Mile posts: Items on Mattison Plummer, Carter Huyser, Kelsey Schweizer, Mallory Lindaman, Alexina Teubel, Tyler Jermann, Devin Allbaugh
Mattison Plummer kept her cool during a chaotic start to the women's 3,000-meter university/college steeplechase at the Drake Relays on Thursday.
Her patience under duress was rewarded with her first Relays championship as a collegian. She leads off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.
The Illinois State junior and former Southeast Polk prep saw her senior teammate, Claire Fuhlhage, go down along with another runner after the first water jump. Plummer also got spiked in her leg, causing a brief moment of doubt.
"I almost went down," Plummer said. "You kind of panic. I wasn't in a great place the first two laps. The light switch turns on and you have to turn it right off."
Plummer did that brilliantly, navigating between an open space to fifth within 200 meters. By the middle of the fourth lap, Plummer had taken the lead and was ready to pull away. Plummer opened up a big enough gap to allow her to smile down after crossing the final barrier. She won by more than six seconds over Northern Iowa junior Emma Hoins, a former Waverly-Shell Rock prep.
"I knew it was something I was capable of doing," said Plummer, who was second in this race a year ago to Drake University record holder Brooke Mullins. "I just needed to do it. Doing it here is so special."
Taking third in a new best time was Central College senior, but junior with elibility, Caroline McMartin in 10:21.45. McMartin is a former Pella High athlete. Wartburg College was ninth and 10th with senior and reigning NCAA Division III steeplechase champion Aubrie Fisher (10:32.86) and junior Ellie Meyer (10:37.84). Fisher is a former AGWSR (Ackley) prep, while Meyer ran for Iowa Falls-Alden.
Thursday's Distance Carnival
Their teammate, senior Lexi Brown, captured second place in the women's unseeded 5,000 in 16:34.95. Brown is a former New London prep and the reigning American Rivers Conference cross country champion. Central College junior Megan Johnson ran 16:35.93 for fourth. Johnson is a former Aplington-Parkersburg prep. Taking 11th was Omaha sophomore and former Valley prep Kamryn Ensley in 17:06.92.
Placing fourth in the university/college men's 3,000 steeplechase was Northwest Missouri senior and former Garner-Hayfield-Ventura prep Reece Smith. The reigning two-time NCAA Division II steeplechase champion ran 8:52.51. Central junior Caleb Silver, a former BCLUW (Conrad) athlete, ended up 12th in 9:03.19. Taking 13th was Iowa freshman and former Linn-Mar (Marion) prep Hayden Kuhn in 9:05.99. The winner was professional Alec Basten in 8:45.51.
Former Oskaloosa High prep Carter Huyser anchored the Kansas Wesleyan 4x800-meter relay to victory in 7:35:29. Huyser and leadoff runner Ty Davidson were the only two athletes on the relay who had run on the Blue Oval before.
"I tried so many times in high school, tried in college. It never happened," Huyser said of winning a Drake title. "I've had some disappointing races (at Drake), for sure. I couldn't have done it without these guys."
Huyser pushed for four years to win a Drake Relays title at Grand View University. Each time, he said, they were thwarted by powerhouse teams like Loras College. The fifth-year senior just needed a change of scenery to earn the coveted white flag.
Finishing fourth in 7:41.27 was a Dordt University quartet that included three former Iowa preps, Craig Becker, Josiah Wittenberg and Cole Zevenbergen. Becker ran for Atlantic and is a Northern Iowa transfer. Wittenberg is a former Pella High prep. Zevenbergen attended Western Christian of Hull. The fourth member was IsaacDavelaar.
In the women's unseeded 1,500, two former Iowa prep finished in the top five for Iowa State. Sophomore and former North Liberty prep Ashlyn Keeney finished third in 4:21.93. Fellow sophomore and former Johnston athlete Bella Heikes took fourth in 4:22.10. The winner was Utah's Katarzyna Nowakowska in 4:20.05.
Central College junior Noah Jorgenson fared well against bigger competition, placing third in the unseeded men's 1,500 in 3:45.40. Jorgenson is a former Sydney prep. Moving down in distance was Simpson College record-setting senior Spencer Moon, 12th in 3:50.75. Moon is a former South Central Calhoun prep. The winner was Iowa State senior Peter Smith in 3:42.32.
Three former Iowa preps finished in the top 11 of the women's unseeded 800. Northern Iowa junior Sophia Jungling took fifth in 2:09.47. She is a former Aplington-Parkersburg athlete. Northwest Missouri senior and former Indianola prep Bailey Blake grabbed eighth in 2:11.18. South Dakota senior and former Sioux City Heelan prep Madison Jochum placed 11th in 2:12.31. Lyric Olson of Kentucky was the winner in 2:08.23.
