Payton Wensel dashes to victory in the 400 for Linn-Mar

CEDAR RAPIDS – Entering last night's track and field meet at Kingston Stadium, Linn-Mar Coach Nathan Hopp wasn't sure what he was going to get out of his girls.

But after two weeks of weather cancellations and a stirring home meet just three days prior, Hopp's Lions delivered plenty.

Linn-Mar won seven events, including six of the final 10, and scored 162 points for a convincing title at the Cedar Rapids Washington Warrior Invitational.

'We did well,' Hopp said. 'I don't think there was any letdowns and the girls competed well and everyone stepped up and scored points for us, which is huge.'

Linn-Mar sophomore Payton Wensel posted a state-best time of 56.33 seconds in the 400-meter dash, just 37 hundredths of a second off the 55.96 that earned her the Class 4A state championship as a freshman.

Wensel also anchored a victory in the 1,600 relay, earning another season-best time of 4:02.57 with Brooke Lorenz, Amber Decker and Hanna Saville that ranks fourth in the state this season.

'Honestly, I don't think my night could have gone much better,' Wensel said. 'I ran my season's best in the open quarter, then came back and ran a killer relay with my teammates. I can't complain.'

Decker – who will run collegiately next year for Iowa – won the 800 in 2:20.02, while freshman Jill Bennett claimed victory in the 200 (26.74).

Cal-Berkeley signee Stephanie Jenks notched a season-best mark of 1:06.91 in a victorious 400 hurdles performance, good for eighth in the state this season.

Senior Brooke Lorenz cleared 5-01 and earned a win in the high jump.

'One thing that I think really helps us out is, we have a lot of depth,' Hopp said. 'We don't just have five or six really great athletes, I would say we have more than that and that's what really helps. If we have to replace somebody in a relay, we have more than one or two people that are going to step up and fill that spot and do it just as well if not better.'

Senior Rose Gamamou edged Lorenz by four-hundredths of a second and won the 100-meter dash in a blistering 12.95 for Iowa City High, which placed second in the team standings with 118 points. Prior to this week, it had been two years since Gamamou ran the 100 and she is now ranked sixth in the state.

'I was at practice and I just asked the coaches to put me in,' Gamamou said. 'They put me in and I did well and I ran again today. So running it today, I felt like I'm building confidence now. … I've been running a 4x100, so I wanted to know what an open event would look like.'

Gamamou also anchored teammates Emma Clark, Emma Cooper and Maddie DePrenger to victory in the 800 relay in a season-best time of 1:46.68, which moved the Little Hawks to 12th in the state.

Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Sophia Smith helped the Hawks place third overall (98 points) with a victory in the 100 hurdles (17.16 seconds) and starting a 400 shuttle hurdle relay win with Natalie Bohnsack, Leah Flickinger and Sarah Schmitt.

Host Washington finished fourth with 68.5 points, while Xavier (64) and Muscatine (61.5) rounded out the field.

WARRIOR INVITATIONAL

At Kingston Stadium

Teams –

1. Linn-Mar 162; 2. Iowa City High 118; 3. Cedar Rapids Prairie 98; 4. Cedar Rapids Washington 68.5; 5. Cedar Rapids Xavier 64; 6. Muscatine 61.5.

Shot put –

1. Meghan Joens (CRX), 37-06.00; 2. Danielle Wegter (M), 35-11.00; 3. Luci Murphy (ICH), 33-11.50.

Discus –

1. Wegter (M), 119-09; 2. Jones (CRX), 116-11; 3. Murphy (ICH), 104-03.

Long jump –

1. Vanessa Eniola (CRW), 17-02.50; 2. Ariana Rolle (LM), 16-08.00; 3. Emma Cooper (ICH), 15-06.50.

High jump –

1. Brooke Lorenz (LM), 5-01.00; 2. Kenzie Soeken (CRP), 4-10.00; t3. Megan Renner (LM), 4-08.00; t3. Maddie Beik (M), 4-08.00; t3. Cyan Vanderhoef (ICH), 4-08.00.

