Lanni Beaman, Audra Burbridge power Maquoketa Valley to Tri-Rivers track title

ALBURNETT — The competition in practice has been stiff.

Maquoketa Valley junior Lanni Beaman — who placed sixth in the 400-meter dash at last year’s Class 1A girls’ state track and field meet — is being tested by the arrival of freshman teammate Audra Burbridge.

At the Tri-Rivers Conference meet Thursday at Alburnett High School, the Wildcats’ twosome went toe to toe for league supremacy in the 400.

“I think we better each other every day,” Beaman said after edging runner-up Burbridge in the 400 by more than a second. “In each event, we always try to push each other to our best limits.”

Beaman’s individual win was one of six events claimed by Maquoketa Valley, which piled up 146 points — well ahead of runner-up Edgewood-Colesburg’s 99 points — and earned its first conference title since 2017.

“We kind of had an idea that we would do well,” Maquoketa Valley Coach Creig Dunlap said. “We had a lot of really great performances.”

Beaman entered Thursday ranked fourth in 1A in the 400 at 58.63 seconds, with Burbridge three spots behind (59.94). At the conference meet, both runners were about three-fourths of a second off their season-best time (Beaman at 59.55, Burbridge 1:00.73).

“I’m always looking up to her, since she is obviously running faster,” Burbridge said. “She is an upperclassman, so I really look up to her. And I hope to one day run as fast as she does.”

In addition to her runner-up finish in the 400, Burbridge collected a victory in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:22.99, almost seven full seconds faster than Lauren Krogmann of Starmont (2:29.96).

“It took a lot of discipline to not slow down when I got tired,” Burbridge said.

Beaman and Burbridge also contributed to two of Maquoketa Valley’s three relay wins. Burbridge ran third and Beaman anchored the Wildcats in both a victorious sprint medley relay performance — along with senior Lili Bauers and sophomore Lilly Kraft — and a meet-closing win in the 4x400 relay alongside Audra’s older sister Taryn Burbridge and senior Izabella Heffernan.

“Just holding each other accountable and knowing that we can achieve anything that is not out of our reach,” Beaman said. “Just giving 110 percent every meet.”

In the field events, Maquoketa Valley sophomore Sellah Ambundo won the shot put with a throw of 36 feet, 3.25 inches and placed second in the discus.

Maquoketa Valley will compete in a 1A state-qualifying meet May 15 at Edgewood-Colesburg.

“I think they are already excited,” Dunlap said. “We kind of talked about that this week about how we have the potential to do really well. We have got a shot at districts, so that is what we just keep focusing on is improving and hopefully going to get it.”

Two-time defending 1A state champion Lisbon (131 points) edged host Alburnett (123) for the boys’ conference crown.