Crestwood girls second at State Track Meet, boys compete hard

DES MOINES - The second largest crowd to witness the State Track Meet in Des Moines last week learned something people in our neck of the woods already know - the 2018 Crestwood girls’ track team is pretty darn good.

Competing at the 3A State Meet from May 17-19 at Drake Stadium, the Cadet girls’ team placed in the top eight in eight of 10 events on its way to tying for second in the team standings with Dubuque Wahlert with 64 points. The second place team finish was the highest a Crestwood squad has ever placed at the State Track Meet in school history.

Senior Ellie Friesen turned in an outstanding meet as she won three individual events and helped the distance medley relay team win gold. Friesen won gold in the 3000 (10:15.43 seconds), 1500 (4:39.40) and the 800 (2:13.63 school record). When Friesen won gold in the 3000 on Thursday, it marked the first gold medal for a Cadet girl at State since Lori Mashek won the 100 in 1977.

The distance medley team of Brynn Bodermann, Annie Mast, Katie Saner, and Ellie Friesen won gold in a school record time of 4:06.40. This was also the first Crestwood relay team to grab first at the State Meet.

Sharon Goodman nabbed third place in the discus with a toss of 123 feet, 6 inches. Cassidy Ihns took third in the 3000 in 10:40.03, and she placed seventh in 1500 in 4:53.80. Katie Saner finished fifth in the long jump at 16-11.25, sixth in the 100 dash finals in 12.58 and she was sixth in the 200 dash finals in 25.43.

In the shot put, Kristen Reicks placed 15th overall with a throw of 35 feet, 4.75 inches. The 4x800 relay team of Emily Friesen, Rachel Steffen, Hope Dohlman and Cassidy Ihns finished 18th in 10:18.26.

In the boys’ meet, Logan Albert cleared a personal record six feet, one inch to place 13th in the high jump. Chris Guest took 11th in the 400 hurdles in 56.37 (personal record), and he was 12th in the 110 hurdles in 15.62 seconds.

Girls’ meet

After capping her season by winning the 1500 meters Saturday to tally her fourth gold at the 2018 State Track Meet, Ellie Friesen noted that she gained strength from the events in previous years that she didn’t win.

“This year has been a dream,” Friesen said. “It’s sometimes hard to look back on all that I accomplished in my four years at State, including events where I didn’t win titles. I took for granted the other times I got to State and didn’t win. After I won, I thought about the failures and how special they were. I needed those failures in order to win four titles in one week.

“I felt like I left it all out there on the track. The State Meet is not like the Drake Relays where you might be going for a P.R. (personal record). I really just wanted to win four gold medals, and I knew that if I won (my events), we could get at least third as a team. 

“I felt a little bit of pressure because I’ve never been on a team that could get a trophy at State. Knowing that Katie Saner took sixth in the 100, I knew I had to win the 1500. When Cassidy Ihns took third (in the 1500), that was icing on the cake. To get on the podium with my team (to accept the trophy) was special. There’s nothing like that.”

Friesen noted she will always remember her teammates and coaches who guided her during her high school career.

“What I’ll remember most is the people because they really cared about me,” Friesen said. “Not everyone has a community like Cresco, and I have that. The last two years have been remarkable. When I get on the track, I know that I’ve got fans back in Cresco who support me.

“I’m really excited for next year when I’ll be competing at South Dakota State. I’m sure there will be bumps in the road, but I’ll be excited for more moments like these (at the State Meet),” Friesen said.

Cadet Girls’ Coach Jim Obermann said all the girls deserve a round of applause.

“We really come down here to compete and we did,” Obermann said. “We got off to a good start by Sharon Goodman taking third in the discus on Thursday. After that, Ellie and Cassidy placed first and third respectively in the 3000, which gave us even more confidence. It was also great to see Katie Saner advance to the finals in the 100 and 200. Katie raised herself to a new level.  Our kids believed they could get a trophy at State. I couldn’t be more proud of our girls.

“Ellie was very focused at State, and she knew what she had to do. The confidence she had was infectious for our team. All of our kids really stepped up. In some ways, we surprised some people and performed better than they expected we would,” Obermann said.

The coach said Crestwood’s win in the distance medley was a big one. Although the Cadets were a few meters behind Decorah going into the final leg of the race, Ellie Friesen took the handoff from Katie Saner and tracked down the Vikings over the final 200 meters for the win.

“All four of our girls ran well in the distance medley,” Obermann said. “Ellie gave us a tremendous anchor leg. I felt that if our first two legs of the race did their part and Katie Saner ran well, which she did, I thought that Ellie would have a shot at gold. This race told us that something special could happen for us (at State),” Obermann said.

The coach is happy some girls will return next season, but he said the seniors will be greatly missed.

“Ellie will go down as the greatest track athlete in Crestwood’s history,” Obermann said. “Ellie is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. Not only is she a great athlete, but she’s a great student and person.

“We’ll also miss seniors Brynn Bodermann and Emily Friesen. They’ve brought a lot to the table, and we will miss their leadership and their character.

“This State Runner-Up trophy is representative of the many good teams we’ve had at Crestwood. All of our Crestwood teams can share this trophy, including the past kids who have competed,” Obermann said.

Boys’ meet

Cadet Boys’ Coach Chris Lentz was proud of the way Chris Guest competed in the 110 hurdles and 400 hurdles, and the way Logan Albert performed in the high jump.

“Logan had a personal record in the high jump (6 feet, 1 inch), and he was really close to getting 6 feet, 3 inches,” Lentz said. “Logan came on well at the end of the season. He knows what he needs to do for next year.

“Chris ran well in the 110 hurdles and the 400 low hurdles. He had a personal record in the 400 low hurdles, and he would have been even better except for clipping a hurdle down the stretch. Chris should be very proud of himself for what he’s accomplished. 

“Overall, our guys had a solid season, even though it was abbreviated because of the weather. Our guys competed well overall as a team, did their best, and improved every day. That’s all we can ask,” Lentz said.

Class 3A Girls’ Team standings: 1. Pella 70 points. 2 (tie). Crestwood and Dubuque Wahlert 64; 4. Benton Community 57; 5. Decorah 50; 6. Sioux City Bishop Heelan 37; 7. Davenport Assumption 33; 8. Solon 27.

 

Cadet girls’ results

• 3000 - 1st place, Ellie Friesen 10:15.43 seconds; 3. Cassidy Ihns 10:40:03.

• 1500 - 1. Ellie Friesen 4:39.40; 7. Cassidy Ihns 4:53.80.

• 800 - 1. Ellie Friesen 2:13.63 (school record)

• Distance medley relay - 1. CW 4:06.40 (Brynn Bodermann, Annie Mast, Katie Saner, Ellie Friesen) (school record)

• Discus - 3. Sharon Goodman 123 feet, 6 inches

• Long jump - 5. Katie Saner 16-11.25.

• 100 finals - 5. Saner 12.58.

• 200 finals - 6. Saner 25.43 (school record)

• 4x800 relay - 18. CW 10:18.26 (Emily Friesen, Rachel Steffen, Hope Dohlman, Cassidy Ihns).

• Shot put - 15. Kristen Reicks 35-4.75.

 

Cadet boys’ results

• High jump - 13. Logan Albert 6-1.

• 110 hurdles preliminary - 12. Chris Guest 15.62.

• 400 hurdles - 11. Guest 56.37.