Comet boys and girls track open season at Wartburg TF Invite

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

WAVERLY — Sarah Turpen has a flexible schedule.

She can run on your time, or she can run on her own.

At the Wartburg College Coed High School Indoor Invitational, the Charles City junior was allowing someone else set the pace in the early circuits of the 3,000-meter girls run.

“I was willing to run her race while following close behind,” Turpen said of trailing West Fork’s Talia Rose for nearly half of the race.

“When I felt it was time to take over, I made my move,” Turpen said.

Turpen eventually passed Rose for the lead, then picked up speed as she increased her distance while lapping stragglers near the end of the race.

Down the homestretch, Turpen was nearly sprinting before cross the finish line with a time of 12 minutes, 2 seconds.

“I felt good,” Turpen said of the race. “This winter I’ve been training at the YMCA, and that’s helped a lot.”

Though Turpen dominated her heat, she couldn’t best several speed-burners in the previous heat at she finished eighth overall. Reagan Gorman of Cedar Rapids Washington was the 3,000 girls champ with a time of 10:56.08.

McKayla Cole won the 800 run for Charles City with a time of 2:28.38. She bested next best competitor, Claire Dupuis of Ames by nearly two seconds.

Comet junior Bailey Mitchell won her heat of the 1,500 girls run. Though she accomplished one of her goals by finishing under six minutes (5:41), she was not satisfied.

“I don’t think I ran as well as I should have,” Mitchell said. “I won my heat, but with the tough competition here, that’s not going to be enough.”

The invitational was the official start of the competition season for both Charles City teams.

The girls will return to Wartburg College next Tuesday for another invite. That same day, the boys will travel to Cedar Falls for a meet at the University of Northern Iowa.

Among the top finishers for Charles City was senior Shane Feller, whose leap of 20 feet, 5 1/2  inches in the long jump was only bested by Marc MacFung (20-7) of Ames.

Sydney Loeckle placed sixth in the girls discus for Charles City with a throw of 34 feet, 2 inches.