March 29, 2024

Newton, PCM boys track get final tune up before state qualifying meets

Cardinals, Mustangs win pair of events at Pella Coed Invitational

PELLA — Newton and PCM’s boys track and field teams were separated by only 4.5 points at the Pella Coed Invitational on Monday.

It was a tune up for Thursday’s state qualifying meet and both squads won a pair of events and finished in the middle of the pack in the team standings.

Newton added three third-place finishes and scored 78.5 points in fourth. PCM was second three times, third twice and scored 74 points in sixth.

Pella won the team championship with 186.5 points, Norwalk was second with 116.5 and Pella Christian finished third with 94 points. The rest of the nine-team field included Oskaloosa (74.5), Grinnell (58), Knoxville (49) and the Pella JV (5).

Jackson Mace-Maynard was part of Newton’s two wins. He won the 400-meter dash in a career-best time of 51.29 seconds. Derek Beiner was third in 53.39.

The Cardinals’ senior duo teamed up in the 4x800. The foursome of Treycen Garton, Cody Klein, Beiner and Mace-Maynard fell short of their goal to set a new school record but won the race easily with a season-best time of 8 minutes, 5.66 seconds, which ranks second in Class 3A.

PCM’s two wins came from Aidan Anderson in the 100 and Gavin Fenton in the 400 hurdles.

Anderson won the 100 in 11.46. Fenton and Griffin Olson were 1-2 in the 400 hurdles with times of 57.86 (career-best) and 58.95, respectively.

Newton did not score a second-place finish but was third four times.

Curtis Payne (career-best 23.82) was third in the 200, Cole Swank (16.56) placed third in the 110 high hurdles and the Cardinals were third in the 4x200 and shuttle hurdle relays.

The 4x200 relay team included Colin Sharp, Curtis Payne, Eli Stewart and Nathan Milburn and they finished in 1:36.25.

Newton’s shuttle hurdle relay team featured Brody Bauer, Swank, Reese Hammons and Reilly Trease and they hit the finish line in a season-best 1:05.01.

Newton doubled up in the 110 high hurdles as Hammons (17.44) was fifth and Trease (12.11) and Leo Friedman (12:10.09) placed sixth in the 100 and 3,200, respectively.

The Cardinals’ final top-five finish came in the 4x100 relay. The team of Sharp, Jakez Siddall, Payne and Milburn finished fourth in 46.6.

The Mustangs were second twice with Carson VandeLune in the 800 and in the shuttle hurdle relay. VandeLune finished in 2:10.11 and the shuttle hurdle relay team of Fenton, Trey Broderson, Gavin Van Gorp and Olson hit the finish line in a season-best 1:04.67.

PCM placed third in the sprint medley and distance medley relays and Kaden Hale (23.98) was fourth in the 200.

In the sprint medley relay, Hale, Gabe Hobbs, Anderson and VandeLune finished in 1:42.09 and Hobbs, Jacob Wendt, Van Gorp and Carson Hansen teamed up in the distance medley to run 4:09.12.