Cyclone girls track and field qualfies five events for State Track and Field

GLENWOOD- The Cyclone girls track and field team delivered one of its strongest performances of the season Thursday night at the Class 3A State Qualifying Meet in Glenwood, qualifying five events for the Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships while finishing seventh in the team standings with 51 points.
HCHS qualified the 4x800-meter relay, shuttle hurdle relay, distance medley relay, 4x400-meter relay, and Julia Heslink individually in the 400-meter dash for next week’s state meet at Drake Stadium.
Cyclone head coach Jenny Hamilton praised the effort and composure her team showed throughout the meet.
“This meet brings a great deal of emotion,” Hamilton said. 
“The girls have worked hard all season and care deeply. They came in focused and poised, and we are proud of the way they competed.”
One of the biggest highlights of the night came in the 4x800-meter relay, where the team of Ashlyn Rau, Aspen Bieker, Sadie Alberti, and Ava Freund placed fifth in 10:11.19 and qualified for state on time.
“The 4x8 ran a 15-second PR to qualify on time,” Hamilton said. 
“This was a necessary and admirable accomplishment. We are impressed, but not surprised.”
The shuttle hurdle relay team of Paige Sonderman, Brinley Van Baale, Ainsley Mages, and Ari Daniels turned in another standout performance, placing third in 1:10.31 to automatically qualify for state.
“The shuttle hurdle has been so fun to work with all season,” Hamilton said. 
“They are positive, energetic, and super competitive. They cut over a second to qualify with a time that now ranks No. 9 on the HCHS all-time top list.”
The Cyclones also qualified the distance medley relay after the quartet of Paige Sonderman, Josie Sonderman, Aubree Wegner, and Heslink placed second in 4:16.84.
“The distance medley had a tough battle to fight and responded with such grit,” Hamilton said.
“They cut seven seconds and are now No. 8 on the HCHS all-time top 10.”
HCHS added another relay qualifier in the 4x400-meter relay, where the team of Wegner, Josie Sonderman, Van Baale, and Heslink placed fourth in 4:10.81 to earn an at-large state berth.
“The 4x4 snuck in at-large, and we look forward to what they can put together with some fresh legs,” Hamilton said.
Heslink also qualified individually in the 400-meter dash after placing third in 1:02.03. 
The freshman also added a seventh-place finish in the 800-meter run in 2:31.48 during a demanding night that included multiple events.
“Julia had a full plate,” Hamilton said. 
“She runs both a mean 4 and 8, so we took a gamble and went after both. She’s a fierce competitor, and I’d bet on her again.”
Heslink said her mindset in the distance medley relay was centered around making sure the team reached state.
“I just had the mindset of wanting to have the team go to state,” Heslink said. 
“When you’re running and you see people in front of you, it makes you dig deeper and just find a way to get your team to state.”
She also explained the mental challenge of competing in multiple demanding races throughout the night.
“It was a lot of my coaches coming over and telling me that I can do it and giving me the motivation,” Heslink said. 
“Knowing that I’m not going to feel good in the moment and that if my mind can do it then I can do it. It was also just digging deeper and finding that last stretch to finish.”
The Cyclones produced several other notable performances across the meet.
Rau placed fourth in the 1500-meter run in 5:06.15, while Freund finished 10th in the same event.
In the 400-meter hurdles, Bieker placed fifth in 1:11.07, continuing what became one of the breakout performances of the night for the sophomore.
“Aspen surprised herself with an awesome 400 hurdle time that she hopes to build upon next season,” Hamilton said.
In field events, Addie Berndt placed fifth in discus with a throw of 99 feet, 3 inches and eighth in the shot put at 30 feet, 8.5 inches. Mazlyn Nielsen added a 15th-place finish in discus and 14th in shot put.
The Cyclones also received strong efforts from across the lineup, including the sprint medley relay team of Daniels, Paige Sonderman, Josie Sonderman, and Ellerie Nelson, which placed seventh in 2:01.42. 
The 4x200-meter relay team of Brie Nelson, Frannie Wegner, Van Baale, and Olivia Oliver placed eighth in 1:55.52, while the 4x100-meter relay team of Daniels, Paige Sonderman, Brie Nelson, and Ellerie Nelson also finished eighth in 54.03.
Individually, Rebekah Christensen placed 10th in the 100-meter dash in 14.28, while Daniels and Mages placed seventh and ninth respectively in the 100-meter hurdles. 
Kerrigan Kruse finished 11th in the 400-meter dash, Allie Anderson placed 12th in the 800, and Asya Sonderman finished 11th in the 200-meter dash.
Hamilton said the state qualifying meet validated the work the Cyclones have put in all season long.
“Overall, we had a very productive state qualifying meet,” Hamilton said. 
“The work is not finished, and we’re excited to leave it all out there one more time on the Blue Oval.”
The Cyclones will begin competition at the state meet Thursday night with Heslink competing in the 400-meter dash at Drake Stadium.