Nicholas Gorsich, Ford Washburn are co-stars at the Forwald-Coleman Relays

IOWA CITY — The race turned on the final curve.

Somewhere between the seventh hurdle and the eighth, Linn-Mar’s Nicholas Gorsich turned into Superman with a black Nike headband.

“I saw (Iowa City West’s Aidan Jacobsen) coming up on me just before the final stretch, so I just kicked it,” Gorsich said.

“I had thought about this race, over and over, and it was exactly like I envisioned it.”

Fast.

Gorsich blazed upward on the all-time Iowa chart in the 400-meter hurdles, climbing to No. 8 with a 52.02-second clocking.

It was more than a second faster than his previous career-best.

“I knew I could go so much faster if I had somebody pushing me,” Gorsich said. “I didn’t do the high hurdles tonight; I really wanted to rest for this.”

Gorsich and Iowa City High’s Ford Washburn were co-stars of Thursday’s Forwald-Coleman Relays at Bates Field/Raffensperger Track.

Washburn sailed through the 3,200 meters (9:04.28) and the 1,600 (4:10.93).

His 1,600 effort ranks No. 7 all-time in Iowa.

“I was hoping I could go under 4:10,” Washburn said. “I was a little slow the first lap, then fell off in the second. I got way too comfortable. Then I picked it back up.

“My third lap was was faster than my second, and that usually doesn’t happen.”

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In the 3,200, Washburn ran with the pack for the first mile, then closed with a 4:20 second mile.

“I just chilled out for the first mile,” Washburn said.

Washburn owned the distance events, Matt Schaeckenbach claimed the high jump and the 110-meter high hurdles, and City High won the boys’ team title with 145 points. Iowa City West was second with 99 points, followed by Linn-Mar (83).

West’s Izaiah Loveless won the 100, Todd Rent claimed the 200, and the duo teamed up on the Trojans’ victorious 400-meter relay.

“I think I’m right in there (among the state’s top sprinters),” Loveless said. “I think I can compete with anyone. I have a chance at something great.”

West Des Moines Valley led a balanced girls’ team race, compiling 91 points. Ames was second with 86, followed by Linn-Mar (82.5) and City High (82).

The Tigers won the meet despite not winning an event all night.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Swartzendruber twins had a hand in four titles. Addison won the 200 (26.53) and 400 (57.01), Sidney edged City’s Ani Wedemeyer in the 800 (2:16.74), and the duo teamed with Jovie Veach and Emerson Swearinger to run 3:59.10 in the 1,600 relay.

“I knew it was going to be really competitive,” Addison Swartzendruber said after the 400. “I was excited to run here. This is where I PR’d last year.”

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The twins are 1-2 in the state in the girls’ 400, and they’ll go head-to-head at the Drake Relays next week.

“We’ll push each other, that’s for sure,” Addison said.

Linn-Mar’s Kennedy Evans won the shot put (39 feet, 1 1/2 inches).

Thursday was the final day before the Drake qualification deadline. Unofficial qualifiers will be announced Friday morning.

Forwald-Coleman Relays

(At Iowa City High)

Girls Results

Teams — 1. West Des Moines Valley 91, 2. Ames 86, 3. Linn-Mar 82.5, 4. Iowa City High 82, 5. Pleasant Valley 65, 6. (tie) C.R. Kennedy and Iowa City Liberty 60, 8. Waukee 50, 9. Iowa City West 47, 10. Waukee Northwest 43, 11. Urbandale 30.5, 12. Dubuque Hempstead 23, 13. Solon 21.

High jump — 1. Meena Tate (ICW), 5-2; 2. Allison Kriegel (LM), 5-1; 3. Katy Hand (LM), 5-1.

Long jump — 1. Jasmine Barney (ICL), 16-7 1/2; 2. Alexi Thigpen (ICL), 16-4 3/4; 3. Lilah Kress (WNW), 16-1 1/4.

Shot put — 1. Kennedy Evans (LM), 39-1 1/2; 2. Mackenzie Fah (PV), 38-4 1/4; 3. Rachel Vonderhaar (PV), 38-0.

Discus — 1. Reese Goodlet (PV), 142-8; 2. Gwen Gaffney (LM), 120-1; 3. Gabriella Ragins (PV), 115-4.

Sprint medley relay — 1. Iowa City High (Almabrazi, Skay, Reynolds, Wedemeier), 1:50.36; 2. Linn-Mar, 1:50.68; 3. Ames, 1:51.84.

3,000 — 1. Nina Peterson (ICH), 10:34.91; 2. Cohen Kooker (Valley), 10:44.70; 3. Laurel Risdal (Ames), 10:48.00.

3,200 relay — 1. Solon (Quillin, Hoeper, Williams, Federspiel), 9:41.90; 2. West Des Moines Valley, 9:46.62; 3. Ames, 9:53.43.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Waukee Northwest (Mahoney, Davis, Vogt, Schulte), 1:07.91; 2. West Des Moines Valley, 1:08.42; 3. (tie) Iowa City West and Linn-Mar, 1:08.96.

100 — 1. Gentry Williams (Waukee), 12.88; 2. Annie Schwartz (ICW), 12.96; 3. Ireland Buss (Ames), 13.01.

Distance medley relay — 1. Iowa City Liberty (Nuro Gyina, Ramsey, Taylor, Mac), 4:18.81; 2. Ames, 4:28.84; 3. Linn-Mar, 4:29.47.

