Another year, 4 more state track titles for Western Dubuque’s Audrey Biermann

DES MOINES — What could Audrey Biermann possibly do for an encore after winning four state championships as a junior?

She did it again, and she did it better.

“I trained harder and I got stronger,” said Biermann, a senior at Western Dubuque High School. “I knew that if I performed my best and looked for PRs, the gold medals would take care of themselves.”

After running to the Class 4A girls’ 400-meter title Thursday, Biermann added three more golds Saturday at Drake Stadium.

She started it early, anchoring the Bobcats to the sprint medley relay title. Ava Ramler, Sammy Recker, Brynn Walters and Biermann blazed to a 3A state record time of 1:45.58, a time that ranks No. 7 all-time.

“My phrase is, ‘I’m a bad ass; give me the baton,’” Recker said. “I’m going to run as fast as I can so Audrey can take it away.”

Biermann later ran the 100 in 12.20 and the 200 in a 3A-record 24.42.

Monday, Biermann will be playing outfield when Western Dubuque opens its softball season. In the fall, it’s on to the University of Iowa.

“Iowa will get me better,” Biermann said. “I will grow as a runner and a person.”

Solon concluded a near-perfect weekend, placing in all seven relays, scoring 84 points and roaring to the 3A title. Adel ADM was second with 66 points; Western Dubuque grabbed the third-place trophy with 51.

“I’m been dreaming about this my whole life,” Kaia Holtkamp said after the Spartans wrapped it up by running away with the 1,600-meter relay. “We just wanted it really, really bad.”

Meghan O’Neill, Holtkamp, Gracie Federspiel and Emma Bock ran in 3:55.14.

“We figured this was our last race, we’d might as well go get it,” Federspiel said.

Bock was third in the 800 Saturday, and Solon placed third in the 4x100 and fourth in the sprint medley.

Clear Creek Amana’s Emma Mathis, Mari Cetta, Meghan Cullen and Silvana Kabolo won the shuttle hurdle relay in 1:05.90.

“Our whole season was like a roller coaster,” Kabolo said. “At Drake, we didn’t get want we wanted.”

They did Saturday. CCA was seeded fourth after what Cetta called “a little incident in the prelims,” then came through when it counted.

JoJo Tyynismaa of South Tama was the 100-meter hurdles runner-up. She won the 400 hurdles Friday.

Saturday results: Class 3A girls

Final team standings — 1. Solon 84, 2. ADM 66, 3. Western Dubuque 51, 4. Dubuque Wahlert 50, 5. Carlisle 46, 6. Spencer 33, 7. South Tama 31, 8. Ballard 26, 9. Mount Pleasant and Newton 22, 13. Decorah and Mount Vernon 19. 19. Clear Creek Amana 13.5, 35. Cedar Rapids Xavier 2, 40. Benton Community, Marion and West Delaware 1.

Sprint medley relay -- 1. Western Dubuque (Ramler, Recker, Walters, Biermann), 1:45.58; 2. Dubuque Wahlert, 1:49.51; 3. Davenport Assumption, 1:49.51; 4. Solon, 1:49.88; 8. Decorah 1:51.75.

800 — 1. Ainsley Erzen (Carlisle), 2:10.07; 2. Kaia Bieker (Harlan), 2:13.51; 3. Emma Bock (Solon), 2:18.22; 5. Kaia Holtkamp (Solon), 2:20.84; 8. Peyton Steffen (Marion), 2:22.52.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Clear Creek Amana (Emma Mathis, Mari Cetta, Meghan Cullen, Silvana Kabolo), 1:05.90; 2. Newton 1:06.03; 3. Fairfield 1:06.23; 4. Solon 1:06.27.

100 — 1. Audrey Biermann (Western Dubuque), 12.20; 2. Jaslynn Dagel (Iowa Falls-Alden), 12.32; 3. Hallie Henfling (ADM), 12.36; 4. JoJo Tyynismaa (South Tama), 12.37; 7. Brynn Walters (Western Dubuque), 12.51.

100 hurdles — 1. Addisyn Terpstra (Newton), 14.55; 2. JoJo Tyynismaa (South Tama), 14.60; 3. Darci Wiseman (Winterset), 15.27; 6. Silvana Kabobo (Clear Creek Amana), 15.44; 8. Alyssa Tegeler (Benton Community), 15.57.

200 — 1. Audrey Biermann (Western Dubuque), *24.42; 2. JoJo Tyynismaa (South Tama), 25.27; 3. Rylee Steffen (Dubuque Wahlert), 25.42.

1,500 — 1. Ainsley Erzen (Carlisle), *4:36.96; 2. Paityn Noe (Ballard), 3. Geneva Timmerman (ADM), 4:47.73.

400 relay — 1. ADM 48.53; 2. Dubuque Wahlert 48.94; 3. Solon 49.28; 6. Decorah 49.85; 8. Western Dubuque 50.27.

1,600 relay — 1. Solon (Meghan O’Neill, Kaia Holtkamp, Gracie Federspiel, Emma Bock), 3:55.14; 2. Davenport Assumption 3:59.77; 3. Dubuque Wahlert 4:02.64; 5. Mount Vernon 4:05.62.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com