Multiple high school track and field teams from Jefferson, Van Buren, and Keokuk County kicked off their 2026 seasons at the highly competitive IATC Indoor Championships held at Iowa State University’s Lied Recreation Athletic Center in Ames on March 12th and 13th. Athletes qualified for the meet based on marks recorded during the 2025 season.
Fairfield Boys Tie for 15th in Class 3A
The Fairfield boys track and field team opened its season Thursday, March 12th, tying for 15th place with 12 points out of 29 Class 3A teams.
Eli Zillman led the Trojans with a pair of fourth-place finishes. He cleared 6-01.00 in the high jump and jumped 20-07.25 in the long jump. Blake Burnett added a 10th-place finish in the high jump with a clearance of 5-09.00. Brady Wigle recorded no distance in the long jump after fouling on all three attempts.
On the track, Ethan Bisgard finished ninth in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.29, while Dayson Workman finished 18th in the 60-meter prelims in 7.31 seconds.
The 1600-meter sprint medley relay team of Eli Hoffman, Ethan Bisgard, Spencer McCready, and John Miller placed seventh with a time of 3:52.52. The 4×100-meter relay team of Dayson Workman, Voss Richardson, Ethan Bisgard, and Eli Hoffman finished 11th with a time of 44.94.
Fairfield boys head coach Brian Dunlap said he was encouraged by the early-season performance.
“We had some nice performances on the track. Some of our kids picked up at or better than where they left off last year. John Miller ran a PR on his anchor leg of the distance medley relay. Ethan Bisgard ran very close to a PR in the 200 meter dash. Eli Zillman scored the bulk of our team points, but he was not satisfied with his results. We learned some things about ourselves and will go to work to improve on them. It was a solid start to the season and we look forward to competing again on Monday at Cornell College.”
Van Buren County Boys Finish 7th in Class 1A
The Van Buren County boys track and field team opened its season Friday, March 13th, finishing seventh with 30 points out of 37 teams in Class 1A competition.
Lincoln Bainbridge led the Warriors with a pair of first-place finishes. Bainbridge won the 400-meter dash in 49.28 seconds, breaking the school record, and captured the 800-meter run in 2:00.85. The future Indian Hills Community College commit’s performances are particularly impressive as he returns from a basketball-season injury.
Kayden Simmons finished fifth in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.72 after qualifying third in the prelims with a time of 8.64. Simmons also finished ninth in the 200-meter dash in 23.73.
Gavin Noll, who recently committed to Southeastern Community College, finished 21st in the 800 meters in 2:13.97 and 11th in the 1600 meters in 5:00.98.
Jace Duncan finished 22nd in the 400 meters in 56.73.
In field events, Simmons added a 10th-place finish in the high jump with a clearance of 5-07.00, while Duncan finished 14th in the long jump with a leap of 18-04.25.
The Warriors also placed third in the 4×400-meter relay. The team of Kayden Simmons, freshman Jaren Troxel, Jace Duncan, and Lincoln Bainbridge ran a time of 3:32.65.
Van Buren County head coach Mike Bainbridge said he was pleased with the effort from his team in the season opener.
“I was really proud of how the boys competed. Even though it’s early in the season, I think you could see the work they’ve been putting in at practice and the potential this group has this year. The seniors set the tone with Lincoln Bainbridge winning both the 400 and 800, and Kayden Simmons getting 5th in the 60m hurdles. The younger athletes followed their lead with Freshman Jaren Troxel and sophomore Jace Duncan teaming up with Lincoln and Kayden to place 3rd in the 4×400 with a great opening season time. I’m super happy for the guys and I’m really looking forward to seeing what this season has in store for them.”
Pekin Girls Place 6th in Class 1A
The Pekin girls track and field team finished sixth in Class 1A with 31 points on Friday, March 13th.
Future Drake Bulldog Chloe Glosser captured first place in the 3000-meter run with a time of 10:00.64. The mark is currently the best time in Class 1A to begin the season and ranks as the third-best time in the state of Iowa so far.
