Josiah Cunnings places 3rd in the high school boys long jump at Drake Relays

Press Staff Report

DES MOINES — Charles City senior and defending Class 3A state long jump champion Josiah Cunnings placed third in the high school boys long jump event during Thursday’s session of the Drake Relays track and field meet at Drake Stadium.

Cunnings’s placing leap of 22 feet, 5 1/2 inches was a half-inch shy of his personal-record he set last season at the state-qualifying meet.

Jesup senior Jack Miller won the event with a winning jump of 23 feet, 3 3/4 inches.

Cedar Rapids Prairie junior T.Y. Pour placed second with a jump of 22 feet, 6 3/4 inches.

Charles City senior and two-time state silver medalist in the Class 3A girls high jump Keely Collins placed in the Top 10 in the high school girls HJ when her top height of 5 feet, 3 inches landed her in a three-way tie for eighth place.

Panorama senior Jaidyn Sellers and Mount Vernon junior Sydney Maue both had top clears of 5 foot, 7 inches to lead the field — Sellers was awarded the gold medal due to fewer misses during the competition.

Collins incidentally has the Charles City all-time girls record in the HJ when she cleared 5-7 last spring during her junior season.

Charles City junior Leah Stewart placed 15th in the high school girls shot put with a throw of 37 feet, 3 inches.

Stewart recorded that throw on her first attempt before scratching on her next two — she wasn’t granted more attempts as only those who placed in the top nine after three throws advanced to the finals where they were granted three more attempts.

Hampton-Dumont-CAL junior Charlee Morton won the girls shot put with a throw of 41 feet, 4 inches.

Stewart will be back in action during Friday’s morning session when she competes in the girls discus. A returning Drake Relays qualifier in the shot put, Stewart qualified for the discus for the first time when she set a Charles City school record with a throw of 128 feet, 6 inches during a home track and field meet several days before the DR qualification deadline.

Collins will also be back in action on Saturday as part of the Comets’ qualified shuttle hurdle relay team. The preliminary races start at noon

The team of Keely Collins, Edie Collins, Lauren Staudt and Sophia Calpito qualified for the Drake Relays when they came within a second of breaking the school record with a time of 1 minute, 7.37 seconds at the same home meet Stewart set her school record in the discus.

Also during that meet, freshman Calpito came within inches of setting a Comet record in the girls long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 6 1/2 inches, which qualified her for the DRs.

The high school girls long jump will start at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Friday.

* Multiple state champion and Nashua-Plainfield junior Kadence Huck will run two races on Friday. First, the high school girls 800-meter run at 1:45 p.m., and then the 400 dash at 5:25 p.m.