The Van Buren County girls and boys track and field teams competed Monday, April 20th at the Central Lee Hawk Relays, with the girls claiming the team title and the boys finishing third in a competitive six-team field.
Team Standings
The Van Buren County girls won their third consecutive meet, this time with 173 points, followed by Keokuk with 146, Central Lee with 94.5, Cardinal with 91, Danville with 80.5, Burlington with 47.5, and New London with 35.5.
On the boys side, Keokuk won with 175.5 points, followed by Fort Madison with 150, Van Buren County with 113, New London with 98.5, Central Lee with 89.5, and Burlington with 55.5.
Girls Results
Van Buren County had a dominant night on the girls side, winning multiple events outright. Adalyn Snowgren, Rylee Philips, and Gabby Titus went 1-2-3 in the 400-meter dash, with Snowgren and Philips both finishing in 1:08.50 and Titus right behind in 1:09.00. Rory Philips won the 800-meter run in 2:34.00 with Kayley Snowgren right behind in second at 2:34.60. Rylee Philips won the 1,500-meter run in 5:38.70. Aubrey Loeffler won the 400-meter hurdles in 1:12.20. The 4×100 relay team of Emma Coffin, Aida Troutman, Daphny Wells, and Ava Loeffler won in 52.70. The 4×200 relay team of Emma Coffin, Aida Troutman, Aubrey Loeffler, and Ali Pedretti won in 1:54.30. The 4×800 relay team of Kayley Snowgren, Rylee Philips, Gabby Titus, and Rory Philips won in 11:21.90. The sprint medley team of Emma Coffin, Aida Troutman, Daphny Wells, and Ava Loeffler won in 1:58.10.
Emma Coffin placed second in the 100-meter dash in 14.00 and Grace Richards 17th in 15.90 behind winner Alivia Bauer of Danville at 13.80. In the 200-meter dash, Willow Worley placed 15th in 33.00 and Richards 16th in 33.40 behind winner Alaya Carr of Keokuk at 27.40.
Armoney Adams placed seventh in the 100-meter hurdles in 19.50 and Willow Worley 14th in 20.80 behind winner Alaya Carr of Keokuk at 16.10. Adalyn Snowgren placed fifth in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:24.50. The shuttle hurdle relay team of Ali Pedretti, Aubrey Loeffler, Willow Worley, and Armoney Adams placed fourth in 1:20.60 behind winner Keokuk at 1:12.10.
Gabby Titus placed third in the 1,500-meter run in 5:58.90 behind winner Rylee Philips. Adalyn Snowgren placed second in the 3,000-meter run in 13:00.90 behind winner Macy Anderson of Central Lee at 12:54.20.
The 4×400 team of Kayley Snowgren, Elli Daugherty, Rory Philips, and Ali Pedretti placed third in 4:38.90 behind winner Keokuk at 4:33.30. The distance medley team of Kayley Snowgren, Daphny Wells, Ava Loeffler, and Rory Philips placed second in 4:42.20 behind winner Danville at 4:36.20.
Aubrey Loeffler placed third in the high jump clearing 4-06 behind winner Kylee Hoard of Keokuk at 4-08. Aida Troutman placed sixth in the long jump at 13-10 and Ali Pedretti seventh at 13-06 behind winner Bella Crew of Keokuk at 15-07.25. Briley Losey placed third in the shot put at 30-02, Alex Shields fourth at 29-00, Elli Daugherty seventh at 26-08, and Willow Worley 10th at 25-04 behind winner Bristol Albert of Cardinal at 33-04. Losey placed fourth in the discus at 89-06, Lizzie Camp sixth at 81-08, Sophia Scharf 11th at 76-00, and Alex Shields 16th at 63-06 behind Albert’s winning throw of 105-05.
Head coach Lucinda DeHart was proud of how her team performed and saw the meet as a turning point heading deeper into the season. “We were really proud of how the girls competed tonight,” DeHart said. “It was another strong performance for us, and it was great to see continued improvement across the board. We had some PRs, which show the work they are putting in is paying off. We can see them getting stronger both physically and mentally.”
