C-M’s Rawlins, L-S relay claim wins at SICL indoor

GRINNELL — Colfax-Mingo junior Braedynn Rawlins started the South Iowa Cedar League indoor meet with an impressive performance in the shot put.

Lynnville-Sully’s 4x400 relay team ended the night with a win of its own.

Rawlins grabbed the gold medal in her first performance of the season in the shot put, and the Hawks ran a few seconds off a conference record in winning the final race of the day on Monday night.

Those were the only two wins by area girls’ teams on the night.

Lynnville-Sully was second in three other events and placed third in another. Colfax-Mingo was 1-3 in the shot put.

Both teams were competing for the first time this season.

“It was good to just get out here and compete and see where we are at. That was our main focus,” Lynnville-Sully girls track coach Darin Arkema said. “We didn’t worry too much about who was beside us or what the other schools were doing. We wanted to figure out where we were.”

Lynnville-Sully’s 4x400 relay team included freshman Caitlin Alberts, sophomore Abby Gruver, junior Carson Fisk and senior Mariah Vos. The foursome finished in 4 minutes, 34.47 seconds. The SICL indoor record is 4:32.32.33 set by Montezuma last season.

“The four girls that ran it tonight looked tremendous,” Arkema said. “They have all the reason to believe that that relay can do some things this year. But there are some other girls who are going to run fast, too. We have so much depth on this team. That’s a fun race to win.”

Vos anchored the relay and was given a large lead by her teammates.

“It feels good. I owe it all to my team really. I am still way out of shape,” Vos said. “I had a good feeling about that relay coming into the night, and I think we’ll just continue to get better throughout the season. We have a really good chance with this relay.”

The Hawks were second in two individual events, and the runner-up in the 4x200 relay.

In the high jump, sophomore Mallory Loftus grabbed the silver medal for the second straight season with a leap of 4 feet, 10 inches. Senior Mary Kate Shaver finished second in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 5:42.97.

The 4x200 relay included senior Camryn Russell, Loftus, Fish and senior Jataya Meyer, and that foursome finished second in 1:57.52. Russell placed second in the event in three straight seasons.

“We are still transitioning out of a long basketball playoff season, and it will take a little while for the body to adapt,” Arkema said.

Loftus also was third in the 60 hurdles with a time of 10.3 seconds.

Alberts was fourth in the 400. She finished in 1:07.87.

The 4x800 relay and distance medley relay were both fourth. The 4x800 included Haley Breeden, Christine Nikkel, Emily Van Gorp and Shaleah Van Wyk and they finished in 12:02.30. The distance medley foursome was Dylann Huyser, Korinne Jansen, Cally Gibbs and Megan Van Zante, and they finished in 4:58.32.

Rawlins and senior Rhiannon Haley were first and third, respectively, in the shot put.

Rawlins won her first SICL title with a toss of 33-0 1/2. Haley’s bronze-medal throw was marked at 31-4 1/2. The duo finished third and fourth, respectively, at least year’s SICL indoor meet.

“I was happy with the distance for it being the first meet,” Rawlins said. “I was only a couple inches away from my PR, so it’s a good starting point. It feels good to get this win and hopefully it sets the tone for the rest of the season.”

Senior Ries Wilson had the Tigerhawks’ next best finish as she was fourth in the high jump with a leap of 4-8.

The Tigerhawks compete in one final indoor meet at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Grinnell College. It’s Colfax-Mingo’s first-ever home meet. The Tigerhawks begin their outdoor season at Lynnville-Sully on April 3 in Sully.

The Hawks open their outdoor season at 4:30 p.m. next Tuesday at Belle Plaine.