Dorenkamp, Doll among 8 storylines to watch for at the Iowa state track and field meet
The blue oval at Drake Stadium is getting set for the high school event in Iowa this spring as the state track and field championships come to town.
Last year, the Johnston boys and Waukee Northwest girls were walking away with hardware following a successful trip to the Blue Oval. Former Southeast Polk and current Iowa State star running back Abu Sama put a stamp on his long jump career, while Ames' Ali Frandsen swept the hurdle events and starred on the girls side.
This year, we've got a new set of faces, teams and trends to follow, and some familiar favorites. Here are the eight main storylines to follow when the state track meet gets underway on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Stats are from gobound.com as of Tuesday at noon.
How is the weather shaping up for the Iowa state track and field meet?
Despite all the running that occurred during the Drake Relays, the weather may have been the talk of the entire weekend.
As tornado warnings, watches and severe weather ravaged Iowa during the Drake Relays, several delays occurred along with some winds and rain affecting track and field events throughout. The question now is, will the same thing happen for the state meet?
It appears Thursday could be a rough start with an 88% chance of rain in the Des Moines area, according to Accuweather, but there shouldn't be any severe weather that comes along with that. Outside of that, Friday is set for a high of 82 degrees with mostly sunny skies. Saturday looks to be a touch hotter, with a high of 85 degrees, according to Accuweather.
As of Tuesday afternoon, that forecast is about as good as you can ask of Iowa in May. But runners will need to hydrate well for Friday and Saturday.
Could Brevin Doll sweep four events for ADM?
Take a look at where Doll ranks in his events this year in Class 3A:
1st in the 100-meter dash (10.58)
1st in the 200-meter dash (21.43)
1st in the 4X100-meter relay (41.38)
2nd in the 4x200-meter relay (1:26.90)
In the 4x200 relay, Doll's team is just seven-hundredths of a second from claiming the top spot from Harlan Community. In short, Doll has a very real chance at being a part of four state titles, two of which could come individually.
If you're an Iowa football fan looking ahead to the future, Doll is a must-watch this weekend.
Could Valley's Addison Dorenkamp make even more history?
Dorenkamp already holds the state's all-time 3000-meter run record with a 9:23.60 at the Drake Relays, but is less than a second from taking the 1500-meter state record from Sioux City East's Shelby Houlihan, which was set in 2011 with a time of 4:26.39. Dorenkamp's best time is 4:26.93, which she set at Relays last month.
Dorenkamp has already cemented herself as one of the state's best-ever distance runners, but taking the state record here would put her atop of almost every distance record possible in Iowa.
Boys Class 4A distance races shaping up to be tight finishes
Speaking of distance running, the mile and two-mile races for the boys in Class 4A are setting up to be thrilling.
Heading into the Drake Relays, Norwalk's Tony Anania was the favorite to win both. On the first day of competition, Cedar Falls sophomore Jaden Merrick came out of nowhere with a 8:55.14 time in the two-mile, which still holds as the state's fastest this season. Reigning cross country state champion Ethan Zuber of Ankeny was just behind him with a 8:56.68. Anania finished in fifth with a time of 9:07.79, which was a new PR for him.
Anania came back to win the mile with a 4:06.54 time, with Zuber just behind him in second at 4:09.49. Dowling Catholic's Max DeRocher (4:10.89) and Pleasant Valley's Carl ReKow (4:13.61) were both within reach as well.
Except for DeRocher, all of those runners will compete in both events, which should result in some entertaining distance races this weekend.
Will Burlington's Kylee Hill win shot put title as a freshman?
It's not often you see a freshman leading the way in her class, but Hill is not only doing that, she leads the whole state with a throw of 46 feet on the season. That is nearly two feet further than the next closest contender and over three feet further than her next closest competition in Class 4A.
Her personal record is just over a foot shy of being a Class 4A all-time record and about three feet from the state meet record.
Will we have four new Iowa high school boys track and field state champions?
Johnston, Pella, Mediapolis and Williamsburg (split 2A) and Lisbon all walked away with first place a year ago. Of those five, only Pella won the state qualifying meet team title. Johnston, Mediapolis, Williamsburg (now Class 3A) and Lisbon all fell short.
In Class 4A, Dowling Catholic, Iowa City West, Ankeny and Cedar Falls all had stand-out performances at the qualifying meets by taking first. Waukee Northwest and Cedar Rapids Kennedy also won qualifiers, but those two programs are set to be dark horses with the Maroons, Little Hawks, Hawks and Tigers favored in 4A.
Pella has a strong chance to repeat in Class 3A, but ADM is likely the favorite with a crew of elite sprinters led by Doll and his pal Aiden Flora. Class 2A is led by Grundy Center, which recorded a Class 2A-high of 159 team points at its state qualifier. They are followed by Madrid in Class 1A, which scored 215 points at their state qualifier.
In short, there's a host of contenders that look as if they could upend all four of our returning team champions.
Will Waukee Northwest, Solon and Van Meter girls repeat as champions?
On the flip side of things, the girls state track meet is looking to be more predictable than the boys.
Waukee Northwest and Pleasant Valley look set for a clash for first in Class 4A, but it was Pleasant Valley who took the Drake Relays team title last month over Waukee (second) and Waukee Northwest (third). Those three should contend for the overall team trophy.
Solon took first at its state qualifying meet, but an impressive performance by ADM should make them a thorn in the side of the Spartans. Van Meter returns as a favorite in Class 2A after taking first in its state qualifier with 179.33 points, nearly 20 points more than the other contenders in Class 2A.
Calamus-Wheatland is the only returning state champion to not win its state qualifier, leaving the door open for another team. Riverside, St. Ansgar, Lisbon, West Bend-Mallard, Woodbine, Wayne, Earlham and Wapsie Valley all should have a say in who walks out with a title.
How many titles will Mid-Prairie's Jayden Stafford and Dubuque Hempstead's Ally Darter earn in the wheelchair events?
Darter and Stafford could do something pretty impressive this weekend, as they both come in as the favorites in four events in the wheelchair division.
Stafford is the state leader in the boys 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter races, while Darter leads the fields in the girls 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter races and shot put.
Stafford will have to contend with Bedford's Eli Johnson, who is right behind Stafford in the 200-meter, 400-meter and 800-meter dash races. In Darter's events, she is a heavy favorite in each by throwing three feet further than her next competitor and has lengthy gaps in time in her races. They both are set to rack up a lot of hardware, the only question is how much.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to watch for at the Iowa state track and field meet
