Mount Vernon leads the Class 3A girls’ state track and field team race after Day 1

DES MOINES — A second opinion meant a second life for Sydney Maue’s track and field season.

And, as it turned out, a second-place state high jump performance.

A junior at Mount Vernon, Maue dealt with a brace on her left hand. Her legs were fine, though, and she cleared 5 feet, 4 inches Thursday morning at Drake Stadium.

She wasn’t thrilled with the outcome. But all things considered, it could have been a lot worse.

“Doctors told me I was done for the season,” Maue said. “That just wasn’t going to work.”

Maue’s effort was the best of four scoring events on opening day for Mount Vernon, which leads the team race through five events.

The Mustangs have 20 points. Gilbert is second with 18, followed by Pella (16).

Libby Dix was third in the discus, the 3,200-meter relay team placed fourth and Caliana Whitaker ran to seventh in the 400.

Maue suffered a fractured left hand during a warm-up drill recently.

“The last two weeks have been a roller coaster for me,” said the Arkansas volleyball recruit. “I had a full-on cast for a while, but I got a second opinion, and that turned out a lot better.

“Considering the conditions and the stress and everything, second place is really good.”

Dix earned her third straight top-five discus finish with a throw of 134 feet, 9 inches.

She was fifth as a freshman, third each of the past two years.

“It’s not first,” she said. “I definitely could have done better. I was hoping to pick up more points for the team and outperform my seed.”

Williamsburg’s Ava Hocker (400 meters) and Maquoketa’s Isabelle Hardin (3,000) earned third-place finishes.

Hocker, a freshman, ran a career-best open 400: 57.03 seconds.

“I had to put (my speed) to use on the backstretch,” she said. “I was hoping for top-three or better.”

Hardin finished in 10:11.94.

Recommended Reading

Ben Kampman’s Class 3A boys’ state discus title is worth flipping over

State track and field: Class 3A Girls

At Des Moines (Drake Stadium)

Top 10 teams (through 5 events) — 1. Mount Vernon 20, 2. Gilbert 18, 3. Pella 16, 4. Adel ADM 13, 5. Charles City 12, 6. Clear Lake 11, 7. Hampton-Dumont/CAL 10, 8. (tie) Knoxville, Dubuque Wahlert and Sioux Center 8.

Discus — 1. Charlee Morton (Hampton-Dumont/CAL), 140-9; 2. Ciara Heffron (Knoxville), 139-3; 3. Libby Dix (Mount Vernon), 134-9.

High jump — 1. London Warmuth (Adel ADM), 5-8; 2. (tie) Sydney Maue (Mount Vernon) and Edie Collins (Charles City), 5-4; 5. Lauren LeClere (West Delaware), 5-2.

3,000 — 1. Marissa Ferebee (Pella), 9:54.27; 2. Emee Dani (Gilbert), 10:11.51; 3. Isabelle Hardin (Maquoketa), 10:11.94.

3,200 relay — 1. Gilbert (Stahr, Bleich, Andersen, Feddersen), 9:19.36; 2. Sioux Center, 9:23.98; 3. Pella, 9:31.84; 4. Mount Vernon, 9:37.93; 5. Marion, 9:42.07; 6. West Delaware, 9:51.24; 7. Decorah, 9:52.20.

400 — 1. Reese Brownlee (Clear Lake), 55.56; 2. Rylee Steffen (Dubuque Wahlert), 56.52; 3. Ava Hocker (Williamsburg), 57.03; 7. Caliana Whitaker (Mount Vernon), 58.67.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com