(Des Moines, IA) – With the second-highest attended State Track and Field Meet on record, the Riverside Bulldogs were able to show off to a crowd of thousands of people while earning third place in Class 1A after tying with St. Albert with 37 team points. This meet marked a lot of firsts for Riverside while also marking a lot of top finishes at the meet overall and a few three-peats to put on the side.
Starting on day one of the State Tournament, Riverside’s Sophia Fenner was able to throw one of her bests in the shot put, with a throw of 35-9.75 to earn a medal in eighth place. She was seeded almost 20th overall and was able to capture a new top throw for her and contribute what would become a crucial team point for Riverside. What really came into action was the 4×800-meter relay team with Fenner and her teammates Carly Henderson, Bentley Rone, and Lydia Erickson. The girls earned fourth place with a time of 9:49.80 against some very tough competition.
While the weather was hot on day one, day two was even hotter. That heat may have pushed the girls to want to get into the shade even quicker after the 4×200-meter relay team was able to pull in a third-place finish. The team of Elly Henderson, Emma Gordon, Carly Henderson, and Lydia Erickson were able to run a time of 1:47.94 to earn third place and help push further in the state meet.
Day two was not over yet for Bulldog Carly Henderson after she ran the 400-meter hurdles in a blistering time in the blistering heat. Henderson was able to take the podium following the race as a State Champion, marking the first individual champion for the Bulldogs since 2007. She ran the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 1:04.58, just beating out CAM’s Ada Hansen who finished in third.
Henderson is an athlete who has worked hard all season and that hard work paid off with that top finish in the end. Head Coach Jared Hoffman has seen this hard work firsthand. He has seen her leadership continue to help her teammates and knows that she could not have accomplished this alone.
When it came down to the final day, the team points continued to go up for Riverside, and they had a chance to get a top three spot in the state meet if everything went as planned. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, things were going their way. The girls were able to capture sixth place in the 800-meter sprint medley with the team of Emma Gordon, Adaline Martens, Olivia Lund, and Lydia Erickson with a time of 1:53.65. After earning seventh in the 4×100-meter relay with the team of Carly Henderson, Adaline Martens, Emma Gordon, and Lydia Erickson, it all came down to the 4×400-meter relay. Riverside’s girl’s were able to earn their third straight State Championship in the 4×400-meter relay with Veronica Schechinger, Elly Henderson, Lydia Erickson, and Carly Henderson at 4:02.69. These girls thank their fans and the community for their extensive support to earn that top finish.
Coach Hoffman knew that this was their race, especially after seeing how they had performed in the past. That time also broke the season record for Riverside.
Riverside has continued to see success at the blue oval and Coach Hoffman gives all the credit to the girls for their hard work as they were able to see it all pay off.
Congratulations to the Riverside Bulldogs on such a successful showing at the state meet.
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