Memories are made on the Blue Oval

(Above) P.J. Feuerbach runs his leg of the shuttle hurdle relay.  The team, also consisting of Zeke Nelson, Jack Crane and Tyson Cooley, placed fifth with a time of 1:01.93 and set a new school record.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Michelle Watson

Memories were made that will last a lifetime for the Clear Lake boys track team as they competed in the Class 3A State Track Meet on May 20-22 at Drake University.  The team sent nine total events and 20 student-athletes to the State Meet.

“Overall, it was an amazing weekend and State Track meet,” said Coach Troy Tysdahl.  “The coaches couldn’t be more proud of this team and are blessed to be able to coach such a great group of kids.”

Friday started with the 4x800 team of Jaden Wright, Joe Faber, Andrew Mixdorf and Justin Wright.  The team finished in 19th place overall with a time of 8:35.54.  The team came into the race ranked 11th, but changes were made in the lineup in order to maximize Tanner Reimann later in the meet.

“Although we didn’t run our best time or splits of the season, it was the first time running at State for three of these underclassmen and that experience is very valuable for the future,” said Tysdahl.

The shuttle hurdle relay also ran prelims on Thursday.  The team of Zeke Nelson, P.J. Feuerbach, Jack Crane and Tyson Cooley ran a school record time of 1:02.39 and qualified for the finals on Saturday as the seventh seed.

“Moving up from coming in seeded tenth was a great way to end Thursday and take some momentum into Friday,” said Tysdahl.

Cooley started the day on Friday in the 110 meter high hurdles.  He finished 18th with a time of 16.37.  

The 4x200 relay team of Nelson, Reimann, Jagger Schmitt and Austin Warnke ran their season best time by over half a second and finished just out of the scoring in ninth place.  

“Having three of the four runners back next year means this will be an event to watch in 2022,” said Tysdahl.

Nelson, a sophomore, was next on the track for the 400 meter low hurdles.  Nelson finished in 23rd place with a time of 1:04.12.

Another school record was broken on Friday, when the distance medley team ran the race in 3:35.53, beating the record set in 2005 by three seconds.  The team of Reimann, Warnke, Schmitt and Justin Wright finished in seventh place.  

“Justin Wright ran a blazing fast 1:57 split to anchor this relay in a very competitive fast heat,” said Tysdahl.

The 4x400 team wrapped up the day on a high note by finishing fourth in the prelims with a time of 3:28.58 and advancing to the finals on Saturday.  The team of Reimann, Warnke, Schmitt and Wright ran a season best time and moved from the 22nd seed to the finals.

“The incredible part of this race was nobody ran their PR split, but they all were very consistent across the board and competed like maniacs,” said Tysdahl.

The sprint medley team opened the day on Saturday.  Tyres Green-Harrington, Schmitt, Warnke and Jaden O’Brien-Green ran a 1:37.3 and finished in 19th place.  

“This was five places higher than our seed coming in at 24th,” said Tysdahl.  “We changed this lineup around to maximize rest for the 4x400 runners later in the day and there wasn’t any drop off.  All ran very well and two seniors, Tyres and Jaden, ended their Lion track careers on the blue oval with strong performances.”

Next up was Wright in the 800 meter run.  He ran a personal record time of 1:59.67, but finished just out of the scoring in ninth place.

“Justin ended one of the most decorated individual careers a Clear Lake track athlete has ever had with a personal record and much to be proud of,” said Tysdahl.

The shuttle hurdle team broke their own school record in the finals with a time of 1:01.93 and placed fifth at State.  Tysdahl praised the strong legs of all his hurdlers, but gave special mention to Cooley, who ran the anchor leg in a solid 14.49, passing two teams to claim the fifth place medal.

“PJ and Tyson, who are seniors, were the rocks of this group all season and deserve all the awards and recognition they have earned,” said Tysdahl.  “For Zeke and Jack to run like they did as sophomores is very encouraging and we are excited to pair them up with a few more hurdlers in the future to keep this group coming back to State.”

The 4x400 relay group ran a season best time of 3:25.32 in the finals, beating their prelim time by over three seconds, to finish in third place.

“It was an incredible performance by our four best 400 runners, as they all ran at or near their personal best for a split and put together one of the best relay races at State in a long time for the Clear Lake track program,” said Tysdahl.  “We couldn’t be happier for them all.  To go from the 22nd seed and third at our own District, to finish third in State is a memory that will last a long time and says a lot about these young men’s approach to the process and believing in themselves and their teammates.”

Wright and Cooley, who are both seniors, will continue their track careers at the collegiate level.  Wright will be running cross country and track at Loras College and Cooley will be competing at Midland University, in Fremont Neb.

Find State Track Photos Here: CLICK HERE