(Atlantic) Eleven girls’ teams and ten boys’ teams are set to compete today in the Bruce Henderson Invitational Track and Field Meet in Atlantic. Participating schools include Atlantic, Clarinda, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln, Creston, Glenwood, Harlan, Lewis Central, Red Oak, Shenandoah, St. Albert, and Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson (girls only).
Atlantic Head Girls Track Coach Matt Mullenix says he’s looking forward to seeing his athletes compete in front of the home crowd, while also keeping their focus on Thursday’s Hawkeye Ten Conference Track Meet in Creston.
Atlantic Head Boy’s Track Coach Abby Becker says they want to put their athletes in the best possible position to be successful.
The meet features many of the state’s top performers. Harlan’s Lindsey Sonderman enters the meet ranked second in Class 3A in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:40.92, and third in the 3000 meters at 10:12.81. St. Albert standout Lili Denton leads Class 1A in both the 1500 meters (4:32.04) and 3000 meters (9:50.90), and holds the second-fastest 1A time in the 800 meters at 2:14.83. Denton has also anchored St. Albert’s strong relay squads. The team holds the top time in Class 1A for the Distance Medley Relay (4:16.16) and ranks third in the 4×400 meter relay with an identical mark. In the sprints, Clarinda’s Jerzee Knight comes in with the second-fastest times in Class 2A in both the 100 meters (12.20) and 200 meters (25.21). Atlantic’s Lila Wiederstein is also among the state’s best, currently ranked fourth in Class 3A in the long jump with an impressive leap of (18-02.50).
The boys’ competition at the Bruce Henderson Invitational also features several top-tier athletes from this side of the state. Clarinda’s Kaiden Roop enters with the third-best long jump mark in Class 2A at 21-09.25. In the throws, Creston’s Tom Mikkelsen ranks fifth in the Class 3A shot put with a top effort of (56-04.00), while teammate Braydon Schoon holds the fifth-best discus throw in 3A at (160-07). Atlantic will also be well-represented in the field events. Gavin McLaren has thrown 53-09.00 in the shot put, and Xavier Darrow has posted a mark of 154-02.00 in the discus.
On the track, St. Albert’s Parker Heisterkamp is currently fourth in Class 1A in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:31.05. Clarinda’s Distance Medley Relay team also holds a strong position, ranked fourth in Class 2A with a time of 3:35.30.
The meet gets underway at 4:00 p.m.
