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Vote: Des Moines Register Iowa Ortho Athletes of the Week for May 6-12

joe randleman, des moines register
·4 min read

The stage is set for the Iowa state track and field meet on May 9 with the conclusion of the state qualifying meets in all four classes.

There were several standout performances from across the state on the track and in the field during the qualifying meets to set up what should be an eventual state track and field meet this Thursday through Saturday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

State qualifiers also were determined in singles and doubles competition for girls and boys tennis and the postseason got underway in high school golf. High school soccer teams also wrapped up the regular season, and the postseason brackets are now out for both the girls and boys.

Here are the Des Moines Register's Iowa Ortho female and male Athlete of the Week candidates for the week of May 6-12. Register readers vote to determine the winners, who will be announced at the end of the week.

Girls

Panorama's Jaidyn Sellers runs out of her blocks in the 400 meter final during the Drake Relays, Friday, April 28, 2023, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Sellers competed in the Class 1A state qualifying meet in Earlham on Thursday, May 7, 2024, and she ran the fastest 1A qualifying times in the 100, 200 and 400 along with tying for the best qualifying jump in the high jump.

Jaidyn Sellers, Panorama

Sellers turned in a phenomenal performance at the Class 1A state qualifying track and field meet in Earlham on May 9.

Sellers ran the fastest 1A qualifying times in the 100, 200 and 400. She also tied for the best qualifying jump in the high jump in winning all four events.

Sellers ran the 100 in 12.19 seconds, the 200 in 25.35 and the 400 in 57.76. Her best jump in the high jump was five feet, four inches.

Annie Smith, Dowling Catholic

Smith had a big day for the Dowling Catholic girls track and field team during the 4A qualifying meet in Norwalk on May 9.

Smith ran the fastest 4A qualifying time in the 200 (25.17) and the second-fastest in the 100 hurdles (14.59). She also ran the opening leg on the Maroon shuttle hurdle team that qualified with the best 4A time at 1:02.68, and the third leg on the sprint medley team that turned in the third-best qualifying time at 1:46.48.

Emily Blom, Pella

Blom, a 2023 Class 1A state semifinalist, advanced to the 2024 1A girls state singles tournament on May 6 by winning the 1A Region 3 singles tournament at Pella.

Blom swept Red Oak's Merced Ramirez by scores of 6-4 and 6-3.

Chloe Bolte, Sumner-Fredericksburg

Bolte turned in a dominant performance to help the Sumner-Fredericksburg girls golf team win its 2A Region 4A meet at the Pleasant Valley Sports Club in Clermont to advance to the regional finals.

Bolte carded a 69 over 18 holes to win medalist by seven strokes and tie for the fifth-best 18-hole round in the state. Sumner-Fredericksburg shot a 331 as a team to win the team title by 49 strokes.

Penelope Sowell, Burlington Notre Dame

Sowell did a tremendous job setting up her teammates during the Burlington Notre Dame girls soccer team's 10-0 victory over Wapello on May 7 at Burlington.

Sowell dished out seven assists to help the Nikes roll.

Boys

Akron-Westfield's Ian Blowe, center, stands atop the awards stand for the Class 1A boys discus throw after winning during the high school state track and field championships, Friday, May 19, 2023, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines, Iowa. Second place finisher West Harrison's Koleson Evans, left, and third place finisher WACO's Oleh Shtefanchuk as he holds holds the flag of Ukraine. Blowe turned in the best 2024 state-qualifying discus and shot put tosses in Class 1A during the 1A qualifying meet at Westwood High School in Sloan.

Ian Blowe, Akron-Westfield

Blowe turned in the best discus and shot put tosses in 1A during the 1A qualifying track and field meet on May 9 at Westwood High School in Sloan.

Blowe threw 180-7 in the discus, which is 18-2 farther than any other qualifying throw in 1A. He won the shot at the qualifying meet in Sloan with a distance of 59-8.25.

Quinton Alexander, Cedar Rapids Prairie

Alexander broke 14 seconds in winning the 110 high hurdles with the fastest qualifying time in 4A during the 4A qualifying meet at Iowa City on May 9.

Alexander won the 110 highs at Iowa City in 13.99 seconds.

Kaden Taylor, Waukee Northwest

The defending 2A state singles champion is returning to state in boys tennis.

Taylor defeated teammate Vivek Kothari in the finals of the 2A district meet at Sioux City on May 8. Both players qualified for the 2024 2A boys state singles tournament.

Axton Miller, OABCIG

Miller shot the lowest 18-hole score for boys golf in Iowa during the 2A sectional meet at the Quail Run Golf Course in Neola on May 8.

Miller carded a 7-under 65 to win medalist by six strokes. He helped Odebolt-Arthur/Battle Creek-Ida Grove shoot a 317 as a team to place second to Treynor's 306.

Jaquez Cruz, Riverside

Cruz had a busy day for the Riverside boys soccer team during the Bulldogs' 6-0 victory over Missouri Valley May 7 at Missouri Valley.

Cruz scored all six goals for the Bulldogs to help them improve to 4-5.

The Des Moines Register's Athlete of the Week is underwritten by Iowa Ortho, which is not involved in the writing or editing of this story.

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: Vote: Des Moines Register Athletes of the Week for May 6-12