Edie Collins 2nd, Keely Collins 4th in girls high jump; Comet girls shuttle hurdle relay advances to finals at State T&F Meet

Press Staff Report

DES MOINES — Only several hours removed after helping Charles City advance to the finals of the Class 3A girls shuttle hurdle relay, Comet sisters Edie and Keely Collins placed in the top four of the girls high jump during the first day of the State Track and Field Championships, Thursday at Drake Stadium.

Freshman Edie Collins reached a personal-record height of 5 feet, 4 inches, and senior Keely Collins also cleared 5-4 as well as Mount Vernon junior Sydney Maue.

The only one who jumped higher among the Class 3A competitors was ADM, Adel junior London Warmuth, who — with a clear of 5 feet, 8 inches — won her second-straight state title.

By virtue of previous failed attempts, Edie Collins got the silver medal ahead of Maue and her older sister, who attained back-to-back second-place state finishes herself as a freshman and sophomore.

Earlier in one of the first events of the state meet — the preliminaries of the SHR — Edie Collins and Keely Collins were the respective first and fourth legs with senior Lauren Staudt and freshman Sophia Calpito in the middle and recorded a fourth-place time of 1 minute, 6.98 seconds to advance to the Top 8 finals to take place noon on Saturday.

The time was the second-fastest the foursome recorded this season after setting a school-record last week at the Class 3A state-qualifier in Clear Lake.

Aside from the SHR final, the aforementioned foursome are due to see some more action this weekend at Drake University.

Keely Collins will compete in the girls 100 hurdles with preliminaries scheduled for Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Calpito will compete in the girls long jump Friday at 11:30 a.m., and the 100 hurdles.

Staudt will compete in the girls 400 hurdles Friday at 12:10 p.m.

Edie Collins will be a part of the 4-by-100 relay with Emerson Bohlen, Madison Lensing and Destiny Kolheim with preliminaries Friday at 12:50 p.m.

Charles City’s resident Class 3A boys long jump defending champion, senior Josiah Cunnings, placed 21st in the boys high jump Thursday morning with a clear of 5 feet, 11 inches.

Cunnings will vie to defend his LJ title Friday morning starting at 9 a.m.

Cunnings will also be a part of the Comets’ 4-by-400 relay also consisting of Xander Graeser, Keenan Wiley and Nick Williams, who will race in the preliminaries Friday at 2:25 p.m.; and the Distance Medley Relay also consisting of John Bruening, Cunnings and Graeser, who will have their timed heat races Friday at 10 a.m.

Charles City junior Leah Stewart, who recently became Charles City’s school record holder in the girls discus and shot put, will compete in the SP Friday at 9 a.m. where she hopes to improve from her Top 10 performance at state last spring.