March 28, 2024

Panthers finish with a flourish

Several season-bests in week’s third meet

GLENWOOD — In his fifth year at the helm of Creston girls track, coach Clay Arnold isn’t sure he’s seen anything like Thursday night’s performance here.

Considering it was the team’s third meet in four nights, the unprecedented run of personal bests and season-best relay performances was, in a word, “awesome.”

“Everything that happened for us tonight was unprecedented,” said a gleeful Arnold, on the bus returning to Creston Thursday night. “Every single girl ran a season best or PR, and six of our seven relays did the same.”

The team hosted the Lady Panther Relays in a victorious performance Monday, went to Maryville, Mo., for a second-place finish Tuesday night and capped the week by taking third behind Glenwood and Harlan Thursday.

A deep Glenwood team amassed 173.5 points. Harlan finished with 117. Creston was a comfortable third with 92 points as Clarinda was fourth in the 10-team field with 76.

“I wasn’t too worried about us from a physical standpoint,” Arnold said, “but I didn’t know where we would be in terms of mental sharpness. But on the bus on the ride over, they were geared up and completely mentally into it. It was perfect conditions, zero wind and warm on a fast track. Everybody answered the call.”

Sophomore Hannah Hood, still bothered by a shoulder injury, did a “power throw” without the extra gliding steps and still uncorked a school-record shot put heave of 36-5.5 for second place. That broke the record of 36-3.75 set in 2003 by Callie Jeffryes.

Her sister Marie Hood placed sixth in the same event at 31-1. Hannah Hood also placed fourth in the discus, again without steps, with a throw of 97-3. Freshman Faith Wilson had a personal best by 6 inches at 83-6.5.

“Hannah threw 35 on a glide and I let her do another power throw, and she does a PR by 2 feet!” Arnold said.

Natalie Mostek and Breanna Wallace tied for third in the high jump at 4-10.

On the track, Creston won three events — 4x800 relay, distance medley relay and 4x400 relay. In the final event, two Creston teams earned points as a second varsity quartet placed seventh.

Early in the meet, the 4x800 crew of Lexie Little, Maria Mostek, Jami Sickels and Natalie Mostek exceeded their season-best time by 4 seconds with a winning time of 10:04.50. Natalie Mostek anchored in a season-best carry of 2:24.14. Sickels’ 2:38.08 was a season best, Maria Mostek ran 2:28.15 and Little let off in 2:32.66.

The distance medley team of Jessica Beatty, Raegen Smith, Rachel Shepherd and Maria Mostek ran a season-best 4:33.39 to win by nearly 6 seconds over Harlan.

“That was the first time Shepherd ran the (400-meter) third leg,” Arnold said. “Smith had her best split of 27.4 and Maria brought us home with her best anchor of 2:29.40. Maria was in second place when she got it, and about 200 meters in she took over.”

The 4x400 event was a demonstration of the team’s middle distance depth, with two units placing in a tough field.

“We got a text that they had a few lanes open and we could enter a second team if we wanted to,” Arnold said. “I told the girls they were a second varsity relay team. They ran too good to call them JV.”

The team of Little, Shepherd, Cayla Maitlen and Kiersten Latham ran seventh in 4:39.32. It was Latham’s high school debut in the quarter-mile, and she ran it in 1:08. Maitlen put the team into first place in the first heat with a 1:08.9 in her first 400 of the year as well.

Creston did not come into the meet with the fastest seeded team in the 4x400. Glenwood had run a 4:11.00 to Creston’s previous best of 4:20.29.

But Smith started off with her best time of 1:03.36 and handed off to Breanna Wallace, who covered the lap in her best of 1:04.20. Natalie Mostek took the baton in second place and about 175 meters into her carry she passed Glenwood’s Kaycee Clark.

By the time Mostek finished her 1:03.99 carry, the Panthers were in front and anchor runner Taylor Briley held off Glenwood 400-meter hurdles winner Molly Dean with a PR carry of 1:01.6. Creston’s winning time was 4:13.03 — a season best by 7 seconds.

“All the girls just ran incredible,” Arnold said. “It was a great way to end a spectacular meet.”

There were plenty of other highlights. A new sprint medley relay unit of Smith, Latham, Josie Sickels and Little placed third in 2:02.44.

Maria Mostek took third in a “stacked” 1,500 race in 5:14.60, and teammate Jessica Beatty exceeded her best by 9 seconds in taking eighth for a team point in 5:36.71.

