Thats going to do it for tonight from Drake Stadium.
FRIDAY'S FINALS:
8:30 -- Boys discus
8:30 -- Boys long jump
9:00 -- Girls shot put
9:30 -- Girls high jump
9:49 -- Girls sprint medley relay
10:03 -- Boys distance medley relay
10:33 -- Girls 100 hurdles
10:38 -- Boys 110 hurdles
12:47 -- Girls 4x200
1:00 -- Boys 4x200
1:41 -- Girls 800
1:48 -- Boys 800
2:23 -- Girls 100
2:28 -- Boys 100
5:14 -- Girls 400
5:20 -- Boys 400
8:18 -- Girls Elite Mile
8:25 -- Boys Elite Mile
Thursday story on the high school girls competition.
Thursday story on the high school boys competition.
Stories to come in a little while.
Girls 3,000 -- 1. Paityn Noe (Ballard), 9:28.89; 2. Addison Dorenkamp (West Des Moines Valley), 9:36.98; 3. Adrienne Buettner-Cable (Des Moines Roosevelt), 9:54.70; 4. Lydia Sommer (Pleasant Valley), 10:05.25; 5. Drew Beason (Ankeny), 10:05.32; 6. Olivia Verde (Johnston), 7. Marley Turk (Ames), 10:10.54; 8. Hillary Trainor (Sumner-Fredericksburg), 10:13.21.
Girls long jump -- 1. Isabelle Noring (Carlisle), 18-10; 2. Reese Brownlee (Clear Lake), 18-3 1/4; 3. Makayla Crannell (Adel ADM), 18-1 3/4; 4. Carlee Rochford (New Hampton), 17-8 1/4; 5. Jaeden Pratt (Ankeny Centennial), 17-7 1/2; 6. Shay Sinnard (Carroll), 17-5 3/4; 7. Maleah Walker (Oskaloosa), 17-4; 8. Kallie Greiner (Davis County), 17-1.
Boys 3,200 -- 1. Chase Lauman (Pella), 9:06.71; 2. Gabe Nash (Sioux City North), 9:07.94; 3. Luke Knepp (Pleasant Valley), 9:10.92; 4. Ethan Zuber (Ankeny), 9:11.58; 5. Aaron Fynaardt (Des Moines Christian), 9:12.74; 6. Jaden Merrick (Cedar Falls), 9:12.88; 7. Miles Wilson (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 9:13.03; 8. Jack Flori (West Des Moines Dowling), 9:15.28.
Boys shot put -- 1. Spencer Kessel (Louisa-Muscatine), 62-3 1/2; 2. Keaton Roskop (Linn-Mar), 55-11 1/2; 3. Trevor Veenstra (Pella Christian), 55-6 3/4; 4. Brandon Fischer (Pella), 54-11 3/4; 5. Brayden Hartman (Washington), 54-11 3/4; 6. Cohen Pfohl (Dubuque Senior), 54-3 1/4; 7. Ian Blowe (Akron-Westfield), 53-11 1/4; 8. Duke Faley (Dubuque Wahlert), 53-10 3/4.
Boys high jump -- 1. Jacob Kieler (Cedar Falls), 6-10; 2. T.J. Jackson (Linn-Mar), 6-9; 3. Cain Brown (Mid-Prairie), 6-9; 4. Dakota Carlson (Forest City), 6-7; 5. Matt Schaeckenbach (Iowa City High), 6-7; 6. (tie) Kade Benjamin (New London) and Derek Weisskopf (Williamsburg), 6-7; 8. Tyson Seeser (Camanche), 6-7.
15 guys clear 6-5. On to 6-7.
T.J. Jackson clears 6-5 on his first try.
Matt Schaeckenbach is over the bar at 6-5. First jump.
It's still early, but Keaton Roskop (Linn-Mar) is in 2nd in the shot put (54-6).
Cain Brown is perfect through 6-5. Johny Amina makes the same height on his second try.
