Kenzie Soeken runs through successful, emotional Prairie home finale

CEDAR RAPIDS — Few would classify track practice as the highlight of their school day.

Kenzie Soeken does.

'High school is hard,' she said. 'To have something to get excited about, something to get you through the day ... no matter what, I've always known I'd have something to look forward to at the end of the day.'

And that's what triggered her emotions during the Senior Day ceremony toward the end of the Prairie Relays on Tuesday at John Wall Field.

'It's going to be hard to leave this,' Soeken said. 'Our volleyball program and our track program, they've had such an impact on me.'

Soeken's last night of competition on her home track was a memorable one. She earned three first-place finishes and a second as Cedar Rapids Prairie dominated the meet.

Prairie won seven events and racked up 167 points. Cedar Rapids Xavier edged Waterloo West, 105-104, for second place.

The season's late rush begins to crescendo Thursday with conference and divisional meets, with regionals next week and state May 19-21. But Prairie went at it full-bore Tuesday, and it showed.

'This meet means a lot, and I'm speaking for all the seniors,' said Soeken, who will continue her volleyball and track careers at Upper Iowa University. 'This is our house, and we were going to go full strength at it.'

Soeken won the high jump, clearing 5 feet, then led off the winning 800-meter relay. She was second in the 200.

Prairie honors its seniors late in the meet, and because of where her name falls in the alphabet, Soeken was the last one to be greeted by Coach Chris Perkins. It was a long, tearful embrace.

Then, Soeken gathered herself and anchored the winning 400-meter relay team.

Hannah Frazee was a double-winner for the Hawks (3,000 and 1,500), and Prairie claimed the sprint medley and 1,600-meter relays.

Xavier's Theresa Lampe brought the Saints from behind to win the shuttle hurdle relay, then overcame a near-stumble late in the 100-meter hurdles to win it in 16.80 seconds.

'I tried to recover fast and get my steps back,' Lampe said. 'I think I caught the hurdle with my foot, but I was able to get back into it.

'I'm really working on my three-step, and I'm dropping time. I want to get sub-16 before the season's over.'

Iowa City West left most of its top runners at home, but the Women of Troy were still salty in the throws.

Chandler Haight led a 1-2 finish in the shot put with a heave of 40 feet, 11 1/2 inches. Leah Dusterhoft triumphed in the discus at 129-4.

GIRLS TRACK & FIELD: PRAIRIE RELAYS

At John Wall Field

Teams — 1. C.R. Prairie 167, 2. C.R. Xavier 105, 3. Waterloo West 104, 4. Iowa City West 80, 5. C.R. Washington 58, 6. Davenport West 45.

Shot put — 1. Chandler Haight (ICW), 40-11 1/2; 2. Zainab Makky (ICW), 39-1; 3. Meghan Joens (CRX), 37-6 1/2; Discus — 1. Leah Dusterhoft (ICW), 129-4; 2. Meghan Joens (CRX), 122-6; 3. Chandler Haight (ICW), 110-10;High jump — 1. Kenzie Soeken (CRP), 5-0; 2. Nicole Miller (CRP), 4-10; 3. (tie) Danielle Anderson (WW) and Alex Willis (ICW), 4-8; Long jump — 1. Vanessa Eniola (CRW), 17-5 1/2; 2. Kitra Bell (WW), 17-5; 3. Morgan Lewis (CRP), 15-8 1/2.

3,000 — 1. Hannah Frazee (CRP), 11:02.39; 2. Chelsea Kopp (DW), 11:49.58; 3. Emma Durian (ICW), 11:56.04; 3,200 relay — 1. C.R. Xavier (Dickes, Coffey, Brown, Tallett), 10:25.72; C.R. Prairie, 10:50.95; 3. C.R. Washington, 11:12.46; Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. C.R. Xavier (Schwach, Stovie, Baldus, Lampe), 1:10.72; 2. C.R. Prairie, 1:11.36; 100 — 1. Kitra Bell (WW), 12.99; 2. Jenna Ross (CRP), 13.06; 3. Dyon Hickman (DW), 13.51; Distance medley relay — 1. C.R. Washington (Eniola, Johnson, Powers, Gorman), 4:27.45; 2. C.R. Xavier, 4:35.22; 3. C.R. Prairie, 4:41.87; 400 — 1. Zoey Thune (WW), 1:01.63; 2. Kirstin Skriver (CRP), 1:04.01; 3. Zaria Lambert (DW), 1:05.89; 800 relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Soeken, Lewis, Andorf, Ross), 1:48.93; 2. Waterloo West, 1:51.79; 3. Davenport West, 1:54.04; 100 hurdles — 1. Theresa Lampe (CRX), 16.80; 2. Vanessa Eniola (CRW), 16.90; 3. Leah Flickinger (CRP), 16.92; 800 — 1. Deniz Ince (ICW), 2:36.17; 2. Sierra Sheets (CRW), 2:36.38; 3. Ruth Shares (WW), 2:43.09; 200 — 1. Zoey Thune (WW), 26.59; 2. Kenzie Soeken (CRP), 26.83; 3. Kitra Bell (WW), 27.57; 400 hurdles — 1. Amara Taylor (CRW), 1:12.32; 2. Sarah Schmitt (CRP), 1:13.62; 3. Brie Baldus (CRX), 1:14.63; Sprint medley relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Hildebrand, Lewis, Ross, Skriver), 1:55.49; 2. C.R. Xavier, 1:56.78; 3. Waterloo West, 1:56.86; 1,500 — 1. Hannah Frazee (CRP), 5:03.71; 2. Alissa Neubauer (CRP), 5:17.57; 3. Emiko Coffey (CRX), 5:26.80; 400 relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Hilderbrand, Ross, Fuller, Soeken), 50.59; 2. Waterloo West, 51.71; 3. C.R. Xavier, 52.79; 1,600 relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Booth, Skriver, Copeland, Geary), 4:24.15; 2. C.R. Xavier, 4:26.55; 3. Waterloo West, 4:32.51.

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