Van Buren County’s girls and boys track and field teams traveled to Iowa City West on Saturday, April 11th for the 2026 Eastern Iowa Track and Field Festival, a prestigious performance-based invitational that brings together some of the top athletes and teams in Eastern Iowa. Athletes qualify for the meet based on times, marks, and rankings posted earlier in the season, meaning just earning a spot in the field is an achievement in itself. Unlike most meets Van Buren County competes in, results here are not separated by class — it is everyone versus everyone, with Van Buren County’s Class 1A athletes going toe-to-toe with some of the largest schools in the state.
The meet serves multiple purposes for programs beyond just competition. It functions as a mid-season benchmark, gives athletes exposure to higher-level competition to prepare for the intensity of conference, district, and state meets, and can put athletes on the radar as postseason contenders.
Boys Results
The Van Buren County boys had a remarkable day, competing in five events and finishing first or second in four of them against some of the top talent in the state.
The headline performance came from Lincoln Bainbridge, who had one of the best individual days in recent Van Buren County track history. Bainbridge won the 400-meter dash in 48.20 — a new personal record, an improved school record, the top-ranked time in the state, and a time that met the Drake Relays standard. He was not done there, returning to win the 800-meter run in 1:54.43, another school record, and the third-fastest 800-meter time in the state this season. Cedar Falls’ Mitchell Stemper finished second in 1:55.54, just behind Bainbridge.
Jace Duncan had an outstanding day as well, finishing second in the 400-meter hurdles in 55.51, a new personal record, behind winner Wil Pauli of Cedar Falls at 53.45. Kayden Simmons placed eighth in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.33 behind winner Waleed Ibrahim of Iowa City West at 14.67. The 4×400 relay team of Kayden Simmons, Jaren Troxel, Jace Duncan, and Lincoln Bainbridge placed second in 3:27.00 behind Cedar Rapids Prairie’s winning time of 3:23.75.
Boys head coach Mike Bainbridge could not have been more pleased with how his athletes performed. “I couldn’t be more pleased with how the meet went,” Bainbridge said. “It was a great opportunity to go up and compete against some of the top talent in the state, and the guys rose to the challenge. We took five events up and placed first or second in four of them, and placed eighth in the other. Overall, this meet showed us that we’re moving in the right direction. There are still a few things we want to try, but I’m very happy with how we are competing right now.”
Bainbridge also spoke to this type of event. “I think these types of events are great,” Bainbridge said. “They give athletes a chance to compete against some of the best in the state which raises the level of competition and pushes them to perform at a higher level. These types of meets provide a higher level of pressure to compete and that experience helps as they get into championship meets later in the season.”
Girls Results
The Van Buren County girls also made the trip to Iowa City West on short notice, with head coach Lucinda DeHart noting it was a last-minute opportunity and the team was missing a couple of key athletes.
Rory Philips placed 17th in the 400-meter dash in 1:08.26 behind winner Morgan Fisher of Ankeny at 55.97. Freshman Aubrey Loeffler placed 10th in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:13.46 behind winner Addison Winters of Kee at 1:08.04 — a strong result for a freshman competing at that level. The 800-meter sprint medley team of Aida Troutman, Ali Pedretti, Ava Loeffler, and Rory Philips placed 14th in 2:02.03 behind winner Cedar Falls at 1:47.12. The distance medley team of Aida Troutman, Aubrey Loeffler, Ava Loeffler, and Rylee Philips placed eighth in 4:44.41 behind winner Maquoketa at 4:17.31.
Girls head coach Lucinda DeHart was proud of how her team handled the challenge. “We were really proud of how our girls competed at the Iowa City West meet,” DeHart said. “It was a bit of a last-minute opportunity for us, and we were missing a couple of key athletes, but our team stepped up and handled the challenge well. Our sprint medley and distance medley relays did a great job, especially considering we had athletes running together who hadn’t had much time to practice handoffs. They really pushed themselves outside of their comfort zones, and that’s something we look for as coaches. We also had some strong individual performances, including our freshman 400-meter hurdler Aubrey Loeffler placing 10th, which was a great experience for her at this level of competition.”
DeHart also spoke to the broader value of competing in a meet like this one. “I think mid-season invitationals like this help with development,” she said. “They give athletes a chance to compete against top-level competition, which helps them see where they are and what they need to improve on. It also gives some of our athletes additional race experience, which is important as we build toward the end of the season. Our main goal is always to be at our best later in the year, so opportunities like this help prepare us for that.”
Photos courtesy of the Van Buren County social media pages.
