Yeager continues his pursuit

Josh Yeager has had the fortune - or misforture - to be a part of the glory days of boys' high school distance running in Iowa.

'Maybe if I came along at a different time, I would have won some more state championships,” said Yeager, a senior at Center Point-Urbana. 'But if I didn't have all these other guys around, I might not have gotten as good as I did. I'd rather keep improving and keep chasing something.”

Yeager has been somewhat overshadowed by distance stars like Josh Evans (now at Iowa State), Thomas Pollard (a senior at Gilbert) and Chandler Austin and Albert Meier (formerly at Boone). He doesn't lose sleep over it.

'It's been great, having those high-caliber guys around to shoot for,” Yeager said. 'It helped me get to where I am today.”

Yeager will lead a veteran CPU squad - 12 seniors, in all - at Thomas Park Field for Thursday's Class 3A state-qualifying meet. A four-event state placewinner last year, Yeager bids to return to Des Moines in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter races, along with the 3,200-meter relay.

State-qualifying meets (they're called districts for boys, regionals for girls) will be held statewide Thursday. Team races are secondary; the aim is advancement of as much as possible to next week's state meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

In Class 4A, the top two finishers in each event automatically qualify, plus 12 at-large qualifiers statewide. In 3A and 2A, it's the top two from each site, plus eight at-large.

And in 1A, event champion are automatic qualifiers, plus 12 at-large statewide.

Linn-Mar will host a 4A meet that contains the majority of the Metro teams and both of the Iowa City schools. The host Lions are the favorite on both sides, and the girls' sprinters from Cedar Rapids Jefferson also will be on display, along with the salty boys' field-event crew from Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Four area teams are reigning state champions - the boys from Solon (3A) and Monticello (2A), and the girls from Cascade (2A) and North-Linn (1A).

Of those teams, North-Linn's girls are the most likely to repeat. The Lynx will compete in a 1A meet at Hudson. The host Pirates, ironically, are the Lynx's chief threat, both this week and next.

Behind Yeager, CPU is a state-title hopeful in 3A.

'I definitely think we'll be in the hunt,” said Coach Amy Marshall. 'Algona has a nice team, Glenwood looks amazing, and I'm not counting Solon out.”

Last year, Yeager anchored the Stormin' Pointers to the 3,200-meter relay title. They were third in the medley relay, and he was fourth in the 1,600 and 3,200.

A Drake University recruit, Yeager is a leader on the track and off.

'You hear kids, if they go to McDonald's or something, and they'd say, ‘Oh, Josh wouldn't like that much,'” Marshall said.

Something he won't like much is looking past Thursday.

'Our main goal is to get as much to state as we possibly can,” Yeager said. 'The district meet is the last meet we are guaranteed. We're not guaranteed anything at state. We have to earn it.”

PREP TRACK: THURSDAY'S DISTRICT/REGIONAL ASSIGNMENTS

Qualifiers advance to state May 21-23 at Drake Stadium, Des Moines

Class 4A (top 2 automatically advance, plus 12 at-large)

At Dubuque - Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Clinton, Dubuque Hempstead, Dubuque Senior, Waterloo East, Waterloo West, Western Dubuque.

At Linn-Mar - Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Washington, Iowa City High, Iowa City West, Linn-Mar, Marshalltown, Ottumwa.

Class 3A (top 2 automatically advance, plus 8 at-large)

At Decorah - Charles City, Crestwood, Decorah, Independence, Oelwein, Waukon, Waverly-Shell Rock, West Delaware.

At Marion - Cedar Rapids Xavier, Center Point-Urbana, DeWitt Central, Dubuque Wahlert, Maquoketa, Marion, Union, Vinton-Shellsburg.

At Mount Pleasant - Clear Creek Amana, Davenport Assumption, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mount Pleasant, Solon, Washington.

At Pella - Benton Community, Centerville, Grinnell, Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Pella, South Tama, Williamsburg.

Class 2A (top 2 automatically advance, plus 8 at-large)

At Monticello - Alburnett, Anamosa, Bellevue, Camanche, Cascade, Clayton RIdge, Dyersville Beckman, MFL MarMac, Monticello, Mount Vernon, North Cedar, Northeast.

At Osage - Central Springs, Clear Lake, Forest City, Garner-Hayfield/Ventura, Lake Mills, New Hampton, North Fayette Valley, Osage, Saint Ansgar, South Winneshiek, Sumner-Fredericksburg, West Fork.

At Tipton - Columbus Community, Durant, Iowa City Regina, Louisa-Muscatine, Mediapolis, Mid-Prairie, Tipton, Wapello, West Branch, West Burlington-Notre Dame, West Liberty, Wilton.

Class 1A (champion automatically advances, plus 12 at-large)

At Brooklyn - BGM, Colfax-Mingo, English Valleys, HLV, Iowa Valley, Lynnville-Sully, Montezuma, Moravia, North Mahaska, Sigourney, Tri-County, Twin Cedars.

At Edgewood - Bellevue Marquette (boys only), Calamus-Wheatland, Clinton Prince of Peace, Easton Valley, Edgewood-Colesburg, Elkader Central, Lansing Kee, Maquoketa Valley, Midland, Postville, Starmont, Turkey Valley.

At Grundy Center - Belle Plaine, Clarksville, Colo-Nesco, Conrad BCLUW, Garwin GMG, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, Grundy Center, Janesville, Meskwaki Settlement, North Tama, Valley Lutheran.

At Hudson - Central City, Don Bosco, Dunkerton, East Buchanan, Hudson, Jesup, Lisbon, North-Linn, Springville, Tripoli, Wapsie Valley, West Central, Waterloo Christian (girls only).

At Wayland - Cardinal, Danville, Fairfield Maharishi, Harmony, Highland, Iowa Mennonite, Keota, Lone Tree, New London, Pekin, Van Buren, WACO, Winfield-Mount Union.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com