Brownlee wins long jump; girls team places sixth

(Above)Reese Brownlee leaped 18’07” to claim the Class 2A State long jump championship.    -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Michelle Watson

The Clear Lake girls track team had a packed stadium to watch them compete at the State Track Meet held May 19-21, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.  A three-day attendance record was broken at the meet with 39,415 people watching the competition.

As a team, the girls placed sixth in Class 2A with 32 points.  Mid-Prairie won the meet with 65 points, followed by Van Meter with 55, KPWC with 48 and Denver with 42 points.  Clear Lake sent eight events, which all earned points for the team.

“The last time the Lions placed this high as a team was back in 1998 when they placed fourth,” said Head Coach Shawn Puttmann.

Another huge highlight was Reese Brownlee claiming State championship honors in the long jump.  Brownlee’s leap of 18’07” earned her bragging rights as the top 2A long jumper in the state.  Brownlee also picked up points in the 400 and 200 meter dashes.  She placed third in the 400 with a time of 58.29.  Her time in the 200 was 26.01, good for sixth place.

“I thought running the 200 before (the long jump) would hurt, but it actually turned out to be a huge benefit. It made my body ready to go,” said Brownlee.   

Brownlee also credited some of her success to being able to train for the long jump beginning in February, thanks to the long jump pit in the new Clear Lake Wellness Center.

“It takes hard work to get to the top.  Reese has dedicated herself for a long time to get to where she is today,” said Puttmann.  “It was exciting to watch her do something that she loves.  I am glad she did not wait until the last jump to get the 18’07.  Thursday was a big day for her, running in the 200 and 400 also.”

No one got to spend as much time on the blue oval as Addison Doughan, who competed individually in the 3000, the 1500 and the 800.  She also had a successful experience, placing in all three events. She was sixth in the 3000 with a time of 11:21.72.  She ran the 1500 in 4:53.15, good for fifth place, and she was eighth in the 800, clocking 2:22.97.

The Lions also sent two relays to State.  The Sprint Medley team, consisting of Maddie Leisure, Josie Lester, Lydia Brattrud and Brownlee, finished in fourth place with a time of 1:51.88.  The Distance Medley finished in 16th place. Members of that relay were Leisure, Makella Jacobs, Brattrud and Doughan. 

“It was very fun to watch the girls perform at the highest level of competition and do so well,” said Puttmann.

Clear Lake’s future looks bright, as Brownlee, Doughan, Lester, Brattrud and Leisure, are all freshmen.  As a junior, Jacobs will also be back to compete next year.