Distance races headline Bolts at upcoming state meet

GRUNDY CENTER — Logan Berg will be busy when the state track and field meet kicks off later this week.

Berg had one of Baxter’s two automatic berths into the state meet during a Class 1A state qualifier at Grundy Center High School on May 10.

Berg won the 3,200-meter run and Will Clapper took first in the shot put but Berg later earned three more state entries in the 800, 1,600 and 4x800 relay.

Baxter’s track teams collected eight total state-meet entries, including Josh Bruntz in the 800, Lauren Ratliff and Brenna Thomson in the 3,000 and the boys’ 4x800 relay team that includes Rory Heer, Ian Thomson, Berg and Bruntz.

Berg won the 3,200 race with a season-best time of 10 minutes, 7.71 seconds. Clapper returns to the state meet in the shot put after a winning throw of 48 feet, 4 1/2 inches.

Clapper enters the state meet with the seventh-best qualifying throw in the shot put. He was second in the discus on Friday, but his toss of 130-1 was a little more than one foot less than he needed to clinch an at-large spot.

The time of 10:07.71 for Berg in the 3,200 gives him the sixth best time entering state. He was third in the 1,600 at the district meet, finishing in a season-best time of 4:47.14, which puts him at 11th for state.

In the 800, Bruntz was third (season-best 2:05.95) and Berg was fourth (2:07.56). Bruntz qualified 13th and Berg grabbed the final qualifying time.

The boys’ 4x800 relay team of Heer, Ian Thomson, Berg and Bruntz finished fifth in a school-record time of 8:38.57. That time ranks 20th for the state meet.

On the girls’ side, Ratliff and Brenna Thomson were second and third, respectively, in the 3,000. But their times of 11:39.67 and 11:45.52 were good enough to earn an at-large berth. Ratliff goes into state ranked 19th and Brenna Thomson is 23rd.

The only other top-three finish for the Baxter girls went to Kaylin Van Ryswyk, who finished third in the discus with a toss of 104-11. She needed a throw of 105-7 to clinch a spot in the state meet.

Grundy Center won the boys’ team title with 123 points. BCLUW (107) was second followed by Hudson (97). Baxter took fourth with 63. Belle Plaine (56) completed the top five of the 15-team field.

Baxter’s girls were sixth with 46 points. Hudson won the girls’ team title with 147 points. BCLUW (101), Belle Plaine (94), Grundy Center (92) and Collins-Maxwell (86) completed the top five.

The 1A state meet kicks off at 2 p.m. on May 16 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

The rest of the point-scoring events for Baxter at Friday’s state qualifier are as follows:

Boys

High jump: 7. Ben Huff, 5-4.

Long jump: 5. Dalton Heer, 18-7 1/2.

4x200-m relay: 5. Baxter (Cole Damman, Dalton Heer, Huff, Rory Heer), 1:39.5.

4x400-m relay: 7. Baxter (Damman, Huff, Bruntz, Rory Heer), 3:54.56.

Distance medley relay: 7. Baxter (Damman, Dalton Heer, Rory Heer, Ian Thomson), 4:05.05.

Girls

1,500-m: 5. Lauren Ratliff, 5:31.57; 6. Brenna Thomson, 5:40.42.

400-m hurdles: 7. Carlee Zahurones, 1:26.19.

Discus: 5. Amber Weltha, 98-8.

4x100-m relay: 6. Baxter (Maddie Pierce, Maggie Schabilion, Kailee Conradi, Rachel Kenney), 56.93.

4x200-m relay: 6. Baxter (Kenney, Pierce, Conradi, Schabilion), 2:02,26.

Distance medley relay: 5. Baxter (Kenney, Pierce, Schabilion, Conradi), 5:02.05.

Sprint medley relay: 6 Baxter (Pierce, Conradi, Kenney, Schabilion), 2:04.77.