Cardinals capture LHC indoor event titles

GRINNELL — Three was a good number for Newton High’s Cardinal track teams Thursday at the 2016 Little Hawkeye Conference Indoor Meet at Grinnell College’s Bear Athletic Center.

The Cardinal girls won three event championships and the Cardinal boys won three event championships. Seniors Grace Coen and Sydney Jenkins became three-time Little Hawkeye Conference indoor champions in the 800 meters and 400 meters, respectively.

Jenkins pulled away on the second lap on Grinnell’s 200-meter track on her way to winning the 400 in 1 minute, 2.50 seconds. Valda Osadcha ran seventh in 1:13.43 for Newton. Jenkins also finished second in the 200-meter dash in 27.86 seconds with Elise Axtell in eighth in 31.16.

In the 800, Coen got to the front of the pack early and steadily widen the gap. She won in 2:27.53 while teammate Michaella Cope finished 12th in 3:14.95.

Haley Revell claimed the girls’ shot put championship with a winning throw of 37 feet, 1 inch. Ali Bestell placed seventh at 30 feet and Bailey Wall was 10th at 27-8.

All three of the Newton boys’ conference championships came on the track.

Brennen Dodd made his move to get past Oskaloosa’s Adam Carriker for the lead in the 400 meters at the end of the back stretch on the second lap. Teammate Jack Callaghan went with him. They finished 1-2 with Dodd winning in 54.05 seconds and Callaghan in second at 54.69 seconds.

Callaghan captured the 800 title by holding off Pella’s Payson VandeLune at the finish line. Callaghan’s winning time was 2:12.50 and VandeLune was second in 2:12.78. Dodd was third in 2:13.40.

Noah Sander won the first heat of the 800 in 2:15.90, which was good for fourth place. Adam Hunter placed 15th in 2:31.32.

Matthew Karsten, who finished second in the 60-meter dash earlier in the meet, exploded out the blocks on his way to winning the 200-meter dash in 24.97. Josh Miller finished second in 25.49 seconds.

Karsten’s second-place time in the 60-meter dash was 7.33 seconds with Clayton Baltisberger placing fourth in 7.44. Josh Miravalles was 10th in 7.73 and Logan Wolfe took 15th in 8.23.

In the girls’ 60-meter dash, Morgan Allen finished seventh in 8.99 seconds, and Axtell was ninth in 9.03. Serenity Stier was 13th in 9.66 seconds. Fran Lucas took 10th in the 60-meter hurdles in 11 seconds and Sydney Hook was 13th in 11.90.

Fran Lucas combined with Audrey Lucas, Abbie Barr and Caelyn Briley for fifth place in the girls’ shuttle hurdle relay race. The foursome’s time was 43.07 seconds.

Newton’s Jaron Roush placed fifth in the boys’ 60-meter hurdles in 9.39 seconds and Coltin Whitten ran ninth in 9.86 seconds. In the 1,600, Dylan Main turned in an eighth-place finish in 5:33.02 followed by Zach Theis in 10th at 5:53.90 and Austin Romberg in 12th at 6:13.76.

Theis, Romberg and Main combined with Hunter in the 4x800 relay race, finishing eighth in 10:13.07. The boys’ 1,600 sprint medley team of Roush. Wolfe, Baltisburger and Noah Sander took fifth in 4:12.47.

Miravalles, Miller, Baltisberger and Karsten posted a fourth-place time of 1:41.97 in the boys’ 4x200 relay race. The foursome of Eli Sander, Blake Robson, Skylar Tool and Whitten was ninth in 1:50.87.

In the final race of the night, Karsten, Miller, Dodd and Callaghan combined for a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay race in 3:44.68. The team of Robson, Eli Sander, Tool and Whitten was 10th in 4:19.74.

Jace Lukefahr made a throw of 42-1 1/2 to place fifth in the boys’ shot put. Duncan Lee was seventh, Caden Manning was eighth and Jaise Gulling took ninth with the distances of 39-2 1/2, 38-10 1/2 and 38-7, respectively.

Callaghan took sixth in the long jump with a leap of 18-6. Dodd placed ninth at 17-3.

In the girls’ long jump, Kenna Winther finished sixth with a leap of 13-11, and Lakin Jenkins was eighth in 12-10 1/2. Barr ended up tied for sixth in the high jump, clearing the bar at 4-8.

The Cardinal girls; 1,600 distance medley relay team of Winther, Teddie Brunsmann, Briley and Coen finished fifth in 4:41.94. Osadcha placed seventh in the 1,500-meter run in 6:01.93 and Annie Hurt was 11th in 7:16.61.

Audrey Lucas, Winther, Lakin Jenkins and Allen turned in a sixth-place finish in the 4x200 relay race in 2:03.83. The Newton team of Stier, Morgan Altman, Anna Coyle and Bethany Risius finished tied for ninth in 2:14.42.

The girls’ 4x400 relay team of Barr, Lakin Jenkins, Brunnsmann and Hook placed sixth in 4:49.29.

The LHC meet concluded the Cardinal teams’ indoor track schedule. Newton’s girls open the outdoor track season March 31 at Boone. On April 5, the Newton boys and girls compete at South Tama.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com