3,000 –

1. Reagan Gorman (CRW), 10:45.73; 2. Mary Arch (ICH), 11:02.43; 3. Anna Lindower (ICH), 11:11.75.

3,200 relay –

1. I.C. High (Addie Smith, Kinsee Brands, Aly Hecker, Aminata Traore), 10:14.07; 2. Linn-Mar (Ally Hicks, Abby Gries, Maddie Mann, Emma Kelley), 10:27.03; 3. C.R. Prairie (Hannah Frazee, Kirstin Skriver, Alissa Neubauer, Morgan Erickson), 10:27.87.

400 shuttle hurdle relay –

1. C.R. Prairie (Sophia Smith, Natalie Bohnsack, Leah Flickinger, Sarah Schmitt), 1:11.59; 2. Linn-Mar (Melanie Fuhrmann, Chloe McNeese, Allie Scolaro, Kayla Micek), 1:13.88; 3. C.R. Xavier (Maddix Stovie, Jenna Schwach, Brie Baldus, Theresa Lampe), 1:14.40.

100 –

1. Rose Gamamou (ICH), 12.95; 2. Lorenz (LM), 12.99; 3. Kira Ramsey (LM), 13.30.

Distance medley relay –

1. C.R. Xavier (Grace Miller, Anna Parr, Katie Tallett, Jennifer Dickes), 4:29.58; 2. I.C. High (Sidney DePrenger, Hailey Verdick, Lindsey Parrott, Izzy Jones), 4:33.86; 3. C.R. Washington (Trinity Glover, Eniola, Ava Klopfenstein, Sarah Altemeier), 4:37.77.

400 –

1. Payton Wensel (LM), 56.33; 2. Larkin Chapman (M), 59.29; 3. Gries (LM), 1:05.25.

800 relay –

1. I.C. High (Emma Clark, Emma Cooper, Maddie DePrenger, Gamamou), 1:46.68; 2. Linn-Mar (Rolle, Jill Bennett, Renner, Ramsey), 1:48.20; 3. C.R. Prairie (Morgan Lewis, Jenna Ross, Skriver, Soeken), 1:48.44.

100 hurdles –

1. Smith (CRP), 17.16; 2. Lampe (CRX), 17.30; 3. Flickinger (CRP), 17.68.

800 –

1. Amber Decker (LM), 2:20.02; 2. Jenny Dickes (CRX), 2:25.13; 3. Hanna Saville (LM), 2:29.97.

200 –

1. Bennett (LM), 26.74; 2. Ross (CRP), 27.05; 3. Clark (ICH), 27.64.

400 hurdles –

1. Stephanie Jenks (LM), 1:06.91; 2. Schmitt (CRP), 1:12.68; 3. Amara Taylor (CRW), 1:12.93.

800 sprint medley –

1. C.R. Prairie (Madeline Andorf, Ross, Soeken, Skriver), 1:54.43; 2. C.R. Washington (Glover, Mariah Ward, Klopfenstein, Eniola), 1:56.99; 3. Linn-Mar (Sophie Feahn, Dacia Isaac, Meghan Mather, Gries), 1:58.50.

1,500 –

1. Brina Kraft (M), 4:51.85; 2. Morgan Garcia (LM), 4:54.65; 3. Frazee (CRP), 5:09.19.

400 relay –

1. Linn-Mar (Rolle, Bennett, Olivia Hubler, Ramsey), 50.95; 2. I.C. High (Delaney Johnson, Cooper, Clark, Gamamou), 51.04; 3. C.R. Washington (Glover, Ward, Taylor, Jayla Johnson), 51.26.

1,600 relay –

1. Linn-Mar (Lorenz, Decker, Saville, Wensel), 4:02.57; 2. I.C. High (M. DePrenger, Izzy Jones, Traore, Gamamou), 4:15.48; 3. C.R. Prairie (Skriver, Raegan Geary, Schmitt, Victoria Booth), 4:25.75.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com