Three-time state champion Anna Hadley also earned a first-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 42-04.00. The throw currently stands as the best mark in Class 1A this season and the third-best in the state.
Paislee Coleman finished eighth in the 60-meter hurdles finals with a time of 10.17 after running 10.28 in the prelims. Reece Brisby finished 11th in the 60-meter hurdle prelims in 10.46.
Addison Smith finished 34th in the 60-meter prelims in 8.86 seconds. Maddy Petrehn finished 19th in the 400 meters with a time of 1:08.69 and did not start the 800 meters.
In field events, Brisby tied for 18th in the high jump with a clearance of 4-07.00, while Brin Lauderman finished 20th at the same height. Taylor Moore finished 15th in the shot put with a throw of 30-06.25.
In relay competition, the 4×60-meter shuttle hurdle relay team of Reece Brisby, Carlie Gambell, Abby Guise, and Paislee Coleman placed third with a time of 41.32. The 4×800-meter relay team of Maddy Petrehn, Emerson Porter, Ashlynn Adrian, and Chloe Glosser finished fifth in 11:02.04.
The 4×100-meter relay team of Addison Smith, Breanna Drish, Mya Glick, and Paislee Coleman finished 22nd with a time of 57.54. The 4×400-meter relay team of Maddy Petrehn, Mya Glick, Fynlie Brooks, and Abby Guise finished 23rd with a time of 4:56.32.
Pekin Boys Tie for 17th in Class 1A
The Pekin boys track and field team tied for 17th place with 10 points out of 37 teams in Class 1A.
On the track, Alijah Brock finished ninth in the 60-meter prelims with a time of 7.28, while Nolan Glick finished 20th in 7.44. Riley Smith finished 15th in the 200-meter dash in 23.88.
Lane Fariss finished 11th in the 800 meters with a time of 2:10.56 and did not start the 1600 meters. Cole Millikin finished 10th in both the 1600 meters in 5:00.46 and the 3200 meters in 10:53.62. Mason Dahlstrom did not start the 800 meters.
Aliyas Brock finished 34th in the 60-meter hurdle prelims with a time of 10.52. Henry Adam did not start the long jump.
The Panthers were led by their relay teams, highlighted by a third-place finish in the 4×100-meter relay. The team of Riley Smith, Alijah Brock, Aliyas Brock, and Nolan Glick ran a time of 45.43. The 4×400-meter relay team of Riley Smith, Nolan Glick, Lane Fariss, and Mason Dahlstrom finished fifth with a time of 3:38.04.
The 4×800-meter relay team of Cole Millikin, Brody Sobaski, Mason Dahlstrom, and Lane Fariss finished ninth in 8:58.98. The Panthers also finished 11th in the 4×60-meter shuttle hurdle relay with Henry Adam, Aliyas Brock, Jaxon Mefford, and Keegan Dickey, running 39.98.
Sigourney Boys Tie for 33rd in Class 1A
The Sigourney boys track and field team tied for 33rd place with two points out of 37 Class 1A teams on Friday.
Troy Klett scored the team’s points with a seventh-place finish in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:05.83. Levi Myers finished 25th in the same event with a time of 2:18.20.
Team Standings
In the overall team standings, Class 3A boys were led by Pella with 63.5 points, followed closely by Gilbert with 63 points. Algona finished third with 58 points, ADM placed fourth with 49, and Clear Creek Amana rounded out the top five with 44 points.
In Class 1A boys competition, Riverside Oakland won the team title with 63 points. Iowa Valley and New London tied for second with 48 points each, followed by IKM-Manning with 34 and West Hancock with 33.
In the Class 1A girls standings, St. Albert finished first with 48 points, just ahead of Mount Ayr with 47. Madrid placed third with 40 points, while Edgewood-Colesburg and Fremont-Mills tied for fourth with 35 points each.
The IATC Indoor Championships provided area teams with their first competition of the 2026 season as athletes begin preparing for the outdoor portion of the track and field schedule.
Photography courtesy of Mike Bainbridge.
