May 25, 2025

Anderson leads Mustangs at state track meet

PCM’s 4x100 and 4x200 relays place in the top 15 on the blue oval

By Troy Hyde

PCM senior Aidan Anderson, right, finished eighth in the 200-meter dash to lead the Mustangs at the state track and field meet at Drake Stadium this past weekend. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)

DES MOINES — PCM senior Aidan Anderson competed with a leg injury for most of the season this spring.

So qualifying for the finals of the Class 2A 200-meter dash was a great accomplishment for the Mustang speedster.

He didn’t have many goals to accomplish after that during the Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships at Drake Stadium. But he wished his relay teams had better results.

“My leg has been bothering me all year. It just felt good to make the finals honestly,” Anderson said. “I was really tense so I need to be more relaxed in the finals. I think I can move up a bit in the finals if I stay more relaxed.”

Anderson was seventh in the 200 prelims with a time of 22.89 seconds. He sprinted to eighth in the finals after posting a time of 22.95 on May 21. Spirit Lake’s Qai Hussey won the race in 21.55.

PCM senior Kaden Hale gets out of the blocks during a relay at the state track and field meet this past weekend. Hale was part of three relays and helped the Mustangs finish top 15 in both the 4x100 and 4x200. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)

Anderson led the Mustangs’ contingent at the state track and field meet.

The next best finish came in the 4x100 relay. Anderson anchored that foursome to 12th overall with a time of 44.19 and he was joined by Kaden Hale, Griffin Olson and Gavin Fenton. It took a 44.07 to make the finals.

Hale, Gabe Hobbs, Fenton and Anderson joined forces in the 4x200 relay and that group finished 15th in 1 minute, 33.67 seconds. Williamsburg won the timed final in 1:30.29.

The 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams both ran close to season-best times.

Fenton competed in the 400 hurdles and placed 16th in 57.38 seconds. Okoboji’s Caleb Postma won the race in 54.14.

Fenton and Olson teamed up again in the shuttle hurdle relay. The Mustangs were 22nd in the prelims with a time of 1:06.57.

Trey Brodersen was injured in warm-ups a few minutes before the race and was replaced by Joel Greiner. The fourth member of that relay was Gavin Van Gorp. It took a 1:02.36 to make the finals.

PCM junior Gavin Fenton competed in the 400-meter hurdles and three relays at the state track and field meet in Des Moines this past weekend. Fenton's best finish came in the 4x100 where the Mustangs placed 12th. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)

Ben Buys competed in his first state meet, too. He was in the discus and placed 23rd with a toss of 108 feet. He scratched on his other two throws.

Anderson, Hale and Olson were on one other relay together. This time, Carson VandeLune joined them as the anchor on the distance medley relay team but the foursome was disqualified after a lane line violation.

Des Moines Christian won the relay with a time of 3:32.98.