Wolverines compete at State Track and Field Meet


Eight South O’Brien track and field athletes plied their trade in six events in Class 1A at the State Track and Field Meet held May 16-18 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Camryn Strubbe was the lone participant on the girls’ side as part of the qualifying group in the long jump. The sophomore was on the runway Thursday afternoon and her longest jump was 14’ 2-3/4”. That was good for 23rd place.
Also on Thursday afternoon were the prelims for the boys shuttle hurdle relay. Team members running and hurdling for the Wolverines were sophomores Brennan Billick and Brody Van Beek and seniors Cole Cox and Willie Conley. They were 16th overall with a time of 1:04.77.
First up on Friday was Conley in the high jump. He cleared 6’ 1” and finished eighth to earn one team point. Billick had his chance in the spotlight later in the afternoon with the running of the 110 meter hurdles prelims. His time of 16.16 placed him 16th out of the 23 competitors.
The best event for South O’Brien turned out to be the 400 meter hurdles. Conley made a late charge to finish fourth and collect five more team points. He ran a personal record time of 55.57 to close out his high school career. In the same heat, Ryce Reynolds of Mount Ayr set a new state record with a clocking of 51.68.
Friday evening, the members of Wolverine 4×100 meter relay team took their places for the preliminary heats. The unit of sophomore Damian Villarreal, junior Caden Wittrock and seniors Cox and Cole Tjossem finished 22nd overall in a time of 45.99.
South O’Brien Results
Long Jump: Camryn Strubbe, 23rd, 14’ 2-3/4”.
High Jump: Willie Conley, 8th, 6’ 1”.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay prelims: (Brennan Billick, Brody Van Beek, Cole Cox, Conley) 16th, 1:04.77.
110 Meter Hurdles: Billick, 16th, 16.16.
400 Meter Hurdles: Conley, 4th, 55.57 (personal record).
4×100 Meter Relay prelims: (Damian Villarreal, Caden Wittrock, Cox, Cole Tjossem) 22nd, 45.99.