How Gilbert's Emee Dani Rose to the occasion to take second in the 3,000 at Iowa state track meet

DES MOINES — Gilbert's Emee Dani was determined to place in the top three during the Class 3A girls 3,000-meter run at the Iowa high school state track and field meet Thursday.

She took 10th at the state cross country meet in the fall. She wanted to place higher than that, so she used it as motivation during Thursday's race.

Mission accomplished. Dani completed the eight trips around the track in 10:11.51 to place second behind Pella's Marissa Ferebee.

“I think it’s a redemption from cross country,” Dani said. “I was aiming for top five (at cross country), and it didn’t go my way. I think this was a really good race.”

Ferebee won the race in 9:54.27. Dani tried to stay up with the Pella sophomore for the first 800 meters, and then she paced herself to stay just ahead of Maquoketa's Isabelle Hardin, who finished third.

Dani opened a little bit of a lead over Hardin during the sixth and seventh laps, but Hardin made a strong final push.

“I knew she was there and the last 200 I saw her coming up on me,” Dani said. “I was waiting for the last 150 to really go and try and get her, and I did.”

More: Ames' Lauren Risdal and Gilbert's Emee Dani enjoy their first 3,000 run at Drake Relays

Dani had just enough in her to hold off Hardin, who crossed the finish line in 10:11.94.

“Going into it I was a little nervous, but I kept assuring myself I could do this and that it was going to be a good race,” Dani said. “It feels amazing. I aimed for top three. I’m really happy I got second.”

Ballard's Ava Vance took 13th in the 3A 3,000 with a time of 11:10.77.

Marley Turk, Lauren Risdal both place for Ames in 4A 3,000

Ames had two runners earn points in the 3,000 on Thursday.

Marley Turk took seventh and Lauren Risdal eighth for the Ames girls in the 4A 3,000.

“First time it happened,” Risdal said. “It was amazing.”

Turk ran a 10:18.66.

“It was mentally challenging,” Turk said. “I didn’t run quite how I wanted to, but I was happy I had another experience to go out and run at state.”

Risdal clocked in at 10:19.43. She was right up with Turk for most of the race, something she said was not her initial intention.

“It might have been a little bit of an accident starting out that fast,” Risdal said. “I’m just glad I got to be by her and race with her.”

West Des Moines Valley's Addison Dorenkamp won the race for the third year in a row with an impressive winning time of 9:30.64.

Gilbert's Logan Bleich takes eighth in 3A 3,200

Dani was not the only freshman runner from Gilbert to place in the longest individual race of the state track and field meet.

Logan Bleich took eighth in the 3A boys 3,2000.

"It's pretty sweet," Bleich said. "I've got to thank God, my family and my teammates. It's just awesome to be here and be able to do that."

Bleich ran a PR time of 9:28.03.

"I ran at Jim Duncan earlier, so I knew this track was going to be fast," Bleich said. "I was just hoping for a PR. PR-ing is awesome, especially here. This is the most people that have ever watched me run."

Gilbert's Carson Squiers placed 13th in 9:46.71. Western Dubuque's Quentin Nauman won the 3A 3,200 title in 8:54.11.

Collins-Maxwell's Jayden Peters just misses placing in 1A 3,000

Collins-Maxwell freshman Jayden Peters finished one spot shy of placing during the 1A 3,000 on Thursday.

Peters took ninth in 11:17.03. Even though she fell one spot short of earning a point, she was pleased with her first experience running on the Blue Oval at state.

“I was really nervous, but I came out and ran the best I could with the heat,” Peters said. “When I got here it was really nerve-racking seeing all the people. But it is a cool environment to be around just hearing all these people cheering for you.”

Council Bluffs St. Albert's Lili Denton won the race in 10:18.60.

Peters is looking forward to getting another crack at trying to earn points, and maybe even a spot on the podium, in 2025.

“I’m super pumped for that,” Peters said. “Training in the offseason will be a huge factor. Hopefully, I can work hard and be back here next year.”

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert's Emi Dani takes second in 3,000 at Iowa state track meet