Area stars galore in the 3A boys’ portion of the state track and field meet

DES MOINES — Quentin Nauman will spend his Sunday stocking shelves in the dairy section of a Hy-Vee in Dubuque.

“I want to,” he said. “I enjoy it.”

It will be a completely different level of enjoyment from what he dealt with Saturday at the state track and field meet.

Maybe more relaxing. Certainly less invigorating.

Nauman etched his name — not in pencil, but in Sharpie — as the most dominant distance runner the state has ever produced. He won the Class 3A 800-meter run in 1:49.41, then followed that with a 3:59.60 effort in the 1,600.

Those aren’t just numbers. They’re history.

Nauman became the first high school athlete in United States history to run a sub-1:50 800 and a sub-4:00 1,600 in the same track and field meet.

He also won the 3,200 (8:57.97) on Thursday, and anchored Western Dubuque’s triumphant distance medley relay with a 1:47.49 anchor Friday.

“It’s crazy what I just accomplished,” he said. “Iowa knows how to put on a state track meet, and I was happy to put on a show.”

Nauman was the biggest part of a memorable portion of the 3A boys’ competition. In all, Gazette-area contestants snagged 13 of 19 titles in that division, including four by Center Point-Urbana senior Nathan Miller.

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After winning solo in the 400-meter dash and the 400 hurdles earlier this week, Miller anchored CPU to victory in the sprint medley relay and the 1,600-meter relay Saturday.

“Nathan had a heck of a weekend,” teammate Cooper Grimm said after the 4x400.

Sure did.

“I trusted in my teammates,” Miller said. “I came in here ready to peak at the right time. I can’t believe what I did this weekend.

“I did it for my teammates. I did it for CPU.”

Tyler Knight, Carter Andrews and A.J. Maloney ran the first three legs of a sprint medley that prevailed in 1:30.53, then Maloney, Donovan Crouchet and Grimm got things started in the 4x400.

“I knew Nathan was going to get it,” Andrews said.

Tay Seals played a major part in Clear Creek Amana’s third-place team finish. In the space of about an hour, the sophomore anchored the Clippers’ winning shuttle hurdle relay, finished fourth in the open 100, then won the 110-meter hurdles.

“I just tried to hydrate and stay ahead of the game,” Seals said. “I certainly didn’t think I would take down two (3A state-meet) records. It feels amazing to have gone as fast as I did.”

Seals’ effort in the open highs was 13.58 seconds. Owen Rosenberg, Luke Higdon, Eliezer Mipata and Seals ran the shuttle in 57.49.

“I’m blessed to have these guys around me,” said Mipata, a freshman. “My trail leg is the one thing I’ve struggled with. My teammates helped me get to where I am.”

Newton prevailed in a competitive 3A boys’ team race; the Cardinals scored 60 points.

Pella was second with 56, with CCA tying Gilbert for third with 55. Western Dubuque (53) was fifth, CPU (48) sixth.

STATE TRACK & FIELD

Class 3A Boys

Top 10 teams (final) — 1. Newton 60, 2. Pella 56, 3. (tie) Clear Creek Amana and Gilbert 55, 5. Western Dubuque 53, 6. Center Point-Urbana 48, 7. Waverly-Shell Rock 40, 8. Des Moines Christian 35, 9. Algona 31, 10. Adel ADM 29.4.

Sprint medley relay — 1. Center Point-Urbana (Knight, Andrews, Maloney, Miller), 1:30.53; 2. Newton, 1:30.77; 3. Pella, 1:31.98; 5. Williamsburg, 1:33.17; 8. Clear Creek Amana, 1:33.85.

800 — 1. Quentin Nauman (Western Dubuque), 1:49.41; 2. Caleb Ten Pas (Des Moines Christian), 1:51.29; 3. Canaan Dunham (Pella), 1:52.16; 7. Mitchell Stemper (Decorah), 1:57.12; 8. Tyler Alderton (Washington), 1:57.33.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Clear Creek Amana (Rosenberg, Higdon, Mipata, Seals), 57.49; 2. Ballard, 58.45; 3. MOC-Floyd Valley, 58.80; 5. Benton Community, 1:00.89.

100 — 1. Connor Kunze (Nevada), 10.57; 2. Ryan Bair (Keokuk), 3. Landry Haberichter (West Burlington), 10.70; 4. Tay Seals (Clear Creek Amana), 10.74.

110 hurdles — 1. Tay Seals (Clear Creek Amana), 13.58; 2. Koby Higginbotham (Knoxville), 13.77; 3. Corbin Reed (Adel ADM), 14.19.

200 — 1. Caden Klein (Newton), 21.58; 2. Ryan Bair (Keokuk), 21.59; 3. Alexander Brown (Central DeWitt), 21.75.

1,600 — 1. Quentin Nauman (Western Dubuque), 3:59.60; 2. Caleb Ten Pas (Des Moines Christian), 4:03.53; 3. Canaan Dunham (Pella), 4:11.99; 7. Grady Olberding (Mount Vernon), 4:22.16.

400 relay — 1. Gilbert (Howard, Marpe, Fierce, Hawthorne), 41.94; 2. Newton, 42.08; 3. Adel ADM, 42.59; 4. Clear Creek Amana, 42.60; 5. Center Point-Urbana, 42.61.

1,600 relay — 1. Center Point-Urbana (Maloney, Crouchet, Grimm, Miller), 3:17.61; 2. Waverly-Shell Rock, 3:18.74; 3. Adel ADM, 3:20.18; 6. Western Dubuque, 3:23.16.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com