Perfect Performance
Hawks do everything right, and the reward is a 2nd straight HOIC titleBy Troy Banning, DFJ Sports Editor
POSTED: May 9, 2008
Article Photos
Fact Box
Team Standings1. South Hamilton 200; 2. North Polk 171; 3. West Marshall 83; 4. Woodward-Granger 66; 5. Colo-NESCO 34; 6. Colfax-Mingo 18.
Event Results
Long Jump — 1. Casie Christensen (NP) 16-7 1/4; 2. Bree Amos (NP) 14-7 1/2; 3. Dana Howard (NP) 14-3 1/4.
High Jump — 1. Jordan Andreassen (NP) 5-6; 2. Jordun Weitzell (WM) 4-10; 3. Nicole Follmann 4-10.
Shot Put — 1. Jessica Stakey (SH) 35-0 3/4; 2. Lynn Grossnickle (WG) 32-9 1/2; 3. Emily Cory (NP) 32-9.
Discus — 1. Cory (NP) 114-3 1/2; 2. Stakey (SH) 93-3 1/2; 3. Kalyn Halferty (CM) 92-4.
100 Meters — 1. Sarah Humphrey (NP) 13.32; 2. April Sigmund (SH) 13.82; 3. Caitlyn Juel (WM) 13.85.
200 Meters — 1. Andreassen (NP) 26.07; 2. Mosia Moeckly (NP) 27.35; 3. A. Sigmund (SH) 27.88.
400 Meters — 1. Christensen (NP) 58.24; 2. A. Sigmund (SH) 1:03.11; 3. Olivia Sieve (NP) 1:06.32.
800 Meters — 1. Laura Sigmund (SH) 2:25.25; 2. Bethany Olson (SH) 2:26.66; 3. Sara Davis (WM) 2:29.02.
1,500 Meters — 1. L. Sigmund (SH) 5:06.96; 2. Dawn Gildersleeve (NP) 5:07.04; 3. Stephanie Markey (CN) 5:27.68.
3,000 Meters — 1. L. Sigmund (SH) 11:29.24; 2. Markey (CN) 12:18.63; 3. Stephanie Clemens (NP) 12:55.41.
100 Hurdles — 1. Kylie Wunschiels (WG) 16.49; 2. Becca Lutter (SH) 16.70; 3. Amanda Speake (CN) 16.75.
400 Hurdles — 1. Becky Rampton (NP) 1:11.03; 2. Howard (SH) 1:13.34; 3. Abbey Doering (SH) 1:15.29.
Shuttle Hurdle Relay — 1. South Hamilton 1:10.41 (Howard 18.1, Doering 18.6, Cassie Vold 16.6, Lutter 17.1); 2. Woodward-Granger 1:11.18; 3. North Polk 1:12.62.
4x100 Relay — 1. North Polk 51.18; 2. South Hamilton 53.78 (Melody Rueger 13.6, Abigail Swalla 13.9, Brittani Fisher 13.0, Miranda Burroughs 13.5); 3. West Marshall 53.81.
4x200 Relay — 1. North Polk 1:48.74; 2. South Hamilton 1:54.28 (Rueger 29.1, Sierra Weltha 30.8, Fisher 28.8, Caitlin Rexroat 27.6); 3. West Marshall 1:55.31.
4x400 Relay — 1. North Polk 4:13.10; 2. South Hamilton 4:13.44 (A. Sigmund 1:03.2, Weltha 1:05.3, Olson 1:02.4, Rexroat 1:02.6); 3. West Marshall 4:34.43.
4x800 Relay — 1. South Hamilton 10:36.36 (Rexroat 2:33.8, Jenn Fisher 2:51.9, Weltha 2:35.5, Olson 2:36.0); 2. West Marshall 10:43.54; 3. Woodward-Granger 11:03.12.
Sprint Medley Relay — 1. South Hamilton 1:59.25 (Rueger 13.4, Swalla 13.8, Weltha 27.7, Rexroat 1:03.8); 2. West Marshall 2:02.37; 3. North Polk 2:03.47.
