By Sam Parsons
Oskaloosa’s track and field teams were in Pella last night for their district meets with trips to the state meet next week on the line.
The full list of qualifiers will be released today, but the Indians know they will be competing in at least a dozen events.
Tatum Westercamp was the headliner for the Indian boys last night. He took 1st place in the 110m hurdles with a 14.84 mark, and was 2nd in the Long Jump at 21’0″. He was an automatic state qualifier in both events and will look to finish off a senior season in which he has been the top contributor for Osky boys track and field.
The Indian boys also had a trio of third-place finishes that could earn at-large state bids. Senior Waylon Bolibaugh placed 3rd in the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.69, and two relay teams earned district bronze: the team of Dom Piersel, JT Baker, Waylon Bolibaugh, and Tatum Westercamp finished 3rd in the Shuttle Hurdle Relay, and the team of Javion Reeves, Blake Henry, Will Roach, and Reed Peterson was 3rd in the 4×800 relay.
In total, the Indian boys team placed 7th at the meet.
The lady Indians, on the other hand, had perhaps their best showing on the season and automatically qualified in 10 different events.
The list of individual qualifiers begins with senior Maleah Walker, who continued her strong campaign with district titles in both the Long Jump (17’9.25″) and the 100m sprint (12.88s). Freshman Tierney Carter also auto-qualified for two individual events, finishing 2nd in both the 800m (2:25.50) and the 1500m (5:22.17).
The rest of the individual automatic state qualifiers included Evelyn Adam, who won the district title in the 400m hurdles; Hannah Quang, who was district runner-up in the 100m hurdles; and Emmalee Wells-Stout, who placed 2nd in the 400m hurdles.
The Indian girls will also partake in 3 relay events in the state meet next week after auto-qualifying with a 1st place finish in the Distance Medley Relay (Hannah Quang, Maleah Walker, Evelyn Adam, Tierney Carter), a runner-up finish in the Shuttle Hurdle Relay (Sadie Blommers, Lydia Van Veldhuizen, Emmalee Wells-Stout, Hannah Quang), and another 2nd place finish in the 4×400 Relay (Ryleigh Wilken, Hannah Quang, Evelyn Adam, Tierney Carter).
As a team, the Indians placed 2nd at the 8-team meet, trailing only the host school.
“To say I’m proud of this team is a huge understatement,” Indians coach Elizabeth Luck said after the meet. “I can’t wait to see what these young ladies do next weekend at the state meet.”
The state track and field meets will take place at Drake Stadium next weekend from May 18-20.
