The Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships took place this weekend at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, with plenty of Iowa signees, commits, and recruiting targets in action across all four classes of competition.
We discussed which athletes with Iowa ties would be in action a week ago, so let’s dig into the results.
4A
100
Louden Grimsley, Sioux City East – 11th, 10.85
200
Julian Manson, Iowa City West – 23rd, 22.96
4×100
IC West (Mason Woods, Manson) – 10th, 42.33
Southeast Polk (Sam Zelenovich) – 11th, 42.40
Sioux City East (Grimsley) – 19th, 43.18
4×200
Ankeny Centennial (Braeden Jackson) – 1st, 1:26.20
IC West (Woods, Manson) – 3rd, 1:27.17
Sioux City East (Grimsley) – 17th, 1:30.25
Sprint Medley
IC West (Woods, Manson) – 9th, 1:32.88
Urbandale (Elijah Hoyt) – DQ
Distance Medley
SEP (Zelenovich) – 3rd, 3:27.00
IC West (Woods) – 5th, 3:28.54
Urbandale (Hoyt) – 7th, 3:28.73
Shot Put
Colin Whitters, IC West – 7th, 51-07.75
Joey Vanwetzinga, Pleasant Valley – 6th, 52-01.25
Discus
Whitters, IC West – 8th, 156-01
Notes
The only Iowa signee in action among the 4A prospects was Pleasant Valley’s Joey Vanwetzinga, a Class of 2025 recruit who verbally committed to Iowa last summer; he finished 6th in the shot put this weekend.
The most notable other Iowa-associated athletes in action were Mason Woods and Julian Manson, a pair of prospects from Iowa City West who each have fathers on the Iowa staff (LeVar Woods and Jason Manson, respectively). Woods is a three-star athlete in the Class of 2025, while Manson is currently an unrated athlete in the Class of 2026; Woods has an Iowa offer, while Manson has Iowa interest at this time. They competed in several different individual and relay sprint events, highlighted by a third-place finish in the 4×200.
Braeden Jackson, an unrated RB recruit and possible PWO target for Iowa in the Class of 2025, helped Ankeny Centennial claim a state championship in the 4×200 relay.
3A
100
Brevin Doll, ADM – 1st, 10.82
Will Hawthorne, Gilbert – 8th, 11.45
200
Doll, ADM – 1st, 21.50
400
Rayce Heitman, Williamsburg – 5th, 49.62
Jaxson McIntire, Clear Lake – 22nd, 54.00
4×100
ADM (Doll) – 2nd, 41.90
Western Dubuque (Grant Glausser) – 5th, 42.69
Williamsburg (Heitman) – 9th, 42.93
Gilbert (Hawthorne) – 17th, 44.08
4×200
ADM (Doll) – 1st, 1:25:55
Western Dubuque (Glausser) – 9th, 1:29.66
4×400
Williamsburg (Heitman) – 16th, 3:29.73
Sprint Medley
Williamsburg (Heitman) – 2nd, 1:31.97
Gilbert (Hawthorne) – 21st, 1:37.87
High Jump
Derek Weisskopf, Williamsburg – 4th, 6’7″
Shot Put
Weisskopf, Williamsburg – 8th, 53-01.00
Discus
Weisskopf, Williamsburg – 2nd, 179-08
Notes
The star of the 2A ranks — and arguably of the entire weekend — was ADM’s Brevin Doll, who scorched the track with state championships in the 100m and 200m individual events as well as the 4×200 relay — and also helped ADM to a second-place finish in the 4×100 relay for good measure. ADM finished behind Harlan in the 4×100 finals at 41.90, though their 41.33 in prelims would have taken the crown with ease.
Doll had the fastest finals run in the 100m (10.82) across all classes — and that was nothing compared to the state record he set of 10.40 in the prelims. Doll also had the fastest finals run in the 200m (21.50) across all classes, but like the 100m, his prelim time of 21.10 was even faster. Doll made up for missing last year’s state tournament due to injury and then some with his performances this weekend; he was absolutely flying all weekend long.
Doll signed with Iowa last fall and is set to be a running back when he joins the team this summer.
The other notable 3A athlete in action was Williamsburg’s Derek Weisskopf, a 2024 signee who will join the program as a linebacker this summer. Weisskopf wasn’t able three-peat as a state champion in the high jump, finishing in fourth place this year. He also finished second in the discus.
The athlete who topped Weisskopf for the state championship in the discus also has some Iowa ties as it happens — Solon senior Ben Kampman claimed the state title in the discus this year. Kampman is the son of former Iowa star defensive lineman Aaron Kampman. While Ben had some interest from Iowa, he did not receive an offer and committed to Duke last fall on a track scholarship.
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2A
100
Graham Eben, Central Lyon – 23rd, 11.45
Jaxon Paulsrud, Cherokee – 16th, 11.33
DJ Vonnahme, Kuemper – DQ
200
Paulsrud, Cherokee – 10th, 22.67
Eben, Central Lyon – 20th, 22.92
4×100
Central Lyon (Eben) – 21st, 44.39
Roland Story (Fiston Carlson) – 14th, 44.01
Shot Put
Preston Ries, Monticello – 4th, 55-05
Mason Knipp, Columbus Catholic – 6th, 52-06.75
Discus
Ries, Monticello – 5th, 160-09
Notes
It was a quiet year for Iowa-affiliated athletes in the 2A ranks. The standout was Monticello’s Preston Ries, who posted a 4th place finish in the shot put and a 5th place finish in the discus. Ries, who signed with Iowa last fall, will come in to Iowa City as a linebacker this fall.
