No Drake Relays discus repeat for Kennedy Axmear, but a personal best

DES MOINES — Kennedy Axmear felt no heat to repeat.

“I came in here and didn’t feel any pressure,” she said. “I had kind of forgotten my sole purpose, and that’s to have fun.

“I came in here and did my best.”

She threw her best — a career-topper of 133 feet, 3 inches — in the Drake Relays girls’ discus Thursday on the outskirts of Drake Stadium.

A junior at English Valleys, Axmear placed fifth with an effort that was 2 feet farther than last year, when she took home the title.

“One hundred thirty-three is great,” she said. “Today was a great day to throw.”

You can control yourself, but you can’t control your competition, and Axmear’s competition was far better Thursday than it was in 2022. Hampton-Dumont/CAL sophomore Charlee Morton set a 13-foot personal best (146-3) on her first throw, and that was enough to lift her to the top.

Favorite Reese Goodlet of Pleasant Valley was second at 142-9. Libby Dix of Mount Vernon (132-3) placed sixth.

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Axmear is a four-sport athlete, also participating in volleyball, basketball and softball.

But track and field is her best sport, and her favorite.

“Softball is a close second,” she said. “Track is a sport that you can do on your own, and coaches can tell you what to fix.”

She hopes to get a call sometime from the staff from Iowa State University, where she intends to pursue an animal science degree.

“If they come to me, they come to me,” she said.

Paityn Noe of Ballard repeated as the girls’ 3,000-meter champion, setting a personal best of 9 minutes, 28.89 seconds. She remains No. 3 all-time in Iowa.

A University of Arkansas recruit, Noe pulled away from West Des Moines Valley’s Addison Dorenkamp steadily in the second half of the race, building an 8-second victory margin.

Carlisle’s Isabelle Noring also is a back-to-back champ, claiming the long jump crown with a leap of 18-10 and winning by nearly 7 inches.

Drake Relays: Thursday girls results

Discus — 1. Charlee Morton (Hampton-Dumont/CAL), 146-3; 2. Reese Goodlet (Pleasant Valley), 142-9; 3. Ciara Heffron (Knoxville), 138-7; 4. Allie Schweitzberger (KP-WC), 134-11; 5. Kennedy Axmear (English Valleys), 133-3; 6. Libby Dix (Mount Vernon), 132-3; 7. Lauren Kounkel (Hinton), 131-9; 8. Hannah Baier (Ankeny), 131-3.

Long jump — 1. Isabelle Noring (Carlisle), 18-10; 2. Reese Brownlee (Clear Lake), 18-3 1/4; 3. Makayla Crannell (Adel ADM), 18-1 3/4; 4. Carlee Rochford (New Hampton), 17-8 1/4; 5. Jaeden Pratt (Ankeny Centennial), 17-7 1/2; 6. Shay Sinnard (Carroll), 17-5 3/4; 7. Maleah Walker (Oskaloosa), 17-4; 8. Kallie Greiner (Davis County), 17-1.

3,000 — 1. Paityn Noe (Ballard), 9:28.89; 2. Addison Dorenkamp (West Des Moines Valley), 9:36.98; 3. Adrienne Buettner-Cable (Des Moines Roosevelt), 9:54.70; 4. Lydia Sommer (Pleasant Valley), 10:05.25; 5. Drew Beason (Ankeny), 10:05.32; 6. Olivia Verde (Johnston), 7. Marley Turk (Ames), 10:10.54; 8. Hillary Trainor (Sumner-Fredericksburg), 10:13.21.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com