June 26, 2025
ProfessionalCollege SportsLocal SportsSports Column

PCM boys expected to be more competitive in 2017

By Troy Hyde

Prairie City-Monroe senior Noah Clark was the lone state qualifier for the Mustangs a year ago, and Clark full expects to return to Drake Stadium in May in 2017. (Troy Hyde)

When Collin Harrison took over the boys track program two years ago, numbers were small and the talent on the roster was, for the most part, young and inexperienced.

Last year, the Mustangs showed improvement, but in 2017, Harrison expects his PCM team to make an even bigger jump.

“We better take the next step,” Harrison said. “We should be in the top half of every meet.”

For Harrison, the improvement from two years ago to now is simple.

“It’s basically talent maturity,” Harrison said. “We still have a ton of sophomores, but the guys who have been standouts for us the past few years are now older, stronger and more mature. They are just not young anymore.”

Leading the way for the Mustangs in 2017 will be seniors Noah Clark, Chris Ellens, Luke Greiner and Leevi Telfer, juniors Noah Henkenius and Noah Anderson, and sophomores Preston Van Wyk, Brayton Van Dyke, Jarron Trausch, Cole Dustin, Nick Buswell and Nick Dredge. Harrison said the team has added nine freshmen to the roster, too.

“We should be better this year,” Harrison said. “I think we should be very competitive in more events than in previous seasons.”

Clark was the only state qualifier last year for the Mustangs. He finished 13th in th discus a year ago, but Harrison says Clark already is ahead of where he was last year.

Clark and Telfer will lead the throwers this season. Greiner will run 100s and 200s on the track and score lots of points in long jump, too.

Ellens made a significant jump in cross country from his junior to senior seasons. Harrison expects a similar jump on the oval. Ellens won the Heart of Iowa Conference title in the fall.

“He should take the next step,” Harrison said. “He should definitely be one of the top distance runners in the area.”

Harrison will have more depth in 2017, too.

Anderson, Henkenius, Van Wyk and Van Dyke will fill spots in the lineup in anything from 100 to 400. Trausch and Dredge will fill holes on relays and provide the Mustangs with deep group of hurdlers.

Trausch will handle the 400 hurdles and be one of four competing the shuttle hurdle relay, along with Dustin, Buswell and Dredge.

Dustin is off to a good start in the high hurdles as he finished in the top 30 at Iowa State on March 14.

Trausch, Dustin, Buswell and Dredge were junior high state champions in the shuttle hurdle relay in eighth grade.