Preferred walk-on Mason Knipp had a 6th place finish in the shot put. Two other preferred walk-ons, Central Lyon’s Graham Even and Kuemper’s DJ Vonnahme, were also in action this weekend.
1A
4×400
Woodbine (Landon Blum) – 10th, 3:30.74
4×800
Woodbine (Blum) – 8th, 8:20.56
Distance Medley
Woodbine (Blum) – 2nd, 3:33.43
High Jump
Woodbine (Blum) – 5th, 6’3″
Notes
Woodbine’s Landon Blum, a 6’5″ wide receiver and Class of 2027 prospect, was the only 1A athlete with Iowa ties in action at the state tournament. Winfield-Mt. Union’s Cam Buffington, the third of Iowa’s 2024 in-state linebackers, did not compete this weekend.
Blum showed off his speed in a number of events, highlighted by helping Woodbine to a 2nd place finish in the distance medley race. Iowa State is the only school to offer Blum thus far, but his recruitment should heat up as his high school career progresses.
Iowa women’s wrestling’s Clarissa Chun’s National Duals press conference
VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Clarissa Chun discusses program’s first loss
CEDAR FALLS − The undefeated start to the Iowa women’s wrestling program has ended after the Hawkeyes lost a dual for the first time in program history at the NWCA National Duals on Jan. 10.
A 40-5 win over William Jewell College and a 39-3 victory over Sacred Heart set up a major semifinal clash with rival North Central College on Jan. 10.
Iowa won six of 10 matches in the semifinals. Karlee Brooks beat national runner-up Yele Aycock by a 8-4 decision, 138-pounder Skye Realin defeated a former national champion by a 6-6 score on criteria in Claire Dicugno with a four-point throw at the buzzer, Reese Larramendy knocked off No. 1 ranked and former Hawkeye teammate Bella Mir in a 10-4 decision at 145 and 180-pounder Kylie Welker wrestled and won in just her second match back after a period of rest to start the season.
All of those wins helped put Iowa in front, 21-18, going into the final bout at 207 pounds.
What did the Hawkeyes in was losses by fall at 110, 124 and 207. The 207 loss, with Dasia Yearby pinning Jaycee Foeller in the first period, gave North Central a 23-21 victory despite the Cardinals dropping six of 10 matches. North Central also scored team points in nine of 10 bouts because they scored match points and did not lose by fall.
As a result, the Iowa program’s 42-0 unblemished record in duals was broken.
The final result was eerily similar to the dual between the two teams at the same tournament two years ago, where the Hawkeyes also lost six of 10 bouts, but got crucial bonus points and at least one team point in all 10 bouts to escape with a 21-20 win.
Iowa women’s wrestling coach Clarissa Chun emphasized to her team two years ago that every point mattered in the win. This time around, it worked against them as the Cardinals got the upset victory.
“Every point does matter,” Chun said. “You can’t replicate those moments in those times, in certain moments and positions. We got to be better at finishing, that’s apparent. We can get to the legs, but we got to continue to wrestle through that to the strong finish.”
Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central
VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Skye Realin discusses loss to North Central
Chun said the emotions were raw afterwards, with wrestlers in and out of the lineup taking the loss to heart. Welker, who won her bout 8-2 against Jael Miller, took it hard since she nearly had a pin that could have flipped the final result.
“There was a lot of us that felt it was hard to take a loss, especially for me, and there was a couple other girls that took it pretty hard,” Welker said. “I have girls that look to me, so I’m like, ‘I got to pull myself together and step forward with them, alongside them so we can finish this tournament.’”
Ultimately, the Hawkeyes finished with a win in the third-place bout shortly after by defeating a solid Grand Valley State team, 26-15. The main difference, they said, was the positive energy exuded from the coaching staff to not harp on the past and look for the next best thing.
Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central
VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Karlee Brooks discusses loss to North Central
While the loss brings an unfamiliar feeling to the program, it’s something they knew would come eventually. While it was their main rival today, McKendree will also present a tough challenge to the field when the NCAA Championships come in March.
Behind stars Welker and Kennedy Blades, rising wrestlers like Brooks and Realin, as well as proven veterans in Larramendy, Brianna Gonzalez and Foeller, Iowa will have a good chance to win a third-consecutive team title this season.
Even in a crushing loss, they got some key wins from those like Realin, Larramendy and Brooks that bode well for the Hawkeyes in the future. The places they faltered were spots they’ll have confidence to bounce back or won’t apply come the NCAA Championships, like Nyla Valencia’s loss by fall after controlling most of the bout at 110 pounds, and Welker and Blades giving up team points in their matches.
Regardless, the third-place finish served as a reminder to the program and fans alike that this year is going to bring Iowa’s toughest challenge yet.
“Everyone on our team knows it, this sport has depth,” Chun said. “There are great wrestlers across the entire country.”
Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker’s National Duals press conference
VIDEO: Iowa women’s wrestling’s Kylie Welker discusses program’s first loss
Round of 16: Iowa 40, William Jewell College 5
Quarterfinal: Iowa 39, Sacred Heart University 3
Semifinal: North Central College 23, Iowa 21
Third-place dual: Iowa 26, Grand Valley State 15
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
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TAMA COUNTY, Iowa — A pair of power outages left more than 700 people without power in Tama County Friday afternoon.
Alliant Energy says the larger outage, just north of Garwin, was caused by a semi-truck striking one of their power poles. That outages impacted 690 customers as of 5 p.m. Friday.
The smaller outage impacted roughly 36 people in Tama. The outage was caused by equipment needing repairs.
Alliant says crews are on site and working to fix both outages.
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