Reynolds, Funk contend at Drake

DES MOINES — Mount Ayr senior Ryce Reynolds and Lenox junior Gabe Funk took their 400-meter hurdles battle to the big stage Saturday afternoon.

The two Pride of Iowa Conference rivals and Class 1A leaders competed with the best competitors from Iowa’s largest schools in the Drake Relays Saturday afternoon. Season leader Aiden Jacobsen of Iowa City West was pushed to the limit in winning in 52.03.

Edged at the finish line was Mount Ayr’s Reynolds, second in this race at Drake for the third time in his career in 52.09. The margin of his runner-up finishes totals .3 of a second. The times by Jacobsen and Reynolds rank 10th and 11th, nationally.

Funk, whose lone victory over Reynolds was at his Lenox home meet earlier this season, placed fourth Saturday in 52.76. Both Reynolds and Funk ran personal bests in shaving the times of their school records in the event. Funk, a junior, was the highest-placing runner who isn’t a senior this year.

Tristan Rheingans of Central DeWitt was third in 52.44 and Bishop Heelan’s Quinn Olson was fifth in 53.01. Olson was Bishop Heelan’s quarterback in the state semifinal victory over Creston last fall in the UNI-Dome.

Mount Ayr coach Brad Elliott and Lenox coach Michael Nardini were pleased with the performances of their stars in such a talented field of runners.

“Ryce bested his own school record by half a second and dropped 1.4 seconds off his season best,” Elliott said. “There’s no question he delivered in the moment. The Iowa City West kid came in as the top qualifier, but there’s no doubt he knew he had tough competition today.”

Funk reached both of his goals of placing in the top five and running the race in under 53 seconds.

“The top four all ran under 53 seconds and that’s impressive,” Nardini said. “Whenever you get all the classes together at Drake, its always a tough field. Gabe has never been one to shy away just because he’s going against bigger competition. It was fun to see him mix it up with those guys. That’s his best time. He hit everything in stride.”

Reynolds, who owns a Drake relays title in the 400 meters from his junior season, was gracious after his third runner-up finish in the 400 meter hurdles Saturday.

“It’s a season best and overall PR for me, so I’m just excited I could go out and run my best in my final high school Drake Relays event,” Reynolds said. “I knew it would be a tight race today. I knew I was going to have to go out and push it faster than I’ve run so far this season. It’s my senior year, so I’m just trying to live in the moment and and enjoy it.”

Reynolds and Funk said their frequent southwest Iowa encounters helps to prepare them for the talent-rich environment of the Drake Relays and state meet.

“It’s cool to think that we came in as number three and four (qualifiers), and we’re both from 1A schools 30 miles apart,” Reynolds said. “We’re representing southwest Iowa. We share the experience as friends and competitors. He’s an amazing athlete.”

Funk said the rivalry is even more enjoyable when it plays out in front of the large Drake Relays crowd. The race was held in sunny, 70-degree weather early Saturday afternoon during a weekend of severe-weather delays both Friday evening and late in Saturday’s program.

“It’s crazy that you come to Drake to race against the best of the best, and it just happens that Ryce lives 30 minutes away and I see him all year long,” Funk said. “It definitely helps, 100 percent. I have to give it my all every time I see him. You can’t come up here and slack off, either.”

The 400 hurdles race was the Drake Relays highlight for both Reynolds and Funk, who each qualified in multiple events.

False start

Funk placed 18th in the 110 meter hurdles in 52.27, slightly slower than his season best. He was set to anchor the shuttle hurdle relay Saturday morning, but a false start in the preliminary heat sidelined the quartet of Donald Bashor, Jordan Martin-England, Dawson Evans and Funk.

“Donald was anticipating the gun and fell forward,” Nardini said. “He’s used to a quicker gun, and these state meet officials here have a longer gun. They make you sit in there a little bit. If he was in his stance and just flinched, they might have allowed a restart. But he fell forward and stumbled. He felt terrible about it. He had the high hurdles champion (Jaden Damiano of Iowa Falls-Aiden) and a good Treynor team next to him, so he knew he had to get out fast. It’s a learning experience.”