Wallace, a freshman 400-meter specialist, extended to 800 meters for the first time Thursday and placed third in 2:35.75.

The 4x200 relay team of Natalie Mostek, Beatty, Smith and Briley placed fourth in 1:51.64. That’s the fastest Creston time since the 1:49.68 turned in by Katlin Briley, Zaidy Frank, Brianna Maitlen and Audrey Bolinger in 2012.

Several others had their best performances as Panthers. Arnold said the sprinters had “an incredible week” and the shuttle hurdle relay team ran a season-best 1:15.83.

“Things just kind of snowballed early to make it a special night,” Arnold said.

Next week the Panthers travel to Dallas Center-Grimes on Tuesday before the Tiger-Knight Relays in Carroll on Thursday.

Ram Relays

Team standings — 1. Glenwood 173.5; 2. Harlan 117; 3. Creston 92; 4. Clarinda 76; 5. Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson 73; 6. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln 65; 7. Lewis Central 62; 8. Logan-Magnolia 49; 9. Atlantic 30.5; 10. Glenwood JV 3.

Discus — 1. Linnea Konfrst, Glenwood, 124-9.5; 4. Hannah Hood, Creston, 97-3; 12. Faith Wilson, Creston, 83-6.5.

Shot put — 1. Jacy Embray, Glenwood, 42-3.5; 2. Hannah Hood, Creston, 36-5.5; 6. Marie Hood, Creston, 31-1.

High jump — 1. Molly Dean, Glenwood, 5-0; 3. (tie) Natalie Mostek, Creston, and Breanna Wallace, Creston, 4-6.

Long jump — 1. Mikayla Evers, Harlan, 16-7.75; 12. Rachel Shepherd, Creston, 14-6.5; 13. Danielle Castillo, Creston, 14-0.

3,000 meters — 1. Kye Madsen, LC, 10:51.40; 9. Angela Drey, Creston, 13:09.94.

4 x 800 relay — 1. Creston (Lexie Little, Maria Mostek, Jami Sickels, Natalie Mostek), 10:04.50.

Shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Glenwood, 1:07.24; 5. Creston (Amber Castillo, Leah Schuler, Nicole Haley, Danielle Castillo), 1:15.83.

100 meters — 1. Jaedra Moses, Clarinda, 12.82; 10. Amber Castillo, Creston, 13.75; 14. Kiersten Latham, Creston, 14.30.

Distance medley relay — 1. Creston (Jessica Beatty, Raegen Smith, Rachel Shepherd, Maria Mostek), 4:33.39.

400 meters — 1. Elise Willits, TJ, 1:03.03; 7. Jami Sickels, Creston, 1:08.80; 10. Josie Sickels, Creston, 1:09.80.

4 x 200 relay — 1. Harlan, 1:48.13; 4. Creston (Natalie Mostek, Jessica Beatty, Raegen Smith, Taylor Briley), 1:51.94.

100 hurdles — 1. Miranda Ruth, Glenwood, 16.30; 7. Lexie Little, Creston, 17.91; 15. Leah Schuler, Creston, 19.27.

800 meters — 1. Claire Jones, A.L., 2:28.30; 3. Breanna Wallace, Creston, 2:35.75; 12. Jami Sickels, Creston, 2:47.57.

200 meters — 1. Merzades Hart, A.L., 27.03; 7. Cayla Maitlen, Creston, 28.86; 19. Alyssa Trembly, Creston, 35.46.

400 hurdles — 1. Molly Dean, Glenwood, 1:08.24; 10. Danielle Castillo, Creston, 1:18.99; 14. Nicole Haley, Creston, 1:31.33.

Sprint medley relay — 1. Harlan, 1:56.41; 3. Creston (Raegen Smith, Kiersten Latham, Josie Sickels, Lexie Little), 2:02.44.

1,500 meters — 1. Kye Madsen, LC, 5:04.89; 3. Maria Mostek, Creston, 5:14.60; 8. Jessica Beatty, Creston, 5:36.71.

4 x 100 relay — 1. Clarinda, 51.95; 7. Creston (Rachel Shepherd, Cayla Maitlen, Taylor Briley, Amber Castillo), 54.16.

4 x 400 relay — 1. Creston ‘A’ (Raegen Smith, Breanna Wallace, Natalie Mostek, Taylor Briley), 4:13.03; 7. Creston ‘B’ (Lexie Little, Rachel Shepherd, Cayla Maitlen, Kiersten Latham), 4:39.32.