North Linn girls come close in relay

 DES MOINES - In one turn, North Linn's Nicole Miller surged from fourth to third.

 Midway through the backstretch, she'd climbed to second and set her sights on Woodward-Granger anchor Haley Manning.

 “After my first lap I thought I could get her,” said Miller, who made up ground, but couldn't catch Manning as her team took second in Friday's Class 1A state track and field distance medley relay final. “Then when she started kicking, I tried but my legs couldn't do it.”

 The Lynx did shave about four seconds off their previous best time in the event, Miller said, and retain a positive big-picture focus.

 “Our main goal is third overall as a team,” said Miller, the top seed in this morning's 800-meter run. “So we've still got a lot to look forward to.”

 North Linn's score of 18 points through Friday put it in a tie for third place. Griswold leads with 30 points.

 The Lynx ran the distance medley in 4:13.80 - about four seconds behind Woodward-Granger's winning time.

 Sultry and occasionally blustery conditions affected Miller and her teammates one day after a win in the 3,200 relay.

 “It was definitely a lot hotter than (Thursday),” Miller said. “And windier.”

 At least she was moving.

 North Tama's Kailey Kladivo spent a couple hours jumping and waiting - mostly waiting - before notching a third-place finish in the high jump.

 The senior nearly crossed the bar at 5-6, but barely missed.

 “It was just a matter of driving a little harder and popping your hips a little bit more,” Kladivo said.

 Chaley Rath of Treynor repeated as the high jump champion, setting a class record of 5-8 1/2 in the process.

 Kladivo cleared the bar at 5-4, nearly matching her Drake Stadium-best of 5-5 set as a sophomore.

 She finished second that year.

 She's medaled three times, including a fourth-place effort last year.

“Just coming out and jumping well again senior year, you've got to be happy with it,” said Kladivo, who plans to compete in basketball and track and field at Wartburg.