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Pierce qualifies for Drake with shot put
by Matthew Dickinson, sports editor · Sports · April 24, 2024
Led by another winning effort by Drake Relays qualifier Alyssa Pierce, the West Branch girls’ track team took fourth place April 18 in Wellman.
In a night with some expected good performances and a few pleasant surprises, the West Branch girls’ track team placed finished with 79.
“We put some of our girls in different positions than we’ve been in before,” Bears Head Coach Luke Posivio said. “We had a few athletes running totally different events than they normally run. We had some pretty good marks.”
The coach noted that most of the team “is wearing down” at this point of the season, but added that the team still had some great performances despite the rigors of the track season setting in.
Track dynasty Mid-Prairie, the hosts of the meet, cruised to a team win with 207. Pekin took third with 103 while Fairfield followed with 96. West Liberty placed fifth in the seven-team field with 60.
The Bears did some experimenting with different lineup looks, and a new-look 4x400-meter relay paid dividends with a meet win.
Lexi Skay, Grace Hamann, and Finley Rushton had the first three legs before turning to anchor Addi Schultes, who normally does sprints for the team. The group had a time of 4:30.08 to get the victory.
“That was pretty exciting,” Posivio said. “We knew that we could potentially put together a fast 4x4. Addi’s one of those girls that you can just kind of ask her to do something and she’s going to do it. We were struggling to find a fourth person who would make us competitive in that event. It’s one of those situations where you throw it at the wall and hope it sticks. And that’s what happened.”
The coach added that Schultes had a good split despite not running the distance since indoor season, and that the Bears got off to a good lead thanks to Skay and Schultes’ efforts.
He also said he’s “excited to see what that group can do.”
Hamann had a hand in two other winning events, taking the 3000-meter run in 10:54.12 before knocking off distance running standout Danielle Hostetler of Mid-Prairie in the 800.
The West Branch freshman’s time of 2:27.76 edged out the 2:28.21 put up by the Golden Hawks senior in a great battle.
“I don’t think any of us understand how good Grace is yet,” the coach said of Hamann. “It’s going to be so impressive when she can put everything together and dominate the track. She’s burst onto the scene as a freshman and kind of done her thing.”
Posivio added that Hamann is working on her race strategy, which will be crucial as the competition stiffens with conference and district meets around the corner.
Junior Alyssa Pierce turned in another strong effort in the shot put, taking the title with a 38 feet, 4-inch toss.
Posivio said the wet, cold conditions were not ideal for the event, but Pierce used her “competitive edge” to help her stay consistent and earn the event win.
Pierce will be competing next Thursday at 3 p.m. in the prestigious Drake Relays, a unique meet where the best Iowa high school track athletes compete alongside collegiate and Olympic-level performers.
The junior will throw at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Posivio said that Pierce’s appearance will be a “celebration” of the hard work she has put in over the past two and a half years to improve year by year.
The coach said that the junior will also have a chance to compete against “the best of the best” in the Iowa high school scene.
Skay also had a winning effort, taking the 400-meter dash in 1:06.38. Schultes did well individually, placing second in the 100 with a 13.90.
Another steady contributor, Amber Wolf, took fourth in the 400-meter hurdles with a 1:18.60. Posivio said that Skay showed plenty of potential at the end of last season, and that he finds it refreshing to find a runner willing to tackle the distance.
Several solid efforts from other events helped fuel the solid team effort. Alyssa Vargason placed fourth in the high jump with a 4 feet, 6 inch best while the 4x800 of Nina Torkelson, Caitlyn Harrison, Sulli Bucknell, and Cassie Swisher placed fourth in 12:03.36. Joelle Haas had a fourth-place 200-meter dash of 30.96 followed by the 31.16 of Kennedy Simpson for sixth. Rushton had a non-scoring 31.41 in the event for eighth. The sprint medley quartet of Haas, Simpson, Schultes, and Wolf took fifth in 2:07.73.
“It’s cool to see the youth have some success on our team,” Posivio said. “We’ve got 18 freshmen and sophomores out of 23 total people, and one of those three seniors [Haas] is a foreign exchange student so she’s basically a freshman. It’s pretty cool to know that it’s getting better. The girls are excited to see their splits.
The coach added that he is happy to see the younger runners achieve “small victories” in terms of improving time or placing during meets, which helps motivate them to improve further.
Several other events added points. Bucknell placed sixth in the 400 with a 1:15.77 while Torkelson took sixth in the 1500 with a 5:59.63. The 4x200 of Abby Linn, Gisele Gross, Vargason, and McKenna Worrel finished seventh in 2:04.32, with the non-scoring team of Wolf, Rushton, Harrison, and Hamann taking eighth in 2:06.25.
The entire team will have a meet against larger teams at Cedar Rapids–Xavier April 23. Posivio said the Bears will employ a “district-style” lineup meant to test what runners can handle in a single meet as West Branch starts to ramp up for the upcoming conference and district meets.
Team scores: 1. Mid-Prairie 207 2. Pekin 103 3. Fairfield 96 4. West Branch 79 5. West Liberty 60 6. Alburnett 45 7. Williamsburg 23.
Shot put: 1. Alyssa Pierce 38-04.00; 16. Alyse Klinkkammer 22-00.00; 17. Saylee Gingerich 19-07.00
Discus: 9. Alyssa Pierce 77-11; 15. Alyse Klinkkammer 64-02; 17. Saylee Gingerich 52-07
High jump: 4. Alyssa Vargason 4-06.00
Sprint medley relay: 5. (Joelle Haas, Kennedy Simpson, Addi Schultes, Amber Wolf) 2:07.73
3000-meter run: 1. Grace Hamann 10:54.12
4x800-meter relay: 4. (Nina Torkelson, Caitlyn Harrison, Sulli Bucknell, Cassie Swisher) 12:03.36
100-meter dash: 2. Addi Schultes 13.90; 12. Abby Linn 15.46; 13. Gisele Gross 15.61
400-meter dash: 1. Lexi Skay 1:06.38; 6. Sulli Bucknell 1:15.77; 10. Nora Ziehr 1:20.23
4x200-meter relay: 7. (Abby Linn, Gisele Gross, Alyssa Vargason, McKenna Worrell) 2:04.32; 8. (Amber Wolf, Finley Rushton, Caitlyn Harrison, Grace Hamann) 2:06.25
100-meter hurdles: 15. Kennedy Simpson 19.61
800-meter run: 1. Grace Hamann 2:27.76 (Hostetler 2:28.21)
200-meter dash: 4. Joelle Haas 30.96; 6. Kennedy Simpson 31.16; 8. Finley Rushton 31.41
400-meter hurdles: 4. Amber Wolf 1:18.60
1500-meter run: 6. Nina Torkelson 5:59.63; 10. Nora Ziehr 6:35.09
4x100-meter relay: 9. (Abby Linn, Gisele Gross, Alyssa Vargason, McKenna Worrell) 58.64; 13. Alyssa Pierce, Alyse Klinkkammer, Caitlyn Harrison, Cassie Swisher) 1:03.52
4x400-meter relay: 1. (Lexi Skay, Grace Hamann, Finley Rushton, Addi Schultes) 4:30.08
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