L-S’s Vander Linden defends 1A 400-hurdle title; Hawk boys net 2nd sprint relay championship

DES MOINES — Two state track event championships defended for Lynnville-Sully’s Hawk boys on the blue oval of Drake Stadium on back-to-back days of the 2019 Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships.

“Tyson is the man. We knew we had to get it to him and he’d bring it home for us,” Hawk senior Gage Vander Leest said as the Hawk foursome celebrated the Class 1A boys’ 800-meter sprint medley relay championship on Saturday.

Tyson Vander Linden, Lynnville-Sully senior, did not disappoint. The Iowa State track signee not only brought the baton home for the medley relay team, he also defended his 1A state 400 hurdles championship on Friday.

Vander Linden walked out of Drake Stadium after three days of the state track meet with three gold medals — winning state titles in the 400 meters, the 400 hurdles and the sprint medley relay. Vander Leest left the stadium for the last time as a high school athlete with his first-ever state championship medal and his third straight state medal in the Class 1A 110-meter high hurdles.

“It’s so good to final get one — a state championship,” Vander Leest said. “Tyson is used to it. I love him so much and to get this one with him, Ethan and Kinnick means so much. It’s a great way to go out.”

The two Lynnville-Sully seniors combined with juniors Ethan Wyma and Kinnick McFarland in winning the sprint medley relay in 1 minute, 35.67 seconds. Wyma led off then handed the baton to Vander Leest to run the two 100 legs. McFarland handled the 200 leg then it was up to Vander Linden.

Vander Linden won Thursday’s 400 title in 49.66 seconds and claimed his second straight 400 hurdles title on Friday. Both were very close races as he edged out his soon-to-be Iowa State roommate Jack Garber of BCLUW in the 400 hurdles by a thousandths of a second — 53.591 to 53.497.

On his anchor leg for the L-S sprint medley on Saturday, Vander Linden turned in a 49-second 400 to claim another close race. The Hawks came into the state meet with the second-fastest time to St. Albert of Council Bluffs. They edged St. Albert, which was second in 1:35.93.

“Winning the relay with these three was really important for me. We all agree that Lane 5 sucks but I thank them for putting me in a really good spot and I’m happy to be able to win it for them,” Vander Linden said.

Vander Linden was the only member of the 2018 state champion relay team. Wyma and McFarland were competing in their first state track meet.

“I was nervous. I was in the set position and just wanted to get out and go. This is awesome,” Wyma said.

“We practiced our handoffs all week to make them perfect. We knew we had to get it to Tyson in a good position,” McFarland said. “I’m so excited for us all.”

Lynnville-Sully’s girls had one event on the final two days of the state track meet. The Hawk girls’ 4x100 relay team ran in the Class 1A preliminaries on Friday evening in nice weather after there had been rain, wind, cooler temperatures in the morning then the sun returned.

The foursome of junior Kaleah Ehresman, freshman Reagan McFarland, junior Mallory Lotus and sophomore Korinne Jansen posted a time of 53.32 seconds. That was seventh in the Hawks’ heat and did not advance them to Saturday’s final. They were 19th overall.

Also on Friday, senior Rylan James, who took the seventh-place state medal in the 1A shot put on Thursday, was back throwing the discus in 1A competition. James finished 21st with a throw of 124 feet, 3 inches.

Vander Linden created a buzz on Thursday with his 400 finish for a championship. It was his first in the 400.

It got louder on Friday late afternoon when he and Garber made the lean at the finish line in the 400 hurdles. The defending champion found himself in second place as he came over the eighth hurdle with Garber already a couple steps in front.

“I had a plan in the 400 and I thought I had one for this race then he (Garber) caught me off guard,” Vander Linden said about the 400 hurdle race. “He was going faster than he had run these and I ran panicky and nervous the whole way. I didn’t run a good race at all.”

But Vander Linden kept working down the homestretch making up a little ground but still was second coming of the 10th and final hurdle. Garber couldn’t hold off Vander Linden’s closing speed to the finish line. It was a photo finish.

“I knew I had to defend my title. Every real champion wins twice so I had to go and get it,” Vander Linden said. “I wanted to win it for something bigger than myself — my family and all those who have believed in me and supported me over the years. I’m happy I came out with it.”

Vander Linden won the 1A state 400 hurdle championship twice and finished second as a sophomore. He earned a fifth-place medal in the 400 meters as a sophomore. He has five state track championships — three individual and two relays.

Vander Leest, who is headed to Drake University to play football next year, posted his personal-best time of 15.01 seconds in Friday’s 110 hurdle preliminaries. It was the third-fasted qualifying time for Saturday’s final.

“I felt good at the start of the race then I hit a few hurdles. I got too high and caught some wind the rest of the way,” Vander Leest said of his final high school race. “It wasn’t my best race but I improved by one spot from last year.”

Vander Leest claimed the fifth-place medal in the 1A 110 hurdles in 15.52 seconds. Garber of BCLUW won the race in 14.80.

“I’ve loved running the hurdles. To make the state finals three years in a row and take home three medals in the race I enjoy, I can’t be made about that,” Vander Leest said. “Winning the state relay championship is something I will always remember.”

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