AMES

In one swift move last week in the first track meet of the season, Mid-Prairie’s Emmett Swartzentruber reversed a move from last year’s state track championships.

Halfway through the 2A boys 3200-meter race in the IATC high school indoor track championships March 13 at Iowa State University, Swartzentruber passed Spirit Lake’s Brandon Hughes to take over the lead.

Swartzentruber stayed in front with a powerful kick that Hughes couldn’t match.

Swartzentruber won the race in 9:55.46, beating Hughes by nearly 5 seconds. A year ago in the state meet at Drake University, Hughes held off Swartzentruber to take eighth place in the 3200.

Swartzentruber was met at the finish line by younger brother Leo, and the two happily hugged to celebrate the win.

Swartzentruber was one of three Golden Hawks who won IATC titles. Burke Berry won the shotput and Jayden Stafford, a four-time state champion last year, won the 200-meter wheelchair race.

In Class 1A, Owen Scott of Hillcrest Academy won the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 2.5 inches.

Berry, who finished seventh at the state championship last year with a personal-record throw of 51-11.5, upped his game even more at Iowa State. He won the shot put with a throw of 52-10.25, defeating Underwood’s Ryker Adair by more than a foot. Tommy Miller of Mid-Prairie finished eighth.

Stafford cruised to his win in the 200 in 33.61 seconds.

Ryan Henry led the Golden Hawks in the sprints, finishing sixth in both the 60-meter prelims and finals. His time in the finals was 7.10 seconds.

Preston Yutzy added an eighth-place finish in the 1600 and Max Swartzentruber, Emmett’s brother, finished ninth in the 3200.

Thomas Flynn, who finished 12th in the 800, teamed up with Max Swartzentruber, Max Kipp and Yutzy for an eighth-place finish in the 4x800 relay. Ryan Henry, Kaden Kos, Nolan Jergens and Emmett Swartzentruber scored a 10th-place finish in the Distance Medley.

It all added up to a sixth-place team finish for Mid-Prairie.

In the 1A meet, Lone Tree’s 4x100 relay team of Emmett Burke, Cade Willoz, Gray Spilman and Dom Garcia finished 18th.

BY THE NUMBERS

IOWA IATC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 13 at Iowa State University

MID-PRAIRIE

60: 6, Ryan Henry, :07.10.

200 Wheelchair: 1, Jayden Stafford, :33.61.

800: 12, Thomas Flynn, 2:10.55.

1600: 8, Preston Yutzy, 4:45.65.

3200: 1, Emmett Swartzentruber, 9:55.46; 9, Max Swartzentruber, 11:03.22.

High Jump: 12, Josh Turner, 5-9; 16, Cash Brown, 5-7.

Shot Put: 1, Burke Berry, 52-10.25; 8, Tommy Miller, 45-9.25.

Distance Medley: 10, Henry-Kos-Jergens-E. Swartzentruber, 3:47.40.

4X400 RELAY: 24, Jergens-Kos-Brown-Flynn, 3:54.89.

4x800 RELAY: 8, Flynn-M. Swartzentruber-Kipp-Yutzy, , 9:01.99.

HILLCREST

Long Jump: 1, Owen Scott, 21-2.5.

LONE TREE

800: 23, Brock Nebergall, 2:22.81.

60: Prelims, 18, Dom Garcia, :07.52; 33, Emmett Burke, :07.75.

4x100 Relay: 18, Burke-Willoz-Spillman-Garcia, :47.92.