Comet Liz Fiser 2nd in long jump at state

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
DES MOINES — The weather kind of messed with everyone’s schedule during Friday’s session of the State Track and Field Championships.

With officials deciding not to open the Drake Stadium’s gates to the public — as well as to most of the press — until well past 9 a.m., things had to be improvised in the name of course correction.

Liz Fiser’s schedule for Friday was already a hot mess. As a qualifier in both the long jump and 4-by-100 relay, the Charles City junior was in two events that just so happened to coincide with each other. So Fiser had to “literally” multitask on the fly.

“But it’s usually that way for regular meets for me,” Fiser said. “You just try to be positive and continue to work hard.”

Running the anchor leg behind Alex Litterer, Rachel Chambers and Sami Heyer, Fiser helped cap a 4-by-100 time of 51.92 — .04 shy of the fastest time the Comets recorded this season. Ranking 17th in the preliminaries, the time wasn’t fast enough to advance to Saturday’s finals.

But Fiser, who had to make two LJ attempts in close proximity of one another so she could run the 4-by-100, still had a couple of more leaps left in her when she returned to the final round. And her last jump may had been her best. But …

“That was my best jump by far,” said Fiser, who got red-flagged with a foul. “I foul on a lot of my best jumps.”

Fiser was able to not foul on the jump she recorded a small orbit of 16 feet, 7 1/2 inches. Though shy of her personal-best of 17 feet, 1 inch, it earned Fiser a second-place finish to Dubuque Wahlert junior Aliyah Carter, who defended her state title with a leap of 18 feet, 8 1/2 inches.

“I’ve got to thank my coach Eric Hoefer,” Fiser said of the Charles City assistant coach who works with both the Comet boy and girl jumpers. “I wouldn’t have gotten here without him. He really cares.”

Charles City had another qualified long jumper at the state meet — senior Ryan Zuspan.

While competing in dreadful windswept rain conditions that bordered at times into becoming a downpour, Zuspan placed 20th among the Class 3A boys with a best leap of 19 feet, 4 inches.

Fiser was the second Comet jumper to place runner-up during the championships.

On Thursday, freshman Ian Collins set a school-record with a high jump of 6 feet, 7 inches. Three other Class 3A competitors also cleared that mark, but none of the field could clear the subsequent mark of 6-9.

By virtue of missed attempts, Collins placed second behind Fairfield’s Landon Kooiker.

Charles City junior Bradley Andrews placed 10th with a clear of 6-3.