The Fairfield Trojans had a productive night at the Class 3A state qualifying meet Thursday, May 14th at Mount Pleasant, with the boys securing multiple berths to the Iowa State Track and Field Championships and the girls turning in several season-best performances against a deep and talented field. The state meet is set for May 21-23 at Drake Stadium’s Blue Oval in Des Moines.
The meet featured Fairfield alongside Mount Pleasant, Solon, Clear Creek-Amana, Washington, Burlington, Fort Madison, and Keokuk. The following results reflect top five placements only.
Team Scores
Mount Pleasant claimed the girls district title with 143 points. Solon finished second at 130, Clear Creek-Amana third at 128.5, Washington fourth at 110.5, Burlington fifth at 72, Fort Madison sixth at 68, Keokuk seventh at 48, and Fairfield eighth at 27 in what was one of the toughest girls fields of the night.
Clear Creek-Amana won the boys district title at 153 points. Solon finished second at 142, Washington third at 112.5, Keokuk fourth at 89, and Fairfield fifth at 74 — edging Burlington at 71.5, Mount Pleasant at 69, and Fort Madison at 54 in a tight middle-of-the-pack battle.
Fairfield Girls — State Qualifiers and Top Five Performances
The Fairfield girls faced a loaded field Thursday night but responded with character, turning in several season-best performances and leaving with an at-large state qualifying bid.
Elyse Setterstrom provided the biggest individual moment for the girls, throwing the discus 110-00 to finish fourth and earn an at-large state qualifying bid — a strong performance in an event won by Burlington’s Kylee Hill at 142-10. The 4×800 relay of Alex Jo Steward, Caroline Van Pelt, Bailey Belzer, and Kate Brecount finished fifth in 11:40.50, behind Solon’s 9:52.23. Kate Brecount also competed in the high jump, placing fifth at 4-06 behind Burlington’s Lilian Mennen at 5-01.
Fairfield Boys — State Qualifiers and Top Five Performances
Despite finishing fifth as a team, the Fairfield boys made the most of their opportunities Thursday night, with Spencer McCready and Eli Zillman leading the way in what was a memorable evening for both athletes individually.
Eli Zillman was the headline performer in the field events. He cleared 6-09 in the high jump — a season best — to claim the district championship ahead of Fort Madison’s Nolan Guzman at 6-07, earning an automatic state qualifier, as he tries to capture another state championship. That mark is the best high jump distance among all Class 3A competitors from state qualifying sites. Zillman then came back in the long jump to finish third at 21-06, earning an at-large state qualifying bid that ranks 13th among all Class 3A competitors from qualifying sites statewide.
Spencer McCready had an equally impressive night. He won the long jump with a district championship mark of 22-01.25, ahead of Burlington’s Brady Britt at 21-08 — an automatic state qualifier that ranks seventh among all Class 3A long jump competitors from qualifying sites. McCready also finished second in the 110 meter hurdles, clocking a 15.64 behind Clear Creek-Amana’s Tay Seals at 14.19 for another automatic state berth. Between Zillman and McCready, the Trojans produced two of the most versatile and productive individual performances of the night.
On the relay front, the 4×200 relay of Eli Hoffman, Voss Richardson, Dayson Workman, and Ethan Bisgard finished third in 1:31.41 behind Solon’s 1:30.10, earning an at-large state qualifying bid. The sprint medley relay of Dayson Workman, Voss Richardson, Eli Hoffman, and Ethan Bisgard finished third in 1:34.58 behind Keokuk’s 1:32.39, also earning an at-large state berth.
The shuttle hurdle relay of Spencer McCready, Blake Burnett, Jacob Crew, and Eli Zillman placed fourth in 1:03.37, behind Mount Pleasant’s 1:01.91. The 4×100 relay of Dayson Workman, Voss Richardson, Ethan Bisgard, and Spencer McCready finished third in 43.91, behind Keokuk’s 43.00. The 4×400 relay of Jacob Crew, Tucker Robertson, Parker Reid, and John Miller placed fifth in 3:51.73, behind Solon’s 3:22.79. The 4×800 relay of Brice Boatright, Parker Reid, River Fulton, and John Miller rounded out the relay performances with a fifth-place finish in 8:25.46, behind Washington’s 8:03.50.
Coach and Athlete Comments
Girls head coach Jerrod Belzer was proud of how his team handled the moment despite the steep competition. “Could not be more proud of our team and how they competed,” Belzer said. “We knew we were going up against high level competition but the girls did a great job of just focusing on us and taking care of our performance. We left with several season best performances and we can’t ask for more than that.”
Boys head coach Brian Dunlap was pleased with how the team responded across the board. “Kids competed really well,” Dunlap said. “Ran a lot of season bests tonight. McCready and Zillman both looked good in the jumps.”
McCready reflected on what was a memorable night for the Trojans. “Fairfield had a great night at Districts,” he said. “Going in we had multiple events set up to try and go out and qualify and with most of them we did. It’s really cool to see high jump with Eli qualify again and to have two other relays most likely make it in off of time. I’m so grateful to be able to jump with Eli at the state meet as well in long jump, and I look forward to running the 110 highs as well. Overall, Fairfield came and showed out.”
What’s Next
The Iowa State Track and Field Championships are set for May 21-23 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, where the Trojans will look to represent Fairfield on the biggest stage in Iowa high school track and field.
