FMs Gehle, Schneider wrap up state with medals

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG

PCC EDITOR

DES MOINES - It was a banner day for seniors on the Fort Madison track and field team as two seniors wrapped up the day with five events and five medals.

HTC senior Brett Schneider took 7th in the 800-meter run and FMHS senior Caleb Gehle brought home four medals in the wheelchair events.

Schneider posted a 2:19.03 in the half-mile running in the fastest heat in Class 3A.

She started in lane 4 on the inside back starting line. Off the gun she got tangled with about five runners looking for wiggle room, but quickly jumped to the outside just after the first turn and slid up into the middle of the pack where she stayed until a final sprint off turn four of the second lap.

Schneider gets briefly boxed in at the start of the Class 3A 800-meter run Saturday at the Iowa State Track and Field Meet in Des Moines. She earned 7th place overall in the event. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

"We went out really fast," Schneider said. "I was trying not to get boxed in and I don't think I did so that was nice. Then I just tried to stay with the pack and then sprint at the 200-mark. I caught one, but everyone has such good speed nowadays when you get to the state meet."

Schneider said she saw the boxing happen and jumped out to lane two where she had some room.

Her best time in the 800-meter run was her sophomore year, but just didn't quite get there.

"My overall PR was a 2:17 when I was a sophomore and I was trying to get that," she said. "2:19 - I was happy with tha. It was almost a 2:18. It's been great running here, but I'm sad that it's over. I wish I would have placed a little higher."

Head Coach Brian Mendez said he's excited to see what Schneider will do at the University of Northern Iowa as a runner on that track and field team.

'She's got room to grow," he said. "If they want to mess with hurdles she could be competitive with that, but I think she'll run that half-mile and be very competitive - but that's just my opinion.

Schneider placed 6th in the 400-meter hurdles in Friday's competition.

"There's some people here running at UNI next year so I will remember them when I'm up there. I'll probably come back here and run, but it was great high school memories and I loved it," she said.

"She has been a complete treat to coach, and I'm just so happy for her to get two medals on her way out. It's just awesome," Mendez said.

Ellie Friesen of Crestwood had the top time in the 800-mile run at 2:13.63. Schneider was the only runner from Southeast Iowa in the event.

Caleb Gehle, who battles cerebral palsy, took fifth in the wheelchair shot put Saturday morning with a throw of 15'-5.75". That was the distance of his first official throw of the day which got him into the finals. His first throw in the finals came up short at just over 11' when his leg strap came loose, but the throw was official. His second two throws were 15'-1" and 15'-3". Gehle's top throw in 2017 was 14'-5" so he beat that mark by more than a foot.

"The distances weren't what I was looking for, but I did better than last year so I'm happy with that,' he said.

He had a busy day with three wheelchair races in the afternoon. He finished 6th in the 100-meter wheelchair dash with a time of 24.39, and 6th in the 200-meter wheelchair run with a time of 54.48. He said he had a little trouble with the some new gripping and sliding at the start of the race on the wet conditions.

"We had some different adhesive on my gloves and that caused me some problems, and the track was really wet so I had some trouble getting going," Gehle said about the 200-meter run.

He also took 6th in the 400-meter race, which he didn't compete in in 2017.

FMHS senior Caleb Gehle lets go with his second throw in qualifying. Gehle finished 5th for his fourth year medaling in the event at the state track meet. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Caleb Gehle spins on the first turn of the 200 meter wheelchair run at the state track meet on Saturday afternoon. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Des Moines, Drake University, fort madison, Pen City Current, sports, state championships, track and field

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