Indoor Split-Squad To Start 2024

by Coach Vanderah | March 6, 2024

The Maroons kicked off the 2024 season by sending squads to the A.D. Dickenson Relays at UNI and the Riverhawk Girls Indoor Invite in Mason City. Having two meets gave the team an opportunity to get half of the team into a meet, with returning varsity members mainly going to Mason City and younger runners (or runners who ran mainly JV last year) chances at both meets. Overall both squads did well and got some experience under their belts.

This group of Maroons went to try out Mason City's brand-new indoor fieldhouse hosting their first indoor invitational and 3rd meet ever (hosted a scrimmage last week and the boys meet the previous day). 23 teams in total competed and the Maroons had plenty of stand-out performances:

• Emily Heitzman won the 60 meter dash with a time of 8.03 🥇 

• Franny Brooks, Annie Smith, Katherine Banker, and Alex Gaskell won the 60 meter shuttle hurdle with a time of 39.23 🥇, and had only one returning team member from last year's state champion quartet

• Katherine Banker, Annie Smith, Maddie Nagel, and Lauren McCoy won the 4x400 relay with a time of 4:11.59 🥇 

• Lauren McCoy finished 2nd in the 200 meter dash with a time of 26.20 🥈 

• Annie Smith finished 2nd in the 60 meter hurdles with a 9.35 in her first hurdle race 🥈 

• Alex Gaskell finished 2nd in the high jump with a clearance of 5'4 🥈 

• All 4 Maroons who ran in the 60 meter dash - Emily Heitzman, Shea Johnson, Kate Nelson, and Ellie Mead - qualified for the finals

This group of Maroons featured a lot of freshman and runners who mainly competed at the JV level last year.  In a meet that had over 70 teams and close to 200 entries in each individual event, here are a few of the noteworthy performances:

• Avery Muller finished 14th in the 1500 meter run with a 5:10.83

• Adalyn Jones finished 18th in the long jump with a jump of 15'2.25"

• Amaiya Thompson finished 20th in the 200 meter dash with a PR of 27.95

• Ashley Gonyo (1:08.59) and Nevaeh Russian (1:09.81) had strong showings in the 400 meter dash

• Our 4x200 relay of Ashley Gonyo, Nevaeh Russian, Jersey Messerschmidt, and Adalyn Jones ran a solid 1:59.05

• Our 4x800 relay of Frankie Darnell, Avery Muller, Veronica Melo-Vazquez, and Samantha Zenti ran a 10:59.94

Alex Gaskell - High Jump: Tied School Record and Junior Record for high jump (5'4)

Lauren McCoy  - 200 Meters: 3rd best Sophomore 200 (26.20)

Kate Nelson - Long Jump: 8th best Junior long jump (15'9)

Adalyn Jones - Long Jump: 8th best Freshman long jump (15'2.25)

*Reminder - to PR you have to have a previous time/mark in the event that we know of (for freshman we use the parochial middle school meet results)*

Amaiya Thompson: 200 meters 27.95, Long jump 14'5

Sofiya Pollard: 1500 meters 6:11.62

Nevaeh Russian: 400 meters 1:09.81

Josie Scigliano: 200 meters 31.27

March 8 - IATC Indoor Championships at Iowa State University (must qualify)

March 9-17 - Spring Break, practices determined by event groups

March 19 - Wartburg High School Indoor Meet at Wartburg  College

March 26 - Waukee Girls Early Bird at Waukee High School