Fort Madison sends 15 to state track meet

MOUNT PLEASANT – The Class 3A district track and field meet in Mt. Pleasant turned out to be a WOW festival at the outset as Fort Madison qualified close to a dozen athletes for next week’s IHSAA/IGHSAU state track meet in Des Moines.
The WOW came in the form of the boys' field events where seniors Dayton Lamar and Brayton Schneider blew away their season’s best numbers in qualifying in the long jump and discus.
Lamar jumped a 23’4” to get into the finals and then let it all go on his last attempt, resetting the mark with a 23’6”. This is Lamar’s first year ever in the long jump and he has gotten stronger as the year went along.
“I work on my form a lot, specifically the end phase, diving down and stuff,” he said. “I think this gives me a top two or three jump in 3A.”
Lamar said he had an unofficial jump of 24’ in practice Wednesday. Head Coach Keith Helling said they usually don’t measure jumps in practice but Mark Bunt, an addition to the Bloodhound coaching staff who’s been helping Lamar with his mechanics, said he measured it afterward.
“We usually don’t do that, but when everyone left, I guess he went back and measured it and it was 24 feet, and I was like, 'Whaaaat!?',” Helling said.
And literally moments after Lamar won the long jump, Schneider fired a missile out of the discus cage for a throw of 173’7” after struggling with sub 130’ throws in his first two attempts.
Schneider said it’s a result of the work he’s put in the season. His previous best was a 158’. He also said the wind out of the southwest was a contributor.
“You just have to get the disc a little higher, but you just grip and rip,” he said.
The two join a bevy of other Bloodhounds, including Brylie Lorence who qualified in the shot and discus, Mara Smith, Avery and Addison Rump, freshman Jordyn Marshall, who qualified in two individual events, McKayla Schinstock, Peyton Lambert, Mason McLey, Riley Tripp, Nolan Guzman, Brandon Klein, Lillian Gelsthorpe, Olivia Buckner, and Urijah Brooks.
Avery Rump qualified in four events, including winning the 3000 and 1500 meter runs, while Marshall was runner-up in both events and will be going to her first ever state track meet at Drake University.
Rump also ran the last leg of the Lady Hounds' 4x800 team with Addison Rump, Smith, and Schinstock. The squad ran a 9:50.73 which puts them as the 10^th fastest team in 3A.
The boys' 4x800 team of Lambert, McLey, Tripp, and Guzman qualified by winning with an 8:07.18. The Hounds currently hold the fastest time in the state in 3A at 8:00.17. That’s the 15^th fastest time in all classes.
The Lady Hounds' distance medley team qualified as runner-up Thursday night with a 4:20.98 Avery Rump made a vigilant run on the final leg to try and catch Clear Creek-Amana but came up a half-second short despite making up some ground.
“I was really trying to catch that girl in front of me, but I also didn’t want the girls behind me catching up, so both of those things motivated me,” Rump said.
Rump will be making a return trip to the Blue Oval in the 1500 and 3000 where she placed 7^th and 5^th.
I’ve learned to relax a lot more,” she said. “I know that this is a big deal, but in the grand scheme of things, if things don’t go my way, it will be okay. But if things do go my way, that will be super awesome and I’ll be happy. But, I need to stay calm because I run a lot better when I’m calm,” she said.
Lambert qualified in the open 400 with a 51.10 just .27 seconds behind Knoxville’s Cael Irving. Lambert ran at state last year in the boys' 4x800 and the distance medley.
“Making it an open event makes me feel good. It makes me feel like I didn’t have to rely on my teammates to make it,” Lambert said.

He said running last year at state has taught him a few things.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you train, it’s how bad you want it,” he said. “That last 100 (in the open 400), you can’t train for that, it’s all heart. This is coming in as a senior with nothing to lose, so I just gave it my all.”
Tripp, as well as Nolan Guzman, will have to wait to see if their times in the 1600 and 800 will be good enough to get them to state as they both finished 3^rd at the sectional Thursday night.
Tripp’s performance in the 1600 was gutsy as he led by about eight paces halfway through the final lap only to be caught in the final 100 yards by Clear Creek-Amana’s Brock Hilsman and Carson Meskimen. Tripp ran a 4:40.87 to Hilsman’s 4:40.05 and Meskimen’s 4:40.27.
“I tried to make a move on the third and then they just had a great kick at the end and I couldn’t stay with them,” Lambert said. He had a 4:38.28 back on May 1.
Guzman has a top seven time in 3A with a 1:58.52 in the 800. He ran a 2:00.21 Thursday, which is still a top-15 time and should qualify him on time. The full state qualifying list will be released Friday morning.
Lorence threw a 42’6.5” in the shot, which won the event, and spun a 125’1” in the discus, which was a personal best for her.
She said the next few weeks won’t change a lot for her as far as routine with the state meet beginning Thursday morning for Classes 2A and 3A.
“I had a good day today. Everything was going and my confidence was clicking. I wish I would have thrown a little better in the shot, but first is first and I get to go next week,” she said.
Lorence said she will have to PR to win state and will likely need a 50.
Lady Hounds' Head Coach Jordyn Meierotto said she wasn’t surprised by anything, but was happy that the girls were able to compete and overcome some disappointment from a cross country season where they were left out as a team.
“I’m very pleased. I’m very pleased. We kind of knew what we had going into the season, the trick was just getting everyone here healthy,” she said. “We did that and then they executed, which is hard, because everyone shows up to compete at districts.”
She said it will be business as usual for the Lady Hounds in the coming week.
“Just make sure we all stay smart and hydrated and mind our Ps and Qs,” she said.
Brooks qualified in the shotput with a season’s best throw for him at 54’8.25”. Helling said Brooks' performance was just as much of a surprise as anything on Thursday.
“I just don’t know where he got that,” Helling said. “That’s was just another WOW. I’m happy for him and the others.”
Klein has qualified to compete in the 100, 200, 400 wheelchair and the wheelchair shotput.
Helling said the boys have some tweaks to work on as far as strategies in some areas.
“We’re gonna work on a few things, like where to start a kick, but we’re going to enjoy this and look forward to next week.”