March 28, 2024

Baxter’s Clapper wins shot put at Pekin Indoor Meet

PELLA — The Class 1A boys’ state runner-up in the shot put got his senior season off to a strong start on March 8.

Baxter’s Will Clapper claimed the Bolts’ lone win at the Pekin Indoor Meet at Central College.

Baxter’s boys also had a second-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay and the girls’ team took third in a pair of relays.

Clapper won the shot put with throw of 51 feet, 6 1/4 inches.

The boys also were second in the 4x800 relay and sixth in the 4x400 relay.

The 4x800 relay team included Logan Berg, Cole Damman, Ian Thomson and Rory Heer and the foursome finished in 9:23.10.

The 4x400 relay featured Heer, Damman, Berg and Ben Huff, and they finished in 4:03.3.

The Baxter girls were third in both the 4x800 and shuttle relay.

Lauren Ratliff, Holly Jessen, Kailee Conradi and Brenna Thomson ran in the 4x800, and the group finished in 11:43.

The shuttle relay included Rachel Kenney, Maddie Pierce, Maggie Schabilion and Andrea Brown. That group crossed the finish line in 31.61 seconds.

Amber Weltha and Kaylin Van Ryswyk both competed in the shot put, and the Bolt duo placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Weltha placed fourth with a toss of 30-5 and Van Ryswyk was fifth in 30-2 3/4.

The 4x200 relay team of Kenney, Pierce, Schabilion and Emily Nation placed fifth in 2:00.85.

Both Baxter teams will compete in the Colfax-Mingo Indoor Invitational at 4:30 p.m. on March 21.