79.33, 7. C.R. Prairie 57, 8. Marion 47.

Shot put — 1. Ryan Saddler (PV), 52-7 1/4; 2. Keaton Roskop (LM), 51-7; 3. Sam Watts (LM), 49-5 3/4.

Discus — 1. McKade Jelinek (LM), 178-1; 2. Keaton Roskop (LM), 152-8; 3. Tate Joens (CRP), 147-5.

High jump — 1. Matt Schaeckenbach (ICH), 6-6 1/4; 2. T.J. Jackson (LM), 6-5 1/4; 3. Akena Ochan (Valley), 6-3.

Long jump — 1. Ronnie Major (ICH), 22-0; 2. Isaac Guerrero (LM), 21-6 1/4; 3. Aidan Jacobsen (ICW), 21-6.

Sprint medley relay — 1. Iowa City High (Rew, Rew, Svoboda, Harris), 1:36.77; 2. Marion, 1:37.10; 3. West Des Moines Valley, 1:37.69.

3,200 — 1. Ford Washburn (ICH), 9:15.90; 2. Alex McKane (ICW), 9:21.65; 3. Jacob Mumey (PV), 9:25.61.

3,200 relay — 1. Iowa City Liberty (Robinson, Decker, Montover, Keeney), 8:04.96; 2. C.R. Prairie, 8:13.68; 3. Iowa City High, 8:13.93.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Pleasant Valley (Doran, Necker, Zietlow, Wilson), 59.48; 2. Iowa City Liberty, 1:01.59; 3. C.R. Prairie, 1:01.66.

100 — 1. Luke Meyers (ICL), 10.80; 2. Alex Mora (Marion), 11.08; 3. Izaiah Loveless (ICW), 11.19.

Distance medley relay — 1. Linn-Mar (Henderson, Dooley, O’Toole, Kuhn, 3:36.48; 2. C.R. Prairie, 3:36.55; 3. Iowa City High, 3:39.14.

400 — 1. Jovan Harris (ICH), 50.03; 2. Lucas Korselman (Valley), 50.72; 3. Luke Meike (LM), 51.07.

800 relay — 1. Iowa City West (Rent, Loveless, Gudenkauf, Janis), 1:29.49; 2. West Des Moines Valley, 1:30.27; 3. Linn-Mar, 1:31.35.

110 hurdles — 1. Eric Lucas (ICL), 14.43; 2. Reid Smith (Valley), 14.81; 3. Nicholas Gorsich (LM), 14.86.

800 — 1. Ammon Smith (ICH), 1:54.64; 2. Bryson Canton (CRP), 2:00.03; 3. Gavin Keeney (ICL), 2:00.40.

200 — 1. Jovan Harris (ICH), 22.07; 2. Christian Janis (ICW), 22.18; 3. Todd Rent (ICW), 22.45.

400 hurdles — 1. Nicholas Gorsich (LM), 55.06; 2. Matt Schaeckenbach (ICH), 56.04; 3. Aidan Jacobsen (ICW), 56.05.

1,600 — 1. Ford Washburn (ICH), 4:13.24; 2. Hayden Kuhn (LM), 4:17.74; 3. Alex McKane (ICW), 4:19.94.

400 relay — 1. Iowa City West (Rent, Loveless, Gudenkauf, Janis), 42.83; 2. West Des Moines Valley, 43.28; 3. Linn-Mar 43.54.

1,600 relay — 1. West Des Moines Valley (Korselman, Elston, Cracraft, Johnson), 3:25.16; 2. Iowa City High, 3:26.66; 3. Iowa City Liberty, 3:28.54.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com