CMB, PCM earn three medals at Central

PELLA — With so many athletes missing in action, it was tough for area girls’ track and field coaches to get a good gauge of their respective squads Friday during the Bulldog-Panther Indoor Track Meet at Central College.

But it was good for Prairie City-Monroe, Collins-Maxwell/Baxter and Colfax-Mingo to compete for the first time this season.

And the Mustangs and Raiders each came home with medals in three events.

CMB came away with a win in the 4x55 shuttle relay and also took third in the 4x200, while PCM claimed third-place finishes in the 4x55 shuttle relay and the distance medley.

Raider freshman Sailor Hinegardner was third in the long jump with a leap of 14 feet, 3.5 inches, while PCM junior Ashley Van Gorp was sixth in the same event.

Colfax-Mingo also competed in the meet, and while the Tigerhawks did not claim any medals, coach Zach Tomas said junior McKinzie Tjaden looked very strong and recorded a 27-second split in her leg of the 4x200 relay.

All three schools were missing several athletes.

Colfax-Mingo was without 11 girls due to state speech competition and some church functions, while PCM competed without eight athletes for various reasons.

CMB coach Jerry Meinerts also did not have the services of several of his athletes because of a Collins-Maxwell fine arts fund-raiser.

“It was good to get out and compete,” said PCM coach Bridget Martin. “We learned some things about our team and it was a learning experience for the girls. I am happy with how we competed.”

Athletes can qualify for the Drake Relays at indoor meets but only a few events that take place at outdoor meets were featured. That included the long jump, high jump and shot put for field events and the 4x800 and the 4x400 for events held on the track.

CMB’s winning 4x55 shuttle team included senior Maddy Poage, Hinegardner, junior Bridget Hurley and senior Mackenzie Schmitz. The Raider foursome crossed the line in 30.83 seconds.

Schmitz, Poage and Hurley also teamed up with Megan Ritter to take third in the 4x200 with a time of 1 minute, 58.27 seconds.

PCM was without 11 athletes, but still had strong performances.

The third-place 4x55 shuttle team included Emily Hugen, Ashley Miller, Van Gorp and Mackenzie Clark. That foursome hit the line in 31.23.

PCM also placed third in the distance medley relay, which included runs of 1,200 meters, 800 meters, 400 meters and 1,600 meters. The relay team included Rachel Peter, Bailee Smith, Van Gorp and Amaya Hartson.

Tomas knew his squad would be a little behind the rest of the field because the Tigerhawks haven’t actually practiced on a track yet. But the Tigerhawk coach liked what he saw from several events, including the 4x200 and 4x800.

“We have a lot of work to do and we looked out of shape,” Tomas said. “But we don’t have an all weather track to practice on so we are usually behind at this point in the year. It’s a process. We’ll get there.”

Tjaden, who is a two-time state qualifier, appears ready to go, according to Tomas. She teamed with Amy Russell, Erin Earles and Aranda Woods to complete the 4x200 in 2:04.50.

The Tigerhawks’ 4x800 relay of Bailey Pease, Woods, Sara Lahart and Ivy Moore also performed well, finishing in 12:16.84.

Notebook

Colfax-Mingo was one of just two Class 1A teams competing at the meet Friday. The other one was co-host Pekin. … Coaches had to keep their own times and team scores were not kept. Official results for the meet were not available at press time. ... All three squads will take several runners to the Iowa State Indoor Monday. Action begins at 3 p.m.