Kehoe, Panthers shine at State

   Monticello overachieved throughout the State Class 2A Girls Track and Field meet, earning two medals in four events and running at or above its seedings in all four of its events.

   There were two clear Panther highlights from the meet, held May 16-18 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines:

   • Marisa Kehoe, finishing third after being seeded 10^th in the 800-meter run on Saturday.

   • The 4x800 relay, running in the first (slower) section of the event after being seeded 13^th, but finishing sixth overall and earning a medal.

   Kehoe’s 800 was stirring. She made the decision to go for the early lead, and led for much of the race.

   “I just tried to go out fast and not be scared to die (fade),” Kehoe said after the race.

   She slipped to fifth or sixth place with about 200 meters to go, but fought back to pass runners down the stretch and finish third.

   That finish earned her a spot on the awards podium in the center of the Drake football field.

   “They passed me at the 200, and I got to the last 100, and I was like, ‘This is my last race, so I might as well go after it,’ ” Kehoe said.

   “The end of this season was what Marisa believed she could do,” Monticello coach Vallerie Lynn said. “We had a talk before the state qualifying meet that I really thought that she could medal in the open 800. After watching her previous three races, I knew she was in the hunt.”

   The 4x800 team included Peyton Ries, Ava Capron, Leah Koehler and Kehoe. After falling behind early, the team made steady gains the rest of the way to finish sixth.

   “We faced a lot of adversity this season,” Capron said, “so to come here and medal is a pretty cool thing.”

   Koehler agreed: “We’ve had so many bad things happen to us. Peyton was sick, and didn’t even know if she could run today. Two days ago I fell on the sidewalk.”

   Coach Lynn said: “They knew they had to run really hard because they were in the slow heat. They put together four outstanding performances and got it done.”

   Monticello also ran in the 4x400 prelims with the team of Ries, Keziah McQuillen, Capron and Kehoe. Seeded 24^th, the team finished 17^th overall.

   “I think the fact that all the girls except Peyton had run there before was a big help,” coach Lynn said. “We talked about how we wanted to finish better than in past years. Not necessarily getting a medal, but running better than what we were seeded.”

   Kehoe also ran in the 400 on Thursday. She was seeded 10^th and finished in exactly that spot.

   Overall, the Panthers scored nine points and finished in 26^th place.

   “The seniors had outstanding leadership and work ethic,” Lynn said. “They are what drove the successes of this year’s team.

   “They are a special group of young ladies and I am really going to miss them.”

May 16-18

State Class 2A

Track and Field Meet

(at Drake Stadium,

Des Moines)

MONTICELLO RESULTS

     4x800: 6, Monticello (Peyton Ries, Ava Capron, Leah Koehler, Marisa Kehoe), 9:48.16.

     400: 10, Marisa Kehoe, 59.95.

     4x400: 17, Monticello (Peyton Ries, Keziah McQuillen, Ava Capron, Marisa Kehoe), 4:12.54.

     800: 3, Marisa Kehoe, 2:18.51.