Ryan Clancy, Keegan Thompson set pace for Mount Mercy at Heart of America track and field meet

CEDAR RAPIDS — Ryan Clancy knew he had run a great race. Keegan Thompson was looking for a little more after his first race and got it in his second.

Both Mount Mercy juniors came away with gold medals Saturday at the Heart of America Conference track and field meet at Hadzic Field on the Mount Mercy campus.

Clancy blazed his way to the 3,000-meter steeplechase title while Thompson rallied late to take top honors in the 100, then pulled away down the stretch in the 200 to highlight the afternoon for the Mustangs.

  Buy Photo

Junior Caleb Rutherford got the day started for the hosts by winning the shot put with a heave of 15.9 meters.

Mount Mercy finished tied for fourth in the team race with 81 points. Grand View ran away with the team title, finishing with 158 points.

After he crossed the line, Clancy thought he had shaved a few seconds off his seed time of 10:10.07.

“I didn’t even think I went a sub-10,” said the Breese, Ill., native. “I thought maybe 10:02 or 10:03.”

Imagine his surprise when he saw his winning time of 9:40.00.

“I couldn’t even believe it,” Clancy said. “All my friends and teammates were just hugging me. It was a fantastic feeling.

“I raced yesterday and felt really good and just carried that over. With about a mile to go I felt like I had a lot left and the guy I was following, the lead guy, started fading off so I just took off from there.”

Mount Mercy Coach Ryan Scheckel believed Clancy had a good chance to win, but he was also amazed to see him shave 30 seconds off his time to set a new school record.

“Obviously thinking he would go 9:40 was a stretch,” Scheckel said. “Just knowing what he has run in the 5K in the fall, we knew what he was capable of doing and he ran well yesterday. The big thing was getting the conference title.”

Thompson’s road to his two wins was a bit tougher. The junior from Vinton-Shellsburg has battled shin splints which has, at times, limited his ability to train. Still, he had enough to finish in 10.54, edging William Penn’s Showalter Johnson (10.56).

“I had a really bad start so I had to catch him right at the line,” Thompson said. “I just had to stay patient and stay relaxed and not panic. I know I have a good top speed so I knew I wasn’t out of it.”

In the 200, Thompson made up the stagger with a much better start and was never threatened down the stretch, winning in 20.95, well ahead of William Penn’s Johnson (21.22)

The week leading up to the conference meet wasn’t a good one for Thompson, who wanted to hit 10.50 in the 100 to get an ‘A’ standard time for the postseason. His shin splint issues surfaced, but, according to Scheckel, it is something he has dealt with since coming to Mount Mercy last season after attending Hawkeye Community College.

“His issues with shin splints has been something he has been working through since he got here,” Scheckel said. “His work ethic, his commitment has been outstanding. He has been in the training room every day, sometimes twice a day doing the little things necessary to make sure he can compete.”

Being able to win twice on his home track was a big deal for Thompson.

“The important thing today was getting (the two titles),” he said.

In the women’s competition, Mount Mercy’s Bre Nail won the women’s shot put with a throw of 13.48 meters. The Mustangs finished in eighth with 55 points. Central Methodist took the team title with 169 points.

The Mustangs had a pair of winners Friday. Junior Abby Hill won the women’s javelin with a throw of 40.07 meters. Sophomore Kaden Schlling won the men’s hammer throw (54.79 meters), edging out teammate Mitchell Miller (54.20).