Distance Medley Relay — 1. South Hamilton 4:26.94 (Rueger 28.7, Fisher 28.1, Olson 1:05.1, L. Sigmund 2:25.1); 2. Colfax-Mingo 4:29.47; 3. West Marshall 4:48.45.
Faced with the daunting task of going head-to-head with a North Polk squad that features a bevy of the top sprinters in Class 2A, Klein's South Hamilton team did everything right — and then some — here at the Heart of Iowa Conference track meet.
The Hawks won eight gold medals and placed in the top three in all 19 events to claim their second straight HOIC small-school division championship, a feat that Klein didn't think was very realistic considering who his crew was up against.
"We're very surprised because North Polk has so many quality kids," Klein said after his team had racked up 200 points, which was 29 points better than the runner-up Comets. "We knew they were going to kill us in the sprints, but we thought we had the edge with our distance kids.
"We had to run the perfect meet to beat North Polk and we did that."
There were six teams in the field, but four of those teams may as well have stayed home. South Hamilton and North Polk combined to win 18 of the 19 events — only Kylie Wunschiels of Woodward-Granger in the 100-meter hurdles spoiled the two-team feast — and claim 39 of the possible 57 medals.
West Marshall finished in the third spot with 83 points. Woodward-Granger (66), Colo-NESCO (34) and Colfax-Mingo (18) rounded out the field.
It was South Hamilton's depth that proved to be the difference. The Hawks hoarded 21 top three performances and scored fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place points in eight events, and they also double-placed in 10 of the 12 individual events.
"It was really nice to win this," South Hamilton senior Laura Sigmund said after she wrapped up her league career with a meet-high four gold medals. "I was really happy that we beat North Polk because they're a really great team and they have really good sprinters."
Sigmund again dominated the distance events. She won the 800 (2 minutes 25.25 seconds), 1,500 (5:06.96) and 3,000 (11:29.24), and also anchored the Hawks' distance medley relay to victory (4:26.94) with a 2:25.1 anchor 800.
"You always say you can never replace kids and I don't think we'll be able to replace her," Klein said of Sigmund. "Laura won't let people beat her. She's got that other gear when she needs it and away she goes."
Sigmund was locked in a shoulder-to-shoulder tussle with North Polk's Dawn Gildersleeve for all 3 1/2 laps of the 1,500. Content to hang directly in back of Gildersleeve for much of the race, Sigmund finally made her move to the front with 200 meters remaining and then held the Comet runner off as the two sprinted down the homestretch. Gildersleeve was less than two-tenths of a second behind Sigmund.
"That was my last (1,500) ever, so I really wanted to win it because I've run it since the seventh grade," Sigmund said.
Jessica Stakey earned an individual gold medal for the Hawks as well. She won the shot put on Tuesday — the meet was suspended because of rain and resumed Thursday afternoon — with a best toss of 35 feet 3/4-inch.
South Hamilton also took the top prize in three other relays — the shuttle hurdle (1:10.41), 4x800 (10:36.36) and sprint medley (1:59.25). Caitlin Rexroat, Bethany Olson, Sierra Weltha and Melody Rueger were each members of two of the winning relays.
Olson was also the runner-up to Sigmund in the 800 (2:26.66). April Sigmund was a two-time silver medalist in the 100 (13.82 seconds) and 400 (1:03.11). Becca Lutter (100 hurdles, 16.70 seconds) and Dana Howard (400 hurdles, 1:13.34) also earned runner-up points.
North Polk certainly flexed its muscles in the sprints, winning the 100, 200, 400, 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400. The 4x100 and 4x200 relays consisted of the same four girls — Sarah Humphrey, Casie Christensen, Maria Moeckly and Jordan Andreassen — that won 2A state titles in the events at last year's state meet. The Comets won the 4x100 by more than two seconds and the 4x200 by a whopping six seconds.
South Hamilton, which has won every meet but one that it has entered this spring, will be in Eagle Grove on Saturday to take part in a 2A regional meet at 10 a.m.
