According to Mid-Prairie junior sprinter Brent Showalter, sometimes you can get in a “zone” as a runner.

“There is a feeling I sometimes get when I am running really well,” he said. “I had that feeling at Van Buren in the 100 meter dash.”

Showalter parlayed that feeling into a 10.98 second effort. That recording broke a record that had stood at Mid-Prairie since 1964.

“I had a good start out of the blocks and the wind did push us a little,” he said. “I was pretty much out in front from the beginning, but when you get the feeling I had, you seem to push yourself.”

Showalter had never been exposed to the 100 and 200 until high school.

“I mostly ran the open quarter in junior high,” he said. “I never ran the 100 or 200 until last year. It all comes down to having the right workouts in trying to build up speed.

“Each race seems to be different,” he added. “The 400 is speed and endurance, while the 200 and 100 are mostly speed.”

Showalter is aiming for higher goals than just reaching state this spring.

“Last year at state, I didn’t do well,” he said. “This year, I would like to get myself into the finals in either the 100, 200 or 400.”

As of Monday, Showalter was in the top 24 of each event in Class 2A.

Showalter’s 100 meter dash title helped lift the Golden Hawks to a tie for fifth place, scoring 34 points. The 4x200 meter relay team of Showalter, Adam Kos, Seth Fisher and Michael Huston started a solid week with a time of 1:35.39 for a win and also ended with a time of 46.29 seconds in the 4x100 meter relay for a second-place finish.

The 4x800 meter relay team of Adam Swartzendruber, Kyle Askling, Tristan Gingerich and Tyrell Gingerich (9:10.96) added a fourth-place finish, while Jeff Gingerich in the discus (117 feet, nine inches) and Michael Huston in the 100 (11.59 seconds) were each fifth.

CC-A

Showalter had the only event title for the Golden Hawks at the Pacha Relays last Wednesday. He took home the 200 meter dash in a time of 22.32 seconds.

The 4x100 meter relay (45.9 seconds) and the 4x200 meter relay (1:35.2) were each second. The 4x800 meter relay, with Jon Hagemeier filling in for Tristan Gingerich, ended up fourth (9:33.35) as did the mile medley team of Jeff Bontrager, Ryan Swartzendruber, Chad Showalter and Gingerich (4:14.32). Nick Peck (39 feet, five inches in the shot put) and Huston (11.59 in the 100) were fifth and Adam Swartzendruber finished sixth in the 800 (2:16.89).

M-P’s JV placed in four events. Justin Yoder pulled out two thirds in the discus (103 feet, seven inches) and the shot put (37 feet, three inches), while the 4x200 meter relay and 4x100 meter relay, running Bontrager, Ryan Swartzendruber, Showalter and Askling finished first (1:44.31 and 49.78).