Weisskopf is over 6-5 on his second try.
Luke Czarnecki of Lisbon is over the bar at 6-5 and hasn't missed yet.
At least 19 guys have cleared 6-3, including area fellows Matt Schaeckenbach (City High), T.J. Jackson (Linn-Mar), Luke Czarnecki (Lisbon), Cain Brown (Mid-Prairie), Johny Amina (North Cedar), Derek Weisskopf (Williamsburg), Da'Shon Fisher (Liberty), Oaken Foster (Solon).
11 clearances already at 6-3 in the boys high jump, with more to come.
Girls long jump is set to begin.
Current girls story lede ...
DES MOINES -- Kennedy Axmear felt no heat to repeat.
“I came in here and didn’t feel any pressure,” she said. “I had kind of forgotten my sole purpose, and that’s to have fun.
“I came in here and did my best.”
She threw her best -- a career-topper of 133 feet, 3 inches -- in the Drake Relays girls’ discus Thursday on the outskirts of Drake Stadium.
A junior at English Valleys, Axmear placed fifth with an effort that was 2 feet farther than last year, when she took home the title.
“One hundred thirty-three is great,” she said. “Today was a great day to throw.”
You can control yourself, but you can’t control your competition, and Axmear’s competition was far better Thursday than it was in 2022. Hampton-Dumont/CAL sophomore Charlee Morton set a 13-foot personal best (146-3) on her first throw, and that was enough to lift her to the top.
Favorite Reese Goodlet of Pleasant Valley was second at 142-9. Libby Dix of Mount Vernon (132-3) placed sixth.
Axmear threw 131 feet last year and won the discus. Today, she threw a career-best 133-3, and finished 5th.
26 boys have cleared opening height (6-1).
Boys high jump and shot put are both underway.
Girls discus -- 1. Charlee Morton (Hampton-Dumont/CAL), 146-3; 2. Reese Goodlet (Pleasant Valley), 142-9; 3. Ciara Heffron (Knoxville), 138-7; 4. Allie Schweitzberger (KP-WC), 134-11; 5. Kennedy Axmear (English Valleys), 133-3; 6. Libby Dix (Mount Vernon), 132-3; 7. Lauren Kounkel (Hinton), 131-9; 8. Hannah Baier (Ankeny), 131-3.
The second flight is complete.
Charlee Morton (H-D/CAL) still leads ... 146-3.
Libby Dix (Mount Vernon) is 5th, Kennedy Axmear (English Valleys) is 8th.
Libby Dix up to 4th ... 132-3 on her second throw.
Axmear 130-8. Still 5th.
Axmear is 5th after the first throw of prelims.
Charlee Morton (Hampton-Dumont/CAL) ... 146-3.
Heck ... that might be a winner.
Kennedy Axmear vaults to the lead with her first throw ... 129-2.
Audrey Ott (Dowling) is the leader after the first flight of the girls discus at 123-8.
Second flight about to start. Top 9 (and ties) advance to the finals.
Girls discus is about to commence.
Reese Goodlet of Pleasant Valley is the favorite.
Also in the 2nd flight: Libby Dix (Mount Vernon), Julia Alberts (Decorah), Kennedy Axmear (English Valleys), the defending champion, Maddie Fischer (Anamosa).
The area's top hopefuls today ...
Boys shot put: (2) Brayden Hartman, Washington; (4) Sam Watts, Linn-Mar.
Boys high jump: (1) T.J. Jackson, Linn-Mar; (2) Matt Schaeckenbach, Iowa City High; (5) Cain Brown, Mid-Prairie.
Current conditions in Des Moines:
70 degrees and sunny. Wind out of the south at 9.
Howdy from Drake Stadium.
Day 1 of the Drake Relays is underway. Here is today's schedule for high school events:
2:30 -- Girls discus
4:30 -- Boys shot put
4:30 -- Boys high jump
5:00 -- Girls long jump
5:52 -- Boys 3,200
6:07 -- Girls 3,000