Jeff Linder

Here are eight Gazette-area teams to watch for the 2024 Iowa high school softball season.

Here are 16 Gazette-area players to watch for the 2024 Iowa high school softball season.

An overview of Saturday’s Iowa high school state track and field championships, with links to class-by-class coverage.

State track and field, Class 3A boys: Quentin Nauman is only a sophomore, but won four titles and, as it turned out, Western Dubuque needed every bit of his heroics to claim the team championship.

State track and field, Class 4A boys Saturday: Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s quartet ran the fastest boys’ 400-meter relay in the 46 years that the event has been run in Iowa

State track and field, Class 3A girls: Aly Stahle chilled out in a Drake Stadium restroom, then made the way back outside, laced up her spikes and won the 100-meter hurdles Saturday afternoon.

State track and field, Class 4A girls: The addition of ambulatory races to the state track and field meet came at a perfect time for Hannah Longmire. A sophomore from Iowa City West, Longmire swept the three girls’ ambulatory races Saturday at Drake Stadium.

State track and field, Class 4A boys Friday: Relaxed T.Y. Pour of Cedar Rapids Prairie took control of the long jump immediately.

State track and field, Class 4A girls: Linn-Mar’s Abby Mecklenburg came through on her final attempt, leaping a clutch 18 feet, 2 1/4 inches to win the long jump Friday afternoon at Drake Stadium.

State track and field, Class 3A boys: Quentin Nauman continued a scintillating state meet Friday morning at Drake Stadium; his 1:51.5 anchor brought Western Dubuque from behind in the distance medley relay.

State track and field, Class 3A girls: Third-place finishes by Eastin Whisner (400 hurdles) and Libby Dix (shot put) have Mount Vernon on top heading to the final day.

State track and field, 4A girls/boys: In her first season as a high jumper, Linn-Mar’s Maia Denge-Hagen strikes gold.

State track and field, 3A girls: Led by a runner-up finish by Sydney Maue in the high jump, Mount Vernon leads the 3A girls’ team race after Day 1.

Solon junior Ben Kampman was part of an area boys’ championship bonanza Thursday at the state track and field meet, winning the 3A boys’ discus title with an effort of 186 feet, 3 inches.

There was no expensive search firm. No prolonged speculation on who the next University of Iowa women’s basketball coach would be. “How amazing is it when the easy choice is the right choice?” Iowa athletics director Beth Goetz said Wednesday, introducing Jan Jensen.