Keely Collins places 5th in Class 3A girls high jump at state

Press Staff Report

DES MOINES — For the third year in a row, Charles City’s Keely Collins has medaled in the Class 3A girls high jump at the State Track and Field Championships.

During Thursday’s field event schedule, the Comet junior had a top clear of 5 feet, 4 inches, which — by way of previous-miss tiebreakers — landed her in fifth place.

As a freshman and sophomore, Collins placed second in the girls HJ at state.

ADM-Adel sophomore London Warmuth won the event with a height of 5-7 — Collins reset the Charles City girls record in the HJ with a 5-7 clear during the Osage Invitational this season.

Center Point-Urbana sophomore Sydney Maue was runner-up (5-6).

Last year’s state champion in the Class 3A girls high jump, Central DeWitt senior Soren Maricle, and Marion sophomore Carlee Webber both cleared 5-4 with Maricle getting third and Webber placing fourth.

Charles City got another qualifier in the HJ event when senior Nakila Toney’s state-qualifier 5-10 effort made the Top 24 cut. Toney was unable to clear a height at state.

Collins also qualified in the Class 3A girls long jump, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Like Collins, Charles City junior Josiah Cunnings qualified for both the Class 3A boys high jump and Class 3A boys long jump.

During the 3A boys HJ, Cunnings was unable to record a successful clear after he started at 5-10 and missed all three of his attempts.

Cunnings later ran in the 3A boys 400 on Thursday and placed 18th with a personal-record time of 51.88 seconds.

Cunnings will be back in action at 2:05 Friday for the 3A boys long jump — last year Cunnings placed 12th in the LJ.

Comet junior Lauren Staudt will make her third appearance as a state-qualified track athlete when she competes in the 3A girls 400 at 5:50 p.m. Friday.

Charles City’s other qualifiers — sophomores Leah Stewart and Xander Graeser — are due to make their state T&F debuts later this weekend.

Stewart will compete in the Class 3A girls shot put at 2 p.m. Friday.

Graeser will run in the Class 3A boys 800 at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

* Nashua-Plainfield sophomore Kadence Huck defended her Class 1A girls 400 state title when she dominated the most recent race with a first-place time of 55.94 seconds. Myla Murphy of Mount Ayr was a distant second (58.57).

Rockford freshman Hannah Hillman placed 17th in the 1A girls 400 (1:02.61) before later taking 20th in the 1A 200 (27.67).

Huck is also one of the top seeds in the 1A girls 800 and 1500 taking place along the Blue Oval this weekend.

Nashua-Plainfield’s Class 1A boys 4-by-800 team of Bo Harrington, Dylan Blanchard, Eli Kalainoff and Jace Hansen placed 18th (8:38.73) in their event.

The Huskies’ 1A boys shuttle hurdle relay team of Kaden Wilken, Aiden Lamborn, Bo Harrington and Titus Evans assured themselves a medal after advancing to the finals with a fifth-place preliminary time (1:01.54).

North Butler’s Class 1A girls shuttle hurdle relay team of Lancy Brinkman, Alexis Rose, Eliska Sirotiak and Kiya Johnson also qualified for the finals in their event when placing eighth (1:11.10) in the preliminaries.

Johnson will be defending her 1A girls 400 low hurdle at noon Friday.

North Butler senior Owen Almelien placed 10th in the 1A boys 3200 with a personal-record time (9:53.64) on Thursday.