Cardinal track athletes headed to 2015 state meet

Newton High will be well represented in Class 4A competition at the 2015 Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships. There will be Cardinal athletes competing in 11 events in the three-day state track meet in Des Moines.

The state track meet begins Thursday with Class 4A competition starting 2 p.m. at Drake Stadium. Friday events for Class 4A begin at 2 p.m. Running event finals for all class — 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A — begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

The Cardinal girls qualified three individuals in six events, plus three relay teams. Senior Deonne Harris carries the banner for the Cardinal boys, competing in two hurdle events.

Senior Sarah Kalkhoff is out to defend her 2014 Class 4A state meet title in the discus. She goes in with the second best throw among district qualifiers and she is tied for the second-best throw, 138 feet,1 inch, in 4A this season.

Although it is Kalkhoff’s third consecutive trip to the state meet in the discus, it is her first trip to state in the shot put. She placed third at the district meet Thursday, 37-8.5, which landed her in the 15th spot of qualifiers.

Harris has qualified for the third straight year in the 110-meter high hurdles. Harris’ 15.06-second winning time at the district meet is sixth best among qualifiers. Harris still owns the best time among 4A hurdlers for the season at 14.58 seconds.

Harris will compete in a new event at the state meet. He qualified in the 400 low hurdles, running second at the district in 56.90 seconds, which is 10th best among qualifiers.

Grace Coen, a junior, has done it again. For the third consecutive year, Coen has qualified for the state meet in all three distance races — the 800 meters, the 1,500 meters and the 3,000 meters. She placed second in the 3,000 at the district, but was fourth in the other two races. Her times in the 800 and 1,500 runs placed her eighth among qualifiers in those races and she is 12th going into the state in the 3,000.

Junior Sydney Jenkins goes back to the state meet in the 200-meter dash. She was third at the district meet in 27.69 seconds, which is 24th best.

Jenkins and Coen combined with senior Hailey Coy and freshman Alexis Stout to post a state-qualifying time in the 4x400 relay race. Freshman Tessa Keeton and junior Kaelee Knoll are the alternates for the relay.

Newton’s distance medley relay team of Coy, Jenkins and juniors Leela Spencer and Alex Hutchinson has the 12th best time among state qualifiers. Coen and freshman Kenna Winther are the alternates.

Stout combined with freshmen Morgan Eide and Liz McVey and junior Fran Lucas for a time of 1 minute, 11.25 seconds in the shuttle hurdle race, which was fifth in the district meet. But it was fast enough to earn an at-large bid for the state meet.

Newton Class 4A State Track Meet Schedule

Thursday

2 p.m. — Girls’ Discus — Kalkhoff

3:20 p.m. — Girls’ 3,000-m run final — Coen

6:20 p.m. — Girls’ 200-m dash preliminary — Jenkins

7:40 p.m. — Girls’ shuttle hurdle relay preliminary — Newton (Stout, McVey, Lucas, Eide)

Friday

2 p.m. — Girls’ shot put — Kalkhoff

2:40 p.m. — Girls’ distance medley relay final — Newton (Spencer, Hutchinson, Jenkins, Coy)

3:20 p.m. — Boys’ 110-m high hurdle preliminary — Harris

5 p.m. — 400-m hurdles final — Harris

7 p.m. — 4x400-m relay preliminary — Newton (Stout, Jenkins, Coy, Coen)

Saturday

9:50 a.m. — Girls’ 800-m run — Coen

11:10 a.m. — Girls’ shuttle hurdle relay final

12:45 p.m. — Boys’ 110-m hurdle final

1:25 p.m. — Girls’ 200-m dash final

2:15 p.m. — Girls’ 1,500-m run final — Coen

3:35 p.m. — Girls 4x400-m relay final