Reynolds, meanwhile, finished fifth in a loaded 400-meter field despite running faster than his winning time in the event last year.

“That race was just insane this year,” Reynolds said. “Last year 48.46 won it and this year I ran 48.43 and got fifth.”

“This year three guys got under 48 seconds and the entire heat ran under 49,” Elliott said. “The level of competition has gotten incredibly talented in a year. That’s a season best for Ryce. His career-best was the 48.21 he ran at state last year.”

Reynolds was slowed for a week with a bout of Influenza B just after the indoor season, when he beat Elliott’s school record of 1:55.4 in the 800 meters in a time of 1:54.3. He’s building back his endurance and said he wasn’t in top form in placing 14th at Drake Friday in 1:58.71. Heavy traffic and jostling near the start ended up costing him about two seconds off his goal for the first lap.

“That’s the first time I’ve been in an 800 race where all 16 athletes are within two seconds of each other, and it’s a full contact sport at the beginning,” Reynolds said. “I had to shift gears three or four times to go around people in that first lap and that uses a lot of energy. It’s a learning curve.”

East Union thrower

East Union sophomore Morgan Cooley competed in two throwing events at Drake. On Friday he placed 19th with a throw of 156-2, about four feet shy of his qualifying distance.

The boys shot put was held in a driving rainstorm Saturday morning with standing water in the circle. Cooley’s best effort was 48-10.5, ranking 16th.

“To come up here as a sophomore going against all of the big schools, this was a good experience for him,” East Union coach Austin Fariss said. “We’re excited about what he can do in the future.”

Murray sprinter Leksi Gannon, the reigning Class 1A 200 meter champion and 100 meter runner-up, placed 12th in the girls 100 meters at Drake in 12.82. That finish surpasses the previous best Drake Relays finish for Murray of 14th in the 100 meters by Kate Patton in 2014. Gannon placed 19th in that race as a junior.

Nodaway Valley and Clarke girls, along with the Mount Ayr boys competed in 4x100 relay preliminary races Friday morning. The Nodaway Valley team of Grace Britten, Maddie Weston, Emma Lundy and Annika Nelson had the highest rank among them in 67th in a time of 51.61.

Boys discus — 1. Hanson King, Pella, 186-7; 19. Morgan Cooley, East Union, 156-2; 23. Cole White, Clarke, 144-5.

Boys 110 meter hurdles — 1. Jaden Damiano, Iowa Falls-Aiden, 13.84; 18. (tie) Gabe Funk, Lenox, 15.27.

Girls 100 meters — 1. Tierney Huss, MOC-Floyd Valley, 12.10; 12. Aleksys Gannon, Murray, 12.82.

Boys shot put — 1. Hanson King, Pella, 58-7; 16. Morgan Cooley, East Union, 48-10.5.

Boys 800 meters — 1. Quentin Nauman, Western Dubuque, 1:52.22; 14. Ryce Reynolds, Mount Ayr, 1:58.71.

Boys 400 meters — 1. Jackson Johannes, Cedar Rapids Prairie, 47.67; 5. Ryce Reynolds, Mount Ayr, 48.43.

Boys shuttle hurdle relay — 1. Cedar Falls, 57.89; DQ (false start) - Lenox (Donald Bashor, Jordan Martin-England, Dawson Evans, Gabe Funk).

Girls 4x100 relay — 1. Waukee Northwest, 47.89; 67. Nodaway Valley (Grace Britten, Maddie Weston, Emma Lundy, Annika Nelson), 51.61; 84. Clarke (Maisy McCoy, Victoria Henry, Alissa Henry, Kya Thompson), 52.11.

Boys 4x100 relay — 1. ADM (Aiden Flora, Tyler Gelhaar, Zach Lohmann, Brevin Doll), 41.38; 89. Mount Ayr (Garrett Walter, Jackson Ruggles, Trevin Victor, Preston Fleharty), 45.40.

Boys 400 hurdles — 1. Aidan Jacobsen, Iowa City West, 52.03; 2. Ryce Reynolds, Mount Ayr, 52.09; 4. Gabe Funk, Lenox, 52.76.