March 28, 2024

Vander Linden: 1A 400-m state champ

Lynnville-Sully athletes run on opening day of state track meet

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DES MOINES — Tyson Vander Linden blazed a trail around the Blue Oval at Drake Stadium Friday evening. He brought the lightning, thunder and storm with him.

It also brought him the 2019 Iowa Class 1A state championship in the 400-meter dash.

The Lynnville-Sully senior took out all the frustration of not making the 1A 100 finals on the 1A field of 400-meter competitors.

“I didn’t know, really, I didn’t know if I had won or not. I just hoped my name popped up first,” Vander Linden said after a school-record time of 49.66 seconds.

When Vander Linden’s name was at the top of the list, he exploded with joy at the finish line as all the other runners in the final heat looked at the scoreboard. Vander Linden claimed his second individual state title in as many years.

On Friday, he will attempt to defend his 1A 400 hurdles championship.

He also has a state championship as a member of the Hawks’ sprint medley relay. The Hawks are out to defend that title on Saturday morning.

“It was a close race — a pack of us came around the final curve. That was cool,” Vander Linden said.

How close was it? Trevor Sauerbrei of Wapsie Valley was second in 49.76 and GMG’s Ethan Karsjen took third in 49.90.

Vander Linden made up ground of several other runners to take the lead and finish a step ahead of those two runners.

“It never gets old hearing your name called as the state champion,” Vander Linden said.

He had a goal of four state championship at this year’s meet. He still has the opportunity for three.

“I think I got cocky going into the 100 today. I placed in the 100 at the Drake Relays so I just figured I’d win,” Vander Linden said of his preliminary heat race on Thursday.

“I have to remember the other guys work hard too. I can’t take things for granted. Other people can win not just me.”

He finished sixth in his heat in 11.58 seconds. That put him in 15th overall in the preliminaries and eight advance to the finals.

Vander Linden said he put all his energy and frustration for the earlier race as he focused for the 400 final. It paid off.

“The winning time for the 1A 400 was not under 50 seconds. I believed I had to run in the 49s to win today,” he said.

Lynnville-Sully freshman Reagan McFarland went into her first state track meet ranked No. 24 in the 1A girls’ 100. She finished eighth in her heat and 24th overall on Thursday in 13.62 seconds.

Competing in the girls’ 400 dash final was Hawk sophomore Caitlin Alberts. She was seventh in her heat at 1:05.31, placing her 23rd overall.

Besides Vander Linden in the 400 hurdles final on Friday, Lynnville-Sully has senior Gage Vander Leest in the 110 high hurdles preliminaries, senior Rylan James in the discus and the girls’ 4x100-meter relay in preliminaries.

The state track meet concludes on Saturday.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com