Elkader Central holds on for repeat state title in 3,200 relay

DES MOINES - Elkader Central's Ciera Deitchler covered her mouth as she crossed the finish line in neck-and-neck fashion.

She thought she had just lost the Warriors a chance to be back-to-back champs in the 3,200-meter relay.

'I didn't even know she was there until right at the finish line, that's why I was so worried at the end,” Deitchler said. 'I knew they were getting close to me. I knew that, but didn't know how close.”

It couldn't have been much closer. Elkader Central edged Logan-Magnolia by one-hundreth of a second, finishing in 9:54.64 in Class 2A at the state track and field meet Thursday at Drake Stadium.

Deitchler is the veteran in this foursome - she is the only returner from last year's championship relay - and anchors a squad with two freshmen running the middle legs. Junior Deserai Weber and freshmen Jasmine Mueller and Danielle Weber are all set to return next year.

'I can't even really describe it,” Deitchler said of the feeling. 'To be able to experience it with this team and the team last year, it's truly amazing.”

Springville's Rylee Menster bested the long jump field by eight inches, winning with a leap of 16 feet, 11 inches. Iowa Valley's Cherisse Ward was second (16-03) and Sigourney's Summer Barthelman (16-02.25) was fourth. Menster entered the day as the No. 4 seed.

'To be honest I didn't really know what I came in as,” Menster said. 'I just kind of went out and jumped to see what would happen.”

Clayton Ridge's Kassandra Rosenbum, who was unseeded in the 3,000-meter run, nabbed a third-place finish in 10:49.92. East Mills sophomore Janette Schraft won in 10:36.29.

'It was a surprising finish,” Rosenbum said. 'I just felt really strong throughout the race so I decided to push myself harder than I've ever pushed myself before.”

Montezuma freshman Shateah Wetering was second in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 57.87. Jordyn Pester of Mapleton MVAO won in 56.97.

Springville is tied for first as a team with four other schools, including Elkader Central, all of which have 10 points.

STATE TRACK & FIELD: CLASS 1A GIRLS

Teams (through five events) - 1. Springville, 10; 2. Lawton-Bronson, 10; 3. East Mills, 10; 4. Maple Valley-A-O, 10; 5. Elkader Central, 10; 6. Sidney, 9; 7. Logan-Magnolia, 8; 8. Iowa Valley, 8; 9. Clarksville, 8; 10. North Butler, 8

Results (top 3, plus area)

Shot put - 1. Jadin Wagner (Lawton-Bronson), 40-11.50; 2. Nicole Heeren (North Butler), 40-04.50; 3. Maryn Phillips (Sidney), 39-08.75; 8. Courtney Cooper (Lansing Kee), 37-05.50

Long jump - 1. Rylee Menster (Springville), 16-11.00; 2. Cherisse Ward (Iowa Valley), 16-03.00; 3. Kyah Luhring (Grundy Center), 16-02.75; 4. Summer Barthelman (Sigourney), 16-02.25

3,000 - 1. Janette Schraft (East Mills), 10:36.29; 2. Kori Wedeking (Clarksville), 10:38.52; 3. Kassandra Rosenbum (Clayton Ridge), 10:49.92; 6. Katie Brennan (Lansing Kee), 10:59.50

3,200 relay - 1. Elkader Central (Weber, Mueller, Weber, Deitchler), 9:54.64; 2. Logan-Magnolia, 9:54.65; 3. Edgewood-Colesburg, 10:04.45; 7. Central City, 10:16.44

400 - 1. Jordyn Pester (Maple Valey-A-0), 56.97; 2. Shateah Wetering (Montezuma), 57.87; 3. Alyssa Pfadenhauer (Danville), 58.57; 7. Macie Boots (HLV, Victor), 1:00.84

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