FM runners set PRs at Mt. Pleasant boys' Invite

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

MT. PLEASANT - Despite running in some heavy south winds, rain and at one point even hail, the Bloodhound boys track team set more personal records Thursday night at the Denny White Relays in Mt. Pleasant.

The Hounds got two second-place finishes from Matt Hellige who broke his personal records in the mile and two-mile events.

The junior almost broke the 10-minute mark in the two mile with a time of 10:01.42, just 2.6 seconds behind perennial state contender Cody Mertens of Mt. Pleasant.

Hellige also set a personal mark in the 1600 with 4:42.59, good enough for second.

Holy Trinity junior Matt Hellige, running for the Fort Madison Bloodhound track team crosses the line in the mile run setting a personal best for him at 4:42.59. He finished second in the race, and second in the 3200-meter run beating his previous best mark by a full nine seconds. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

"I guess an extra year of training has helped. I think I put in a lot more miles this winter compared to last year. The training has been a lot different this year. A lot more track work and I'd say and we've been doing some different things," Hellige said.

Co-Coach Mike Schneider said he thinks Hellige will get under 10 minutes in the 3200 before the year's over.

"I think he's capable of breaking 10 and I think he will if we get a good meet," Schneider said.

"This is our third thing this week and you could've heard a pin drop on the bus. (Co-Head Coach) Chad (Hannum) leaned over to me and said 'I think they're tired', Schneider said.

He said Hellige has stepped up his personal training and quietly goes about anything asked of him in workouts.

"He's running so well and works so hard. He puts in time on the weekend and he does everything we ask in practice. He's a good example of leading by example. 10:17 was his best last year and it's April 11 and he's already surpassed that by 16 seconds," Schneider said.

The Bloodhounds also got points from Quentin Schneider who finished runner-up in the 400 meter hurdles with a mark of 58.58, just 1.8 seconds off the pace of Washington's Ethan Hunt.

Schneider also took 5th in the 400-meter dash in what he called a "crazy" race.

"I started that race in the sun and when I came around the second turn it was sprinkling. By the time I got down the home stretch it was pouring," the Holy Trinity Catholic junior said.

At one point for about two minutes spectators and runners headed for the trees and shelter as hail briefly peppered Maple Leaf Stadium.

The next highest finish came in the 4x200 meter relay with Brock Califf, Michael Mosena, Shaymouhr Redd-Donald and freshman Andrew Schaeffer finishing in a dead tie for 2nd with a time of 1:37.96 with Schaeffer closing the gap on the final leg. Central Lee won the event with a time of 1:37.42.

Co-head coach Chad Hannum said the 4x200 relay was strong, but some hand-offs, due to new personnel, were sketchy..

"The hand-offs need to get a bit more refined, but we had two new guys in there today. Mosena was back and we had Schaeffer in there, too. He ran the last leg and he's running really well for a freshman, as he keeps getting stronger and stronger," Hannum said.

He said sophomore Garrett Hannum has set personal bests in the 800 in the last two meets and is running strong. Hannum captured sixth place in the 800 run overall with a time of 2:09.83.

"Garrett ran a PR last Monday and I think he ran another PR tonight. He's a only a sophomore and if he keeps running the way he is watch out when he's a senior," Chad Hannum said.

The Bloodhounds got a 3rd place finish from Brock Califf, Hannum, Schaeffer and Schneider with a time of 3:40.38.

Redd-Donald also took a 6th place in the 200-meter dash. Redd-Donald is in his first year of high school track and Hannum said he is running well.

"He's running very well and I tell you what, you couldn't ask for a nicer kid. He's polite, he does anything you ask him to do. He'd probably balk at us a little if we asked him to run the two-mile, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did it."

The Hounds finished 15th out of 22 teams with 50 points on the night. Mt. Pleasant won the relays with 157.5 points.

Other top finishers for the Bloodhounds included:

800-sprint medley: (Scaeffer, Mosena, Califf and Hannum) 1:44.77 (8th); 4x800 meter relay: (Dom Frantz, Bryce Birtton, Trey Kuntz and Joey Dodson) 11:13..33 (7th); 100-meter dash: Frantz, 13.37 (13th); Distance medley: (Gavin Wiseman, Jakob McGowan, Mikey DiPrima and Isaiah Miller) 4:21.11 (9th); 110-hurdles: Gage Fullenkamp 19:55 (8th); 200-meter dash: Wiseman 27.26; 400-meter hurdles: Jakob McGowan 1:11.92 (13th); 4x100 relay: (Mosena, Califf, Redd-Donald, Schneider) 47.21 (9th); Long Jump: Mosena 17-2.25 (10th), McGowan 15-9 (14th); Shot Put: Alec Craft 36-7, Ethan Deacon 35-4; Discus: Deacon 102-7, (11th), Craft 76-5 (18th).

FMHS runner Isaiah Miller tries to close the gap on Danville's Gabriel Gourley on the last leg of the Distance Medley at Monday's meet in Mt. Pleasant. Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC
Denny White Relays, fort madison, Fort Madison High School, iowa, Mt. Pleasant, Pen City Current, sports, track and field

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