Drake Relays: Tipton’s Jamie Kofron delivers a clutch throw — again

DES MOINES — Jamie Kofron is one clutch kid.

'I'm able to use pressure in a positive way,' said the senior from Tipton High School. 'Where it falls, it falls.'

For the fourth time in two years, it fell the right way for Kofron.

Kofron, who hadn't surpassed 42 feet in any of her first five attempts, unleashed a monster of 45 feet, 2 1/4 inches on her final throw to repeat as the Drake Relays girls' shot put champion Friday at Drake Stadium.

Pressure? Whatever.

'It's just one of those things, never say die,' said Kofron, who will throw for the University of Iowa next year. 'I like going to the sixth throw. I had to fix my technique, be slow out of the back, quick out of the finish.

'It was an easy tactical fix.'

Kofron became the second girl to sweep the shot put and discus two consecutive years. Abby Emsick of Lewis Central pulled it off in 2000 and 2001.

South Hardin's Brylie Zeisneiss jumped into the lead with a first throw of 45-1 3/4, and Kofron spent the rest of the competition chasing her.

Kofron moved into second place with a heave of 41-8 3/4 on her third throw, and that's where she stayed until the very end. Like last year, she claimed the Drake shot-put flag on her last throw.

'I didn't want to leave here with a throw of only 41 feet. I really wanted to throw 45 or 46, even if I wasn't going to win,' she said.

Kofron and Zeisneiss were 1-2 in both the discus and shot. They'll compete again in three weeks in Class 2A at the state meet.

The 3,000-meter champion Thursday, Iowa City Liberty freshman Ashlyn Keeney was edged in the 800 by Cedar Falls' Mackenzie Michael.

'When we hit that last 200 to go, I told myself, 'OK, Ashlyn, I'm going to try to go get her. But she's a really fast sprinter and she pulled ahead,' Keeney said.

Michael was timed in 2:09.88, Keeney's 2:09.99 is the best 800 time ever in Iowa by a freshman.

Iowa City West's Peyton Steva led a 2-3-4 area finish in the 110-meter hurdles. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln's Darby Thomas edged Steva, 14.30 seconds to 14.33.

Steva entered the finals as the top seed.

Grace Martensen of Benton Community and Taylor Cannon of Iowa City Liberty were third and fourth, in 14.58 and 14.62 seconds, respectively.

Waterloo East's Kerris Roberts tied her own Drake record in the 100, at 11.82. Southeast Polk broke the 3,200-meter relay record, running 9:10.38 in a race in which four teams broke 9:20.

Solon's sprint medley relay and Linn-Mar's 800-meter relay placed fourth.

In the first girls' 400 contested at Drake, Carly King of Davenport Assumption won in 56.55 seconds. 

DRAKE RELAYS: FRIDAY'S GIRLS RESULTS

Shot put — 1. Jamie Kofron (Tipton), 45-2 1/4; 2. Brylie Zeisneiss (South Hardin), 45-1 3/4; 3. Lexie Magnani (Mount Pleasant), 40-5 1/2; 4. Kaitlyn Wilder (Dunkerton), 39-11 3/4; 5. Salima Omari (Iowa City West), 39-7 1/4; 6. Lauren Payne (Lewis Central), 39-1; 7. Hope Wagner (Sioux City West), 38-9 1/2; 8. Logan Hughes (Shenandoah), 38-9.

High jump — 1. Miracle Ailes (Keokuk), 5-8; 2. Sara Hoskins (Pleasant Valley), 5-6; 3. Katy Stephens (West Burlington-Notre Dame), 5-6; 4. Jacie VanderWaal (Sioux Center), 5-6; 5. Morgan Johnk (Panorama), 5-4; 6. Reagan Dahlquist (Waverly-Shell Rock), 5-4; 7. Lauryn Hill (Colo-Nesco), 5-4; 8. Haleigh Hadley (Gilbert), 5-4.

Sprint medley relay — 1. Davenport Assumption (Jackson, Moore, Nelson, King), 1:46.90; 2. Cedar Falls, 1:48.31; 3. Southeast Polk, 1:49.39; 4. Solon, 1:49.50; 5. Dubuque Wahlert, 1:49.55; 6. Western Dubuque, 1:49.78; 7. Pleasant Valley, 1:49.91; 8. Linn-Mar, 1:50.30.

100 hurdles — 1. Darby Thomas (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln), 14.30; 2. Peyton Steva (Iowa City West), 14.33; 3. Grace Martensen (Benton Community), 14.58; 4. Taylor Cannon (Iowa City Liberty), 14.62; 5. Katie Petersen (Ankeny Centennial), 14.70; 6. Caroline Schaeckenbach (Iowa City High), 15.01; 7. Ellie Rickertsen (Northeast), 15.15; 8. Kajsa Gerkens (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 15.49.

800 relay — 1. Waukee (Schlicher, Perry, Taylor, Harris), 1:42.45; 2. Dubuque Wahlert, 1:42.51; 3. Davenport Assumption, 1:42.88; 4. Linn-Mar, 1:43.60; 5. Pleasant Valley, 1:43.70; 6. West Des Moines Dowling, 1:43.71; 7. Ankeny, 1:44.23; 8. Bettendorf, 1:44.48.

800 — 1. Mackenzie Michael (Cedar Falls), 2:09.88; 2. Ashlyn Keeney (Iowa City Liberty), 2:09.99; 3. Alli Bookin-Nosbisch (Ottumwa), 2:10.23; 4. Ainsley Erzen (Carlisle), 2:11.16; 5. Janette Schraft (Glenwood), 2:11.55; 6. Sophia Jungling (Aplington-Parkersburg), 2:11.98; 7. Amber Aesoph (Sioux City Heelan), 2:12.41; 8. Grace Bookin-Nosbisch (Ottumwa), 2:12.44.

100 — Kerris Roberts (Waterloo East), 11.82 (ties Drake record); 2. Darby Thomas (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln), 12.16; 3. Holly Duax (Sioux City West), 12.24; 4. Mytika Mayberry (Ankeny), 12.27; 5. Libby Wedewer (Dubuque Wahlert), 12.35; 6. Jill Bennett (Linn-Mar), 12.47; 7. Eva Van de Mortel (Ankeny), 12.51; 8. Mikayla Sidney (Ankeny), 12.61.

3,200 relay — 1. Southeast Polk (Hill, McGowan, Plummer, Blackford), 9:10.38 (Drake record); 2. West Des Moines Dowling, 9:16.45; 3. Ottumwa, 9:17.44; 4. Iowa Falls-Alden, 9:18.59; 5. Waukee, 9:24.40; 6. Anamosa, 9:31.43; 7. Dubuque Senior, 9:32.86; 8. Johnston, 9:35.53.

400 — 1. Carly King (Davenport Assumption), 56.55 (Drake record); 2. Ainsley Erzen (Carlisle), 57.13; 3. Mackenzie Michael (Cedar Falls), 4. Madison Jochum (Sioux City Heelan), 57.28; 5. Alli Bookin-Nosbisch (Ottumwa), 57.37; 6. Rachel Nagel (Cedar Rapids Jefferson), 57.82; 7. Erin Kerkhoff (Solon), 57.95; 8. Allison Waterman (Denver), 57.97.

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