CL girls track team wraps up season

by Marianne Gasaway

The Clear Lake girls track team finished up their season at the District Meet Friday in Charles City.  The Lions did not qualify any events for State, but ended the season with some of their best performances.

Deborah won the District with 152 points, followed by Iowa Falls-Alden with 138.5o.  The Lions were eighth in the field with 28 points.

Clear Lake had hoped to send its shuttle hurdle team to State, but the team’s fourth place finish was not enough to qualify.  The top two place winners from each of the State’s eight districts, as well as the next eight fastest times go to State.  Clear Lake’s Olivia Amos, Bella Parker, Ashley Archer and Macy Mixdorf were clocked in 1:11.98.

Amos was also a place winner in the 100 meter hurdles, finishing seventh in 17.71.  The only other individual place winner was Katelyn Moore, who was eighth in the 800 meters in 2:44.56.

Coach Shawn Puttmann said shot putter Mikayla VanderPloeg was also a threat to make State, but she also fell just short.  VanderPloeg was sixth with a toss of 33.50.

Relay placements:

•4x100: Sky Toyne, Kennedy Kallenbach, Archer, Sharrell Lee, 7th, 56.92

•4x200: Mixdorf, Emily Lefèvre, Archer, Gabi Gonzalez, 8th, 1:55.73

•4x400: Layne Lester, Jillian Enke, Julia Mergelt, Moore, 6th, 4:49.11

•4x800: Lester, Enke, Riley Cooney, Moore, 4th, 11:10.04

•Sprint Medley: Amos, Toyne, Gonzalez, LeFevre, 6th, 2:03.54

•Distance Medley: Mixdorf, Amos, Lefèvre, Cooney, 5th, 4:59.92

Panther Relays

Clear Lake girls made the best of the limited event they entered at the Panther Relays held Monday, May 6, at Central Springs.  As a team the Lions were fifth in the eight-team field with 60 points.  Central Springs won the team title with 120-points, followed by Nashua-Plainfield and Riceville with 106 and 85.

Olivia Amos had an outstanding night for the Lions.  In addition to racing to a tie in the 100 hurdles, she was a part of a winning relay and two runner-up relay efforts.  Amos and Peyton Pangburn, of Northwood-Kensett each crossed the finish line in 17.39 in the 100 hurdles.  Pangburn was officially awarded first place after the times were expanded to the 1,000th of a second.  Official timing had Pangburn at 17.382, while Amos ran a 17.384.

Clear Lake’s shuttle hurdle team ran their best race of the season and had a winning time of 1:12.53.  Relay members were Amos, Bella Parker, Ashley Archer and Macy Mixdorf.

Amos and Mixdorf were also part of the Distance Medley team which posted its season-best time of 4:51.16 and finished second.  Emily LeFevre and Riley Cooney were also members of the relay.

Amos and LeFevre joined Sky Toyne and Gabi Gonzalez to place second in the Sprint Medley with another season-best time, 2:04.02.

Clear Lake’s 4x200 team of Mixdorf, LeFevre, Archer and Gonzalez was also second in a season-best time of 1:58.69

Cooney and Mixdorf also earned individual placements.  Cooney finished second in the 800 meters in 2:50.13, while Mixdorf was third in the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:20.48.

Mikalya VanderPloeg recorded her best throw of the season and finished fourth in the shot out with a mark of 34’11.5”.

“It was nice to see that the Lions continue to get better in their events,” said Coach Shawn Puttmann.