Panthers have big results -- 4x800 wins title -- at State

     Monticello’s 4x800-meter relay team won a Class 2A state championship for the third straight year, and senior Paige Holub wrapped up her historic high school running career with a runner-up finish in the 800-meter run.

     Those were the biggest highlights of a 14^th place finish for the Monticello girls track and field team Thursday through Saturday, May 17-19 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. The Panthers scored 20 points at State. Holub was part of all 20 points, scoring 10 of them individually.

     “Paige Holub had another great state meet,” Monticello coach Darren Reade said.

     The downside for the Panthers was that three separate relays missed qualifying for the finals by a combined total of .47 of a second. The most heartbreaking of those came in the 4x100, where the team of Gabrielle Guilford, Maddie Lambert, Kaylee Stephen and Anna Loes missed the finals by .02 of a second, finishing ninth. The shuttle hurdle team was 11^th, missing by .21; and the 4x400 team was 11^th overall, missing by .24. The 4x100 and 4x400 had season-best times.

     “I have seen some of our things just miss out on scoring points, but I can’t remember a year when we were as unlucky as this year,” Reade said.

     The 4x800 team of Taylor McDonald, Gabrielle Steiner, Jordyn Patterson and Holub finished in 9 minutes, 35.18 seconds on Thursday, about 12 seconds faster than their season best.

     Holub took the baton for her anchor leg with Monticello in third place. She took over second on her first lap, passed leader Makayla Archer of KP-WC on the backstretch, then held her off down the stretch to give the Panthers a victory by 1.11 seconds.

     “I saw them in front of me, and just went for it, taking it little by little,” Holub said after the race. “Coming to the 200 mark, I thought, ‘Oh, no, I kicked it in way too soon, but then I just had to keep leaning forward and trying to get to the finish line.”

     Holub and senior Jordyn Patterson have been on all three 4x800 relay championship teams.

     “My main focus was getting the baton to Paige as fast as I could,” Patterson said.

     McDonald, the leadoff runner, worked through some jostling at the beginning, and was nearly tripped on the backstretch the first time around.

     “It was tight at the beginning,” McDonald said. “I had to use some elbows to get through some people. Once I settled in it was all right.”

     Steiner, the newcomer to the foursome this year, said she was proud to be part of the relay.

     “It’s pretty amazing coming into this group of girls.” Steiner said. “They are such role models for me. I just want to live up to their standards.”

     On Saturday, Holub finished the 800 between Mid-Prairie’s two outstanding sister, beating Marie Hostetler and finishing behind champion Anna Hostetler. Holub had a season-best 2:17.78 to finish second.

     “I was definitely glad I got second,” Holub said. “Anna Hostetler is amazing.”

     Gabrielle Guilford competed in three events at state, including two individually. She was ninth in the high jump at 5-foot-3, and 18^th in the 100 hurdles.

     Holub finished seventh in the 1,500, with Patterson running 23^rd. McDonald ran 13^th in the 400. In the 3,000, Emily Schlarmann finished 16^th and Rachel Larabee was 23^rd. The distance medley team was 16^th.

     In all, the Panthers had season best performances in six events, which also included Taylor McDonald in the 400 and the distance medley relay.

     It was the final career meet for nine Panther seniors, including Holub, Patterson, McDonald, Kaylee Stephen, Anna Loes, Maria Recker, Macy McDonough, Rachel Larabee and Maddie Lambert.

     “I can’t say enough about the entire group of senior girls that we were fortunate enough to have coached these past four years,” Reade said. “Their running careers and successes in cross country and in track have been unparalleled by any other class in recent history.”

     Reade was assisted by Vallerie Lynn.

May 17-19

State Class 2A Meet

(at Drake Stadium,

Des Moines)

TEAM SCORES (top 20)

     1, Mid-Prairie 60; 2, Sumner-Fredericksburg 44; 3, Panorama 40; 4 (tie), Dyersville Beckman 31 and MVAOCOU 31; 6 (tie) Unity Christian 27 and Underwood 27; 8, North Cedar 25.5; 9 (tie) PCM, Monroe 25 and Aplington Parkersburg 25; 11, KP-WC 23; 12, Cascade 21; 13, Treynor 20.5; 14, Monticello 20; 15 (tie) Southeast Valley 18 and Tipton 18; 17 (tie) Logan-Magnolia 16, South Hardin 16, Western Christian 16, and AC-GC 16. (A total of 51 schools scored at least one point.)

MONTICELLO RESULTS

     3000: 16, Emily Schlarmann, 11:51.02; 23, Rachel Larabee, 12:39.80.

     4x800: 1, Monticello (Taylor McDonald, Gabrielle Steiner, Jordyn Patterson, Paige Holub), 9:35.18.

     400: 13, Taylor McDonald, 1:02.58.

     Shuttle hurdle: 11, Monticello (Kaylee Stephen, Maria Recker, Macy McDonough, Gabrielle Guilford), 1:09.76.

     Distance medley: 16, Monticello (Kaylee Stephen, Taylor McDonald, Jordyn Patterson, Gabrielle Steiner,

     High jump: 9, Gabrielle Guilford, 5-3.

     110 hurdles: 18, Gabrielle Guilford, 16.61.

     4x100: 9, Monticello (Gabrielle Guilford, Maddie Lambert, Kaylee Stephen, Anna Loes), 51.20.

     4x400: 11, Monticello (Taylor McDonald, Gabrielle Steiner, Jordyn Patterson, Paige Holub), 4:09.12.

     800: 2, Paige Holub, 2:17.78.

     1,500: 7, Paige Holub, 4:59.98; 23, Jordyn Patterson, 5:24.64.