In the women university/college 10,000, Wartburg junior Shaelyn Hostager finished third in 34:21.21. Hostager is a former Dubuque Hempstead prep. Former Albia prep and Iowa athlete Jordan Winke of the Fitness Sports team was ninth in 35:29.19. Northern Iowa junior and former Guthrie Center prep Kate Crawford was next in 35:32.73. Two spots back was former Marion prep and Mount Mercy athlete Andrea Ertz of the Fitness Sports team in 35:49.18. The winner was Iowa State senior Dana Feyen in 33:51.54.
Former Dordt University athlete and current Fitness Sports runner Eric Steiger placed fourth in the university/college 10,000 in 30:17.15. Northern Iowa sophomore and former Tipton prep Caleb Shumaker ran 30:35.09 for ninth. Leading Wartburg in 11th was sophomore and former Center Point-Urbana standout Eli Larson in 30:46.15.
Several runners with Iowa connections ran in men's seeded 5,000. Cody Baele of the Fitness Sports Distance Project finished ninth in 14:13.70. Baele is a Des Moines resident. Wartburg sophomore Tyler Schermerhorn, who recently jumped into No. 2 in program history for 5,000, ran 14:18.84 on a windy night for 12th. He is a former Ankeny Centennial prep. Iowa sophomore and former Dowling Catholic prep Will Ryan ran 14:20.95 for 14th. Drake redshirt freshman and former Dallas Center-Grimes prep Aidan Ramsey ended up 18th in 14:54.40. The winner was Air Force senior Luke Combs in 13:54.76.
Wartburg senior Jacob Green, a former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep, ran 14:39.23 in the unseeded 5,000 to place 17th.
Taking ninth in the men's unseeded 800 was Northwest Missouri sophomore and former Saint Ansgar prep Riley Witt in 1:52.16. The winner was Iowa State junior Tyler Carreon in 1:49.1.
Will return to the final two days of the Drake Relays, but shifting to the Desert Heat Classic in Tucson, Ariz., where Iowa senior Alli Bookin-Nosbisch finished second in the women's 800 meters in 2:04.79. The school record holder and former Ottumwa prep was just .62 of a second behind Grand Canyon's Joanna Archer.
Finishing a respectable seventh was Hawkeye senior and former Sioux City Heelan athlete Amber Aesoph in 2:09.42. Grace Bookin-Nosbisch, twin sister of Grace, ended up eighth in 2:09.82. She is a junior on the Iowa team.
Drake Relays Friday
Fifth-year Missouri senior Kelsey Schweizer dominated the final 300 meters of the women's university/college 800 Friday while taking her first college Relays flag in 2:06.23.
"It is nice to be able to do this for all of the Iowans here, especially my parents," Schweizer said. "It's so nice to be back. Getting an individual one (flag) means a lot, especially with my last year running (in college)."
Schweizer won by 2.61 seconds. She is the first Missouri woman to win the Relays title in the 800. Her white Relays flag will pair nicely with the one she captured while running on Dowling Catholic's winning 4x800 relay in 2017.
Finishing seventh for Iowa was former Cedar Rapids Prairie athlete Gabby Cortez in 2:11.14.
An Iowa State 4x1,600 relay with Heikes, Keeney and senior Janette Schraft finished runner-up to Notre Dame. The Cyclones ran 19:06.26 while Notre Dame set a new Drake Relays record in 18:44.15. Schraft is a former Glenwood and East Mills prep who holds the Cyclones' steeplechase record.
Jorgenson of Central College came back to place sixth in the men's university/college 800 in 1:50.60. Buena Vista University junior and former Carlisle prep Kyle Miller was next across the line in 1:50.64. Huyser, the former Oskaloosa prep, ran 1:51.09 for ninth.
Running Wild Elite's Ean Caskey, a former conference champion at Cornell College, earned the victory in the men's masters 800 in 2:00.67. Caskey won by more than four seconds.
Drake Relays Saturday
A William Penn Iowa men's college distance medley relay with Jonah Heckenberg on the lead won the title early Saturday in 10:12.53. Heckenberg is a former Van Buren (Keosauqua) prep. The Statesmen were 4.06 seconds ahead of a Central College team.
Junior anchor Addy Parrott brought the Central Collegeall the way back in the women's Iowa College DMR with a 5:05 effort over the final 1,600 meters to lead the Dutch to a winning time of 12:23.83. The former Danville prep ran 5:05, more than eight seconds better than other teams' anchors, to overcome an early lead by Dordt University and Northwestern College. The Central relay included Leah Bontrager, Alivia Roerdink and Sara Goodenbour. Bontrager is a native of Wellman while Goodenbour ran for Cedar Falls High.
Wartburg, with Ellie Meyer on the lead 1,200 leg and Fisher on the 1,600 anchor, finished fourth in the women's DMR. Sophomore and former Kee (Lansing) prep Haley Meyer also ran the 800 leg on the relay that ran 12:06.26. Augustana (S.D.) took the win in 11:45.82.