DeHart also highlighted the team’s growing chemistry. “What really stood out was how they are starting to come together more as a team,” she said. “They are supporting each other, competing for one another, and that is making a difference. We still have areas we can improve, but this meet felt like a step forward and a turning point for us as we move deeper into the season. We are also continuing to fine-tune our lineup to make sure our athletes are in events where they can be successful and compete with confidence. When they are in those positions, we know they will give their best effort. Overall, it was a great night and a positive step in the right direction for our team.”
Boys Results
Jace Duncan, Jaren Troxel, Kayden Simmons, and Lincoln Bainbridge won the distance medley in a strong time of 3:35.60, well ahead of second-place Fort Madison at 3:47.50. The 4×800 relay team of Landry Loeffler, Thomas Roberts, Jackson Meek, and Kayden Farris won in 9:07.90, ahead of Keokuk’s second-place 9:23.60.
Ryan Bair of Keokuk won the 100-meter dash in 11.00. Joni Yoder, Andy Durflinger, and Lyrick Krouse all tied for 18th for Van Buren County at 13.80. In the 200-meter dash, Jace Duncan placed third in 23.70 behind winner Ryan Bair of Keokuk at 22.20. Carver Goehring placed ninth in the 400-meter dash in 1:01.70 behind winner Travarius Smith of Keokuk at 49.50.
Parker Boley placed second in the 110-meter hurdles in 18.20, just behind winner Lucius Zimmerman of Fort Madison at 17.70. Jaren Troxel placed second in the 400-meter hurdles in 59.50 and Carver Goehring 13th in 1:13.60 behind winner Lincoln Wray of Keokuk at 57.70. The shuttle hurdle relay team of Jaydan Pilcher, Jayce Simmons, Parker Boley, and Marion Yoder placed fourth in 1:14.80 behind winner Keokuk at 1:09.50.
Gavin Noll placed third in the 800-meter run in 2:10.80 and Thomas Roberts fifth in 2:17.20 behind winner Riley Tripp of Fort Madison at 2:04.00. Landry Loeffler placed third in the 1,600-meter run in 4:49.10 and Sawyer Spiker sixth in 5:44.70 behind winner Riley Raines of New London at 4:40.60. Noll placed second in the 3,200-meter run in 11:15.30 and Spiker fifth in 12:20.60 behind winner Sam Higbie of Keokuk at 10:57.70.
The 4×100 team of Jace Duncan, Aiden Cooper, Kayden Simmons, and Lincoln Bainbridge placed second in 44.50, just behind Keokuk’s Drake Relays-qualified squad at 43.90. The 4×200 team of Kaimrin Ellingson, Andy Durflinger, Jaydan Pilcher, and Lyrick Krouse placed fifth in 1:48.30 behind winner New London at 1:31.40. The 4×400 team of Kavin Carter, Kaimrin Ellingson, Jackson Meek, and Kayden Farris placed fourth in 4:01.60 behind winner Keokuk at 3:43.10. The sprint medley team of Kavin Carter, Jayce Simmons, Marion Yoder, and Aiden Cooper placed sixth in 1:54.60 behind winner Keokuk at 1:39.10.
Joni Yoder placed 11th in the long jump at 15-09, Carver Goehring 13th at 15-00.50, Sawyer Spiker 15th at 13-09.50, and Jaydan Pilcher 16th at 13-03.50 behind winner Antonio Crockett of Keokuk at 19-02. Kaden Miller placed fifth in the shot put at 35-11 and Ryder Simmons sixth at 35-09 and Cooper Philp 18th at 26-00 behind winner Urijah Brooks of Fort Madison at 53-08. Jackson Meek placed third in the discus at 109-01, Ryder Simmons eighth at 89-05, Cooper Philp 12th at 81-07, and Kaden Miller 14th at 79-10 behind winner Jack Benner of Central Lee at 120-10.
Head coach Mike Bainbridge noted the team intentionally held back with a busy schedule ahead. “With back-to-back meets today and tomorrow and a third meet on Thursday, we decided to go a little lighter tonight,” Bainbridge said. “Even though we didn’t go 100%, the kids worked hard and are improving. We saw several personal bests tonight and are starting to see some of the young guys break out. Our distance medley ran a really strong time tonight and our 4×100 competed well against some tough competition. With the team fairly rested and feeling pretty good, we look to go to WACO tomorrow and perform well.”
Photo courtesy of the Van Buren County social media pages.