400 — 1. Addison Swartendruber (CRK), 57.01; 2. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH), 58.18; 3. Bethany Northrup (LM), 58.33.

800 relay — 1. Ames (Buss, Deardorff, Lynch, Moon), 1:44.82; 2. Iowa City Liberty, 1:47.65; 3. Iowa City High, 1:47.66.

100 hurdles — 1. Ali Frandsen (Ames), 14.47; 2. Emma Havighurst (Valley), 15.40; 3. Grace Braden (CRK), 15.47.

800 — 1. Sidney Swartzendruber (CRK), 2:16.74; 2. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH), 2:16.80; 3. Anna Sherriff (WNW), 2:18.95.

200 — 1. Addison Swartzendruber (CRK), 26.53; 2. Lilah Kress (WNW), 27.21; 3. Bella Mavinga (Valley), 27.26.

400 hurdles — 1. Ali Frandsen (Ames), 1:03.47; 2. Eva Reynolds (ICH), 1:06.41; 3. Erinn Varga (ICW), 1:06.56.

1,500 — 1. Addison Dorenkamp (Valley), 4:44.14; 2. Grace Boleyn (PV), 4:46.54; 3. Keelee Leitzen (DbqH), 4:54.61.

400 relay — 1. Ames (Buss, Hatcher, Lynch, Moon), 49.99; 2. West Des Moines Valley, 50.42; 3. Iowa City Liberty, 50.61.

1,600 relay — 1. C.R. Kennedy (A. Swartzendruber, Veach, Swearinger, S. Swartzendruber), 3:59.10; 2. Ames, 3:59.93; 3. Iowa City High, 4:06.56.

Boys Results

Teams — 1. Iowa City High 145, 2. Iowa City West 99, 3. Linn-Mar 83, 4. (tie) Pleasant Valley and West Des Moines Valley 79, 6. C.R. Prairie 76, 7. Solon 69, 8. Iowa City Liberty 52, 9. Marion 43, 10. Ames 16.

High jump — 1. Matt Schaeckenbach (ICH), 6-5; 2. (tie) Ben Sorensen (Valley) and Shamar Benton (ICH), 5-11.

Long jump — 1. Alex Mota (Marion), 21-1 1/4; 2. Da’Shon Fisher (ICL), 19-9 3/4; 3. Max Doran (PV), 19-6 1/4.

Shot put — 1. Sam Watts (LM), 52-9 1/2; 2. Adam Smith (Solon), 49-3 1/4; 3. Marcus Richard (Solon), 47-1 1/4.

Discus — 1. Adam Smith (Solon), 171-0; 2. Ben Kampman (Solon), 168-3; 3. Michael Etuma (ICH), 162-0.

Sprint medley relay — 1. Iowa City High (Brown, Rew, Madlock, Noreldaim), 1:37.38; 2. Linn-Mar, 1:39.22; 3. Pleasant Valley, 1:39.37.

3,200 — 1. Ford Washburn (ICH), 9:04.28; 2. Truman Thompson (ICH), 9:27.14; 3. Jedidiah Osgood (Marion), 9:31.28.

3,200 relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Allard, Sickels, Steinbrech, Cooper), 8:26.72; 2. Solon, 8:32.23; 3. Iowa City West, 8:42.06.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Pleasant Valley (Doran, Roemer, Zietlow, Wilson), 59.79; 2. Linn-Mar, 59.83; 3. Iowa City West, 59.92.

100 — 1. Izaiah Loveless (ICW), 10.87; 2. Alex Mota (Marion), 11.00; 3. Todd Rent (ICW), 11.09.

Distance medley relay — 1. Iowa City Liberty (Wieck, Nichols, Meyers, Decker), 3:37.49; 2. Iowa City High, 3:41.93; 3. Ames, 3:45.96.

400 — 1. Tayden Ferguson (LM), 49.18; 2. Moustafa Tiea (ICW), 49.95; 3. Lucas Koerselman (Valley), 50.79.

800 relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Byishimo, Asiedu-Okyere, Patterson, Ruby), 1:30.73; 2. West Des Moines Valley, 1:31.00; 3. Iowa City West, 1:32.06.

110 hurdles — 1. Matt Schaeckenbach (ICH), 14.89; 2. Makhi Wilson (PV), 15.03; 3. Max Doran (PV), 15.30.

800 — 1. Ammon Smith (ICH), 1:56.59; 2. Truman Thompson (ICH), 1:59.66; 3. Carl Rekow (PV), 2:00.14.

200 — 1. Todd Rent (ICW), 22.44; 2. Alex Mota (Marion), 22.54; 3. Logan Elston (Valley), 22.89.

400 hurdles — 1. Nicholas Gorsich (LM), 52.02; 2. Aidan Jacobsen (ICW), 53.36; 3. William Grant (LM), 54.41.

1,600 — 1. Ford Washburn (ICH), 4:10.91; 2. Luke Knepp (PV), 4:22.05; 3. Aidan Decker (ICL), 4:25.93.

400 relay — 1. Iowa City West (Rent, Loveless, Robinson, Janis), 42.94; 2. Iowa City High, 44.00; 3. Linn-Mar, 44.34.

1,600 relay — 1. C.R. Prairie (Alexander, Asiedu-Okyere, Riehle, Byishimo), 3:23.04; 2. Iowa City West, 3:23.16; 3. Linn-Mar, 3:23.91.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com