Solon declares itself as a 3A girls’ state track championship contender

DES MOINES — Something is building, a wave of momentum.

Call it a Solon surge.

Triggered by a title in the distance medley relay, the Spartans declared themselves as serious Class 3A girls’ championship contenders at the state track and field meet Friday afternoon at Drake Stadium.

“The more wins and the more success we get, we get more motivated,” Kaia Holtkamp said. “And the team title seems closer than ever.”

If the Spartans finish as strongly as they’ve started here, it might only be a day away.

A team that seemed to slide to the background of the title hunt after a ho-hum regional meet last week, Solon leads the race with 48 points with 10 events complete. Adel ADM is second with 36.

The final nine events are Saturday.

“There is more time between events now than there was (at regionals), and we’re able to put together some really good races here,” MaKinley Levin said.

Levin, Meghan O’Neill, Holtkamp and Emma Bock emerged from the second heat to win the distance medley, and do it handily. The Spartans ran in 4:07.85; North Polk was second in 4:12.18.

“We were worried more about time this time,” Bock said. “We were watching the scoreboard.

“We’ve had a great start here. This is what we’re here to do.”

Solon also got third-place finishes from Sophia Stahle in the 400-meter hurdles and its 800-meter relay unit.

JoJo Tyynismaa became South Tama’s first girl to win an individual running event, running down Darci Wiseman of Winterset in the final stretch to claim the 400 hurdles in 1:03.65. Wiseman finished in 1:03.73.

“I knew it was my last race of the day, and I had to give it all I had over those last few hurdles,” Tyynismaa said. “I changed my mindset a little bit in this race. I saved a little bit earlier in the race.”

Mount Vernon was fourth in the distance medley. Madison Maahs of Western Dubuque was fourth in the shot put.

Friday results: Class 3A girls

Top 10 teams (through 10 events) — 1. Solon 48, 2. Adel ADM 36, 3. Carlisle 26, 4. Mount Pleasant 20, 5. Dubuque Wahlert 19, 6. Western Dubuque 18, 7. Spencer 16, 8. (tie) Bondurant-Farrar and Mount Vernon 15, 10. Decorah 14.

Shot put — 1. Jadan Brumbaugh (Mount Pleasant), 47-5 1/2; 2. Faith DeRonde (Oskaloosa), 43-4 3/4; 3. Katelyn Lappe (Bondurant-Farrar), 42-11 1/4; 4. Madison Maahs (Western Dubuque), 42-1 3/4; 5. Chloe Reiser (Decorah), 41-7 1/4.

Long jump — 1. Isabelle Noring (Carlisle), 18-8 3/4; 2. Olivia Tollari (Adel ADM), 17-10; 3. Shay Sinnard (Carroll), 17-9.

Distance medley relay — 1. Solon (Levin, O’Neill, Holtkamp, Bock), 4:07.85; 2. North Polk, 4:12.18; 3. Spencer, 4:12.35; 4. Mount Vernon, 4:13.78.

800 relay — 1. Adel ADM (Crannell, Grove, Henfling, Tollari), 1:42.12; 2. Dubuque Wahlert, 1:42.84; 3. Solon, 1:43.04; 5. Decorah, 1:44.73; 6. Western Dubuque, 1:45.37.

400 hurdles — 1. JoJo Tyynismaa (South Tama), 1:03.65; 2. Darci Wiseman (Winterset), 1:03.73; 3. Sophia Stahle (Solon), 1:04.86; 7. Emma Arnold (Cedar Rapids Xavier), 1:06.34; 8. Alivia Schulte (West Delaware), 1:06.85.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com