Newton, PCM girls track finishes 3-4 at Pella Coed Invitational

PELLA — Newton’s girls track and field team won three events and placed second in three others during a state-qualifying tune up meet at the Pella Coed Invitational on Monday.

The Cardinals were third as a team in the nine-team field and PCM placed fourth despite not winning a single event.

The Mustangs piled up plenty of top-six performances and scored 62 points in fourth. Pella won the team title with 194.5 points and Oskaloosa (125.5) and Newton (113) were next.

The remaining teams included Grinnell (60), Pella Christian (50), the Pella JV (49), Knoxville (33) and Colfax-Mingo (9).

Colfax-Mingo’s only athlete competing was Kyra Lester. Other members of the team went to Lynnville-Sully. Lester broke her own school record in the discus early in the evening.

Newton’s wins came from Alyssa Shannon in the 800-meter run and JaQuay Priest in the 100 hurdles. The Cardinals also won the shuttle hurdle relay.

Shannon won the 800 in 2 minutes, 25.24 seconds and Priest was the winner in the 100 hurdles in a career-best 17.44.

There was a mix up with the 100 hurdles as the race had just nine of the 10 hurdles for the first run. Addy Terpstra and Priest went 1-2 in that race but Terpstra elected to not run the race again with 10 hurdles.

The shuttle hurdle relay teams from Newton and PCM went 1-2. It was the top Mustang finish on the night.

Newton won the race with Chloe Rorabaugh, Priest, Macy Lampe and Terpstra with a time of 1:08.93.

PCM’s foursome of Delaney Baird, Kate McClellan, Belle Hudnut and Chelsea Bird finished in a season-best 1:09.32, which moved them up to fourth in Class 2A.

The Cardinals were second in three relays.

The 4x100 relay team of Lola Rivera, Priest, Abby Bruce and Terpstra finished in 53.28, the 4x400 relay team of Bella Winther, Kate Muckler, Casse Adams and Abby Smith were second in 4:33.41 and Muckler, Grace Benson, Hadley Kruse and Peyton Ray finished second in the 4x800 in 11:22.8.

The Cardinals were third once. Alex Riney had a leap of 4 feet, 8 inches to grab the bronze in the high jump.

Laura Tedeschini (18.73) was third in the 100 hurdles for PCM and the Mustangs’ distance medley relay team of Ryan Bennett, Sophia Steenhoek, Lily Bowen and Tiffani Koonce placed third in 4:54.63.

Newton was top five in five other individual events. Benson (career-best 5:40.40) and Ray (career-best 5:40.40) tied for fourth in the 1,500, Bruce (15-2 1/2) was fourth in the long jump, Marissa Cunningham (109-4) finished fourth in the discus and Rivera (30.01) and Schilling (season-best 1:09) were fifth in the 200 and 400, respectively.

Colfax-Mingo’s Lester competed in the shot put and discus and was sixth and third, respectively. Her best mark in the discus went a school-record 120-6 and she hit 33-4 in the shot put.

The Cardinals also were fourth in the sprint medley and distance medley relays.

In the sprint medley relay, the team of Rivera, Stella Cupples, Bruce and Winther finished in 2:04.4 and the distance medley relay finished in 4:56.59 with Maggie Williams, Smith, Adams and Kruse.

PCM collected top-six individual finishes in four events. Rylee Gallaher (35-1) was fourth in the shot put, Stella Stravers (14.98) placed fourth in the 100, Makayla True (2:56.63) finished sixth in the 800 and Addison Steenhoek (1:18.52) took sixth in the 400 hurdles.

The Mustangs were fourth in the 4x100 and 4x400 and fifth in the 4x200.

In the 4x100, the team of Stravers, Baird, Bird and Addison Shannon finished in a season-best 54.82 and the 4x400 team of True, Kaitlyn Smith, Elle Davis and Koonce hit the finish line in 4:56.79.

The 4x200 relay team of Eliana Buswell, Davis, Smith and Avery Houser finished in 2:03.44.