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Woodward-Granger earns nine state track bids, baseball, softball seasons get underway

sean cordy
·3 min read
Woodward-Granger athletes pose for a photo after qualifying for the state track meet, set for May 16-18 in Des Moines.
Woodward-Granger athletes pose for a photo after qualifying for the state track meet, set for May 16-18 in Des Moines.

It’s the final event of the spring season, and the Hawks are making it a big one. (Note: Events covered May 7-13)

Girls Track

The Hawks are packing up the van ready to run in six events this year at the state meet — five solo qualifiers and one relay team.

The team’s top-seeded qualifier, freshman Hayden Thomas has made quite the impression during her first year on the track. She’s slotted 13th in the 100-meter dash after clocking a time of 12.94 seconds at the qualifiers. She’s the second-lowest seed among freshmen.

Thomas will join forces with Charissa Klocke, Riley McCaulley and Eva Fleshner as a top 20 team in the distance medley. Fleshner also made the cut in the 3,000-meter run on her own, an event she placed 10th in overall last year.

Another returning name, Alaysia McCord gets one last crack in the high jump after making the state trip last year as well. She improved her PR by one inch to 5-foot-1 this season, and is tied with 10 other girls in the 12th seed.

Woodward-Granger's Zoey Osmundson competes in the 800-meter run during the Jayette Relays on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Perry.
Woodward-Granger's Zoey Osmundson competes in the 800-meter run during the Jayette Relays on Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Perry.

Rounding out the Hawks’ roster, Zoey Osmundson will compete in the 800-meter run while Lauren Rodgers will participate in the discus.

Boys Track

Woodward made the trip to Des Moines last year with a relay group. This year, the Hawks doubled up with two solo bids.

Chandler Drake clocks in on the right side of the podium cutoff, seeded seventh in the 400-meter hurdles after hitting 56.22 seconds at the qualifying site. A finish inside the top-eight would make him the boys’ first points-scorer in over five seasons.

Also taking one lap around the blue oval, Cael Leighton made the grade in the 400-meter dash. He’s running in the 20th slot with a seed time of 52.33 seconds.

Woodward-Granger's Brody Worley takes the field during a game against Des Moines Christian on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in Des Moines.
Woodward-Granger's Brody Worley takes the field during a game against Des Moines Christian on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, in Des Moines.

Baseball

The Hawks kick off the 2024 season on Friday with a trip to South Central Calhoun. They’ll boot up at home on Tuesday, taking on Panorama to begin conference play.

Last year’s state tournament team returns a host of talent, with six of the nine primary starting batters back in action. Sam Sejnoha returns for his senior season after leading the team with a .459 batting average and 58 total bases. The pitching staff loses the combo of the Nardini brothers but otherwise returns the entire bullpen led by Brody Worley who went 5-2 with a team-best 1.16 ERA as a freshman in 2023.

Andrea Nardini waits for the pitch during a doubleheader against Earlham on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Woodward.
Andrea Nardini waits for the pitch during a doubleheader against Earlham on Thursday, May 25, 2023, in Woodward.

Softball

W-G’s season kicks off at home Tuesday against Panorama, a team the Hawks have had dialed up the past two years winning three of the last four meetings.

The Hawks bring back a seasoned roster that looks to keep building. Not only did only two players graduate in 2023, six of the team’s top batters from last year were all sophomores or younger. A freshman this season, Maddie Martin was top-two in batting average, runs batted in, and total bases. Andrea Nardini, Maddie Rogers and Riley McCaulley also made strong impressions at the plate.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Woodward-Granger earns nine state track bids, baseball, softball seasons get underway