Friday’s Class 1A state track results: Springville’s Nia Howard wins 400 hurdles, event she nearly gave up

DES MOINES — The first time Springville senior standout Nia Howard confronted a hurdle, an overarching fear stretched from the top of her head to the tip of her spikes: Don’t trip.

“It’s a terrible race,” Howard said, smiling after leaving that fear far in the distance Friday in the Class 1A girls’ state track and field meet. “It’s so hard and it hurts.”

Not anymore.

Howard powered past defending state champion Kiya Johnson of North Butler to win her first 400-meter hurdles state crown. Howard’s triumphant time of 1:04.90 matched the mark Johnson notched to net gold last season at Drake Stadium. Johnson settled for second Friday with a time of 1:05.27.

“I saw her on my shoulder and I think I just wanted it so bad,” said Howard, a four-sport athlete for the Orioles. “I know in my head I was saying, ‘Don’t let her pass you.’ I just opened my hands and I just crawled my way to that finish line. I think it was just I wanted it more.”

Perhaps. But at first, Howard wanted no part of the hurdles for the aforementioned reasons. She’d only competed in the event two times before running at state last season, where she placed 12th.

“At the beginning of this year, I didn’t really know if I was going to continue with this race,” Howard said. “But when my coach told me that I was, I said, ‘This is my race this year.’ And it’s my senior year, so might as well go out with a bang.”

Midland’s Jaden Gatts wins high jump

Jaden Gatts of Midland went out and achieved a personal-best in the high jump, leaping 5 feet, 5 inches en route to the 1A state title. Gatts also broke her own school record in the process — and nearly jumped higher after bouncing off the pit.

“I was just so excited,” the senior said. “I couldn’t even breathe. I couldn’t believe I got 5-5. I only have God to thank for that.”

Gatts’ elation redeemed last season’s frustration at state. She injured her hamstring before the meet and finished in a tie for 16th.

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“This year I came in (and) I was worried,” Gatts said. “And then I started jumping amazing. I made (the) Drake (Relays). I performed well there. I got my PR there and then came back out here again. It was nice.”

The Lisbon boys’ 800-meter relay team shared similar sentiments after notching a runner-up finish to earn eight valuable points.

“The team race, for us, it’s a goal to get first in that,” said anchor Baylor Speidel, who helped the Lions finish in 1:30.09 — 1.4 seconds behind Lawton-Bronson’s state record time. “We needed at least eight points, where we were seeded, and we got those eight points. And on top of that, we got our own school record, which was held by our studs who got it back in 2017. So I’m very proud of that and I think all of us should be, too.”

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English Valleys thrower Kennedy Axmear evinced pride in her progression as an athlete, but also expressed disappointment with a second straight runner-up finish in the discus at state.

“A little upsetting, but keep going and keep progressing,” she said.

Friday’s Class 1A state track and field results

BOYS

Team scores (through 10 events): 1. Mount Ayr 30, 2. Akron-Westfield 20, T-2. Lisbon 20, 4. Columbus Community 19, 5. Lawton-Bronson 18

Distance medley — 1. Mount Ayr (Fleharty, Knight, Pierson, Reynolds), 3:34.14; 2. Madrid (Farrell, Fuller, Tucker, Warson), 3:38.61; 3. Fort Dodge St. Edmond (Dickerson, Xiao, Baker, Lursen, 3:39.41; 6. Belle Plaine (Parrott, Timm, Eichhorn, DeMeulenaere), 3:40.65.

800 relay — 1. Lawton-Bronson (Olesen, Moseman, Smith, Grimsley), 1:28.70; 2. Lisbon (Boots, Clark, Fridley, Speidel), 1:30.09; 3. Iowa Valley (Kinzenbaw, Kienitz, Haack, Kearney), 1:30.09; 7. North Linn (Beeches, Wheatley, Van Eaten, Haughenbury), 1:32.01.

High Jump — 1. Kade Benjamin (New London), 6-07; 2. Triston Miller (Columbus Junction), 6-06; 3. Lance Bundle (ACGC), 6-05; 4. Luke Czarnecki (Lisbon), 6-03; 5. Johnny Amina (North Cedar), 6-03; 8. Ty Alcott (Belle Plaine), 6-01.

400 hurdles — 1. Ryce Reynolds (Mount Ayr), 52.70; 2. James Gruver (Lynnville-Sully), 53.10; 3. Gabe Funk (Lennox), 53.92; 5. Lance McShane (Maquoketa Valley), 54.71.

Discus — 1. Ian Blowe (Akron-Westfield), 161-08; 2. Koleson Evans (West Harrison), 160-08; 3. Oleh Shtefanchuk (WACO), 158-02.

GIRLS

Team scores (through 10 events): 1. Ackley AGWSR 24, 2. Pekin 21, 3. Calamus-Wheatland 20, T-4. Lawton-Bronson 16, T-4. Grand View Christian 16

Distance medley — 1. Calamus-Wheatland (Connelly, Boeckmann, Knoche, Steines), 4:10.65; 2. Lawton-Bronson ( Smith, Mahoney, Brouwer, Mesz), 4:12.83; 3. Grand View Christian (Nicholson, Backous, Pearson, Childs), 4:12.92.

800 relay — 1. Oakland Riverside (Andrusyshyn, C. Henderson, E. Henderson, Erickson), 1:46.13; 2. Nodaway Valley (Engles, Weston, Nelson, Lundy), 1:46.28; 3. Newell-Fonda (Hinders, Mi. Walker, Bartek, Ma. Walker. 1:46.53 4. Lone Tree (Morarie, Shield, Zaruba, Christofferson), 1:47.17; 5. Lisbon (Happel, Czarnecki, Epperly, Robinson), 1:47.25;

Discus — 1. Anna Hadley (Pekin), 134-10; 2. Kennedy Axmear (English Valleys), 131-02: 3. Madison Hillman (Saint Ansgar), 121-06; 5. Lydia Kriegel (Iowa Valley), 114-03.

400 hurdles — 1. Nia Howard (Springville), 1:04.90; 2. Kiya Johnson (North Butler), 1:05.27; 3. Kendra Nissen (Don Bosco), 1:06.86.

High jump — 1. Jaden Gatts (Midland), 5-05; 2. Aubree Shields (Mount Ayr), 5-04; 3. Ema Roberts (HLV), 5-04.

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