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Kennedy Axmear’s sophomore year: First English Valleys Drake Relays title, state discus silver
Only Iowa State women’s basketball commit Audi Crooks beat her Friday
English Valley's Kennedy Axmear throws during the 1A discus at the 2022 Iowa High School Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday, May 20, 2022. Axmear finished second with 129-10. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
DES MOINES — English Valleys thrower Kennedy Axmear has already made history on the periphery of Drake Stadium’s famed blue oval.
The talented sophomore won the Bears’ first Drake Relays flag last month with a top throw of 131 feet, 6 inches in the discus.
Friday, Axmear led midway through the Class 1A state track and field discus competition, but another history-maker — Algona Garrigan’s Audi Crooks — won the event on her fourth throw of 131 feet, 5 inches.
Axmear settled for second with a best throw of 129-10, but still capped a stirring sophomore season that could pave a path for many golds down the road.
“Obviously I’m a little disappointed, but I have a lot of things to be proud of,” she said.
There’s no shame in falling a foot and a half short against Crooks. The future Iowa State women’s basketball player set a 1A state record in the shot put Thursday, with a best throw of 45 feet, 1 inch — almost 3 feet farther than the previous record.
“At first I was a little upset,” Axmear said of watching Crooks’ best throw. “Like, really? But then I realized, yeah, she probably did deserve that. She can probably throw that again.”
Axmear called Crooks an “amazing thrower.” She’s right. And she’s also becoming one herself.
“At the beginning of the season I was still progressing from my freshman year after state,” Axmear said. “Just pushing myself and working hard is how I got here.”
Other area girls’ top-eight finishers in Friday’s 1A action:
- Lisbon achieved a season-best in the 800-meter relay (1:48.57) and finished fifth. Madrid won the race in a state-record time of 1:43.29.
- Hailey Carolan of Alburnett cleared 5 feet, 1 inch in the high jump to notch a tie for fifth place in the event.
- Lisbon also earned sixth in the distance medley relay. North Linn took eighth in the same event.
- Isabelle Graubard of Alburnett finished eighth in the discus with a personal-best throw of 110-9.
Friday’s results: Class 1A girls
Top 10 teams (through 10 events): 1. Nashua-Plainfield 32, 2. Algona Garrigan 30, 3. Calamus-Wheatland 18, 4. Lisbon 17, 5. Madrid 16, T-6. Pekin 15, T-6. Oakland Riverside 15, T-8. Nodaway Valley 14, T-8. Lawton-Bronson 14, 10. Alburnett 12 1/2
Distance medley relay: 1. Nashua-Plainfield (Foelske, Carpenter, Hyde, Huck) 4:13.08; 2. Calamus-Wheatland 4:18.19; 3. Lawton-Bronson 4:21.24; 6. Lisbon 4:22.91; 8. North Linn 4:23.03.
800-meter relay: 1. Madrid (Ostert, Olsen, Dodds, Santi) 1:43.29: 2. Oakland Riverside 1:47.14; 3. Nodaway Valley 1:47.46; 5. Lisbon (1:48.57).
400-meter hurdles: 1. Kiya Johnson (North Butler) 1:04.90; 2. Maddax DeVault (Nodaway Valley) 1:06.32; 3. Aleah Utterback (Madrid) 1:06.87.
Discus: 1. Audi Crooks (Algona Bishop Garrigan) 131-05; 2. Kennedy Axmear (English Valleys) 129-10; 3. Breanna Hackman (Nashua-Plainfield) 128-01; 8. Isabelle Graubard (Alburnett) 110-09.
High jump: 1. Sam Nielsen (North Union) 5-03*; 2. Cadence Douglas (Lenox) 5-03; Patricia Hank (Wapello) 5-03; 3. 5 (tie). Hailey Carolan (Alburnett) and Ema Roberts (HLV Victor) 5-01. *-won jump-off
