Seven South O’Brien track athletes ran on the blue oval that is the Jim Duncan Track May 22-24 at the State Track and Field Meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. The Wolverines competed in six events in Class 1A.
On Thursday afternoon the shuttle hurdle relay prelims saw the quartet of Brennan Billick, Derek Paulsen, Brett Evans and Brody Van Beek finish second in their heat. Their time of 1:00.84 was fourth-best overall and qualified them for Saturday’s finals.
Later that day Trayton Cobb ran in the first heat of the 400 meter dash. He finished second in the heat with a personal record time of 52.40. That was good for 15th place overall.
The first event for South O’Brien on Friday afternoon was the prelims of the 110 meter hurdles. Billick placed sixth in Heat 2 and did not qualify for the finals. His time of 15.73 was 15th-best overall.
A pair of relays closed out the day for the Wolverines. The 4×200 group of Evans, Caden Wittrock, Van Beek and Paulsen ran a season-best time of 1:32.01 but finished fifth in Heat 2 and were 12th overall. Then in the 4×100 meter prelims Damian Villareal, Wittrock, Van Beek and Paulsen combined for a time of 44.24 that got them fourth in Heat 1. However, it ended up being only the 10th-best time overall and they did not qualify for the finals.
It was an early start for South O’Brien on Saturday as the sprint medley relay final was the first event of the day. The team of Villarreal, Wittrock, Van Beek and Paulsen produced a season-best time of 1:36.51. They were fifth in their heat and 15th overall.
The shuttle hurdle relay final was early that afternoon. For South O’Brien it ended before it even began. The Wolverines were disqualified for a false start as they prepared to run in Heat 2.
This meet was the final time for seniors Evans, Paulsen and Wittrock to represent South O’Brien on the track.
DQ, recall at the start, rule 5-7-4c, a false start is defined as a runner leaving their mark with a hand or foot after the “set” command, but before the starting device is fired.
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.