Crummy April weather hasn’t fazed top Iowa high school 3,200-meter runners

CEDAR RAPIDS — In terms of weather, it has been a crummy spring for track and field.

But the rain, the wind, the cold ... it hasn’t slowed this crop of boys’ distance runners.

“Looking at Varsity Bound, these numbers are insane,” Western Dubuque’s Eli Naumann said Tuesday after running second in the 3,200-meter run at the John Ask Relays at Kingston Stadium.

“The (3,200) will be absolutely loaded at Drake. It’s fun to be a part of it.”

Twenty-one boys will qualify for the Drake Relays 3,200, based on times submitted to Varsity Bound before Thursday’s deadline of 11:59 p.m.

In the past five Drake Relays (2016-19 and 2021), the average cutoff — No. 21 on the state list — was 9 minutes, 47.54 seconds.

This year, as of Wednesday morning, the cutoff is 9:36.46, and destined to go lower. Thursday’s forecast is 68 degrees and sunny, and a lot of hopefuls will be taking one last shot at qualification.

“The culture has changed,” Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Miles Wilson said Tuesday. “The guys around here ... it’s cool to be a distance runner.”

Wilson ran 9:25.44 Tuesday, breaking a 30-year-old school record. Naumann, running his first 3,200 of the season, followed in 9:25.96

“A good start for him, for sure,” Wilson said. “He’s a great runner.

“I wanted to push the middle laps today. Last Saturday, I was running 75 on my fourth, fifth and sixth lap. I wanted to keep that fast pace.”

Jackson Heidesch of West Des Moines Dowling leads the state with a mark of 9:05.80, achieved last Saturday at the Jim Duncan Relays, on the Drake Stadium track.

Alex McKane of Iowa City West is the top area 3,200 runner — and No. 5 statewide — at 9:23.18.

Wilson and Naumann are seventh and ninth, then it’s Hayden Kuhn of Linn-Mar (10th, 9:26.87) and Ford Washburn of Iowa City High (12th, 9:28.36).

Marion’s Shane Erb is on the bubble at 20th (9:36.14), and probably needs to cut time Thursday.

“It’s crazy,” Erb said last week. “Most years, I’d be safe.”

City High boys are a team without weakness

Thursday’s Forwald-Coleman Relays will be more than a last-chance method for Drake qualification.

It also figures to be a display of the area’s most dominant boys’ team. A team that appears to have no holes in its lineup.

The host team.

According to Tuesday’s version of Varsity Bound, Iowa City High holds a Class 4A top-five ranking in 15 events, including all seven relays.

The Little Hawks’ distance medley relay of Sam Rew, Jovan Harris, Ammon Smith and Ford Washburn ranks No. 1 in 4A at 3 minutes, 31.43 seconds.

Harris stands at No. 2 in the 4A 400 (49.91) and 400 hurdles (55.30), fifth in the 200.

Washburn ranks fourth in the 1,600, fifth in the 800.

Three different Little Hawks are among the leaders in three different field events: TaeShon McDaniels is second in the shot put, Matt Schaeckenbach fourth in the high jump, Ronnie Major fifth in the long jump.

Harris and McDaniels are seniors; Washburn, Major and Schaeckenbach are juniors.

City High stands second in the 3,200-meter relay and sprint medley, third in the shuttle hurdle relay, fifth in the 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relays.

Forwald-Coleman consists of eight boys’ teams and eight girls’ teams.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com