In the World Athletics Continental Tour women's 800, former Iowa Big Ten champion and former Davenport Assumption great Mallory (King) Lindaman finished fifth in 2:03.27. The winner was Canada's Aurora Rynda in 2:00.97.
Northern Iowa assistant track coach Alexina Teubel finished sixth in the 16-woman WACT 1,500 in 4:10.95. Teubel is a former Mount Vernon/Lisbon prep. The winner was adidas' Anna Camp Bennett in 4:07.82.
Former Drake University star Adam Fogg of the Under Armour Baltimore Distance squad moved down in distance to finish seventh in the WACT men's 800. Fogg ran 1:47.47. Senior Wes Ferguson of Nebraska-Kearney took the win in 1:46.08.
In the WACT women's 3,000 steeplechase, former Iowa Central Community College great Eleonora Curtabbi finished 10th in 9:55.37. The winner was BAA athlete Annie Rodenfels in 9:31.03.
Shifting to triathlon, where three-time Ironman Texas champion Matt Hanson finished seventh at this year's event at The Woodlands, Texas, on Sunday. The former Bunea Vista University professor and athlete covered the 1.2-mile swim, 112-mile bike and marathon in 7:56.24. Hanson resides Castle Rock, Colo.
Placing 10th among the professional women in 9:15:17 was former Iowa City resident Lesley Smith. Jess Smith of Clive was 16th in 9:34:32 on a warm day.
Moving to the roads, where the Minnesota Distance Elite team picked up a 1-2 finish in the Get in Gear half marathon in the Twin Cities on Saturday. Former Iowa State runner Tyler Jermann captured the win in 1:06:14, just 18 seconds ahead of former Iowa all-Big Ten runner Kevin Lewis. Lewis is a former Ottumwa prep.
At the Illinois Marathon and Illinois Half Marathon in Champaign on Sunday, Running Wild Elite's Devin Allbaugh captured the half marathon title. The former Pleasant Valley prep from Bettendorf ran 1:08:49 to win by 3:21. Teammate and former Clinton High and Clinton Community College athlete Dalton Rice ran 1:16:32 for ninth.
Lynn Ahlers of Iowa City took runner-up honors in the women's half marathon in 1:21:22.
In the marathon, former Davenport Assumption prep Dan Froeschle of the RWE team was second overall in 2:30.32. He was just 46 seconds behind winner Jaime Marcos of Charleston, Ill. Artur Mueller, 40, narrowly missed jumping into the top 10 all-time in Iowa road racing history. The Davenport man ran 2:40:21 for eighth place. He needed to run 2:39.27.
Ending with college track and field and the Kip Janvrin Open hosted by Simpson College in Indianola. Former St. Ambrose athlete Jim Warren, competing unattached, took the victory in the 800 meters in 1:51.72. Warren won by 2.65 seconds. Placing third was Wartburg junior and former Monticello prep Carter Cruise in 1:53.75.
Also picking up a victory in the 5,000 was Iowa true freshman Luke Knepp in 14:42.28. Knepp is a former Pleasant Valley prep from Bettendorf who was running unattached. Placing in the top 10 in the 5,000 was Iowa State true freshman and former Danville prep Allen Bonnesen. Running unattached, he ran 14:51.09. Iowa freshman Miles Wilson, a former Cedar Rapids Kennedy prep running unattached, posted a time of 14:51.71. Iowa sophomore Miles Sheppard, a former Keokuk prep also running unattached, ran 14:52.42. Simpson's Ean Warrick, a senior and former Ames prep, ran 14:53.15.
Also picking up a victory was Central College freshman and former Norwalk prep Jack Brown. Brown topped everyone in the 3,000 steeplechase after clocking a time of 9:13.33. He was nearly five seconds ahead of Creighton's Marcos Gonzalez.
The men's 1,500 was very competitive, with 14 men breaking 4 minutes. Placing seventh was Wartburg junior and former North Liberty athlete Jack Kinzer in 3:57.17. Sophomore teammate and former Marion prep Shane Erb was ninth in 3:57.61. Iowa freshman and former Des Moines Christian standout Carson Houg grabbed 13th in 3:58.99. Wartburg junior and former Johnston prep Sam Schmitz ended up 14th in 3:59.85. The winner was Northern State's Josh Martin in 3:54.74.
Former Valley prep Lauren Schulze, a sophomore at Illinois State, picked up a fourth-place finish in the women's 1,500. Schulze ran 4:38.85. The winner was U-Mary's Elizabeth Acheson in 4:33.54.
Former Des Moines Roosevelt prep Sally Gaskell picked up a fourth-place finish in the 800 final for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet in Claremont, Calif. The true freshman ran 2:19:01.
MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Mattison Plummer, Carter Huyser, Kelsey Schweizer, Mallory Lindaman, Alexina Teubel, Tyler Jermann, Devin Allbaugh
