(Atlantic, IA) – On a perfect Monday night, the Atlantic Trojans were able to add to the perfection after capturing first place as a team with a total of 132 team points, beating Glenwood, who had 125, by just seven points. This not only marks a major victory for the Trojans but shows that their hard work and dedication paid off with this team victory, just in time for the conference meet and the state qualifying meet next week.
You can find all the results by clicking here.
The Trojan’s success started with Colton Rasmussen earning second place in the long jump with a jump of 19’10” and also high jumped for the first time on Monday since the Sioux City Relays. In the high jump, he earned fourth while jumping 5’8″ overall. The senior also faired well in the 110-meter hurdles with a second-place finish at 16.36. Rasmussen came into the meet with a lot of anticipation for success, and despite not having the best day jumping, he was able to help put more team points on the board to help in Atlantic’s first-place finish.
Atlantic’s success continued into the 400-meter run with Devon Fields who had a staggering finish in the 400-meter dash, just .01 seconds faster than the second-place finisher Brayden Sifford of Red Oak as Fields ran 51.92 seconds in the 400-meter. Not only did Fields get off to a slow start, he was also nervous to start the 400-meter run. His finish showcases that his hard work has paid off and that the confidence is only just starting to push forward for the junior.
On the other end, the Harlan Cyclones were able to finish in fourth with 83.5 team points and a big contributor to that success came from Matthew Sorfonden who earned first in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.08, just eclipsing Tye Houser of Atlantic who finished in second at 11.15. Sorfonden knows that he can run faster in the 100-meter dash, but sees this meet as a warm-up in preparation for Thursday’s conference meet.
While Sorfonden was doing the best that he could for Harlan, the Atlantic Trojans were climbing up the ranks to be able to help the team earn first at the meet overall. That effort was pushed by Tye Houser who not only faired well in the 100-meter dash, but the 200-meter dash with a fourth-place finish at 23.53. Alex Sonntag also got in on the placement action with a sixth-place finish in the 1600-meter run at 4:56.23. Sawyer Tarrell was able to earn sixth in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:02.86 while Braden Spurr also had a sixth-place finish at 11:31.99. Shelton Mualia marked an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles at 1:03.18.
In the relay events, the Trojans earned first in the exciting 4×800-meter relay with an impressive time of 8:31.93. They also earned first in the 4×110-meter shuttle hurdle relay at 1:04.26 while earning a third-place finish in the 4×100-meter relay at 44.19, and third in the 4×400-meter relay at 3:32.41. The Trojans marked a second-place finish in the 800-meter medley relay at 1:38.01 and third in the 1600-meter medley relay at 3:52.36.
Diving into the field events, Atlantic featured Rasmussen alongside Ethan McNeal with a fifth-place finish in the long jump with a jump of 18’3″. In the shot put, two Trojans placed with Xavier Darrow earning third with a throw at 48’10.5″ while Gavin McClaren earned fourth with a throw of 48″8.75″. Darrow also favored well in the discus, with a second-place finish and one of his best throws all season at 146’3″. Teammate Cohen Bruce came right behind in fourth with a throw at 139’7″.
Head Coach Abby Becker saw the momentum jump off the gun right away for the Trojans. The boys were able to start the meet off with a lot of success that carried over to the throwers who earned multiple personal bests at the meet on Monday. She was proud of her individuals and relay teams that did a wonderful job.
Atlantic’s team chemistry was something that made the meet feel alive on Monday night. These seniors have been with one another since the beginning of their track careers and that support system has only continued to grow for the Trojans. Coach Becker saw how the boys rallied around one another while even getting involved in some events that they may not have earlier in the season.
This momentum comes at just the right time for Atlantic as the Trojans will utilize this success for the Hawkeye Ten Conference Meet that is coming up on Thursday. Trojan Colton Rasmussen sees this meet as the last stepping stone that Atlantic needed before they get into the “real stuff” of the conference and state qualifying meets.
The Trojans hit the track once again on Thursday at Shenandoah for the conference meet which will start at 4:15 p.m., weather permitting.
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Other top finishers for Harlan in the individual events include Cade Sears with a first-place finish in the 200-meter dash at 21.97 while Ayden Redmon finished behind him in sixth at 23.89. The Cyclones featured Landen Kaufman in eighth place in the 400-meter dash at 56.45 while Joseph Bragg earned fifth in the 800-meter run at 2:10.14. Franz Reisz was able to capture a sixth-place finish in the 110-meter hurdles at 17.02.
In the field events, Harlan’s Brehden Eggerss earned first in the long jump with a jump of 20’3.5″. Harlan also marked their signature in the high jump with Dallas McDowell jumping 5’8″ to earn second. Franz Reisz made his name well-known in the discus with a throw at 159’6″.
Looking at the team events, Harlan finished first in the 4×100-meter relay at 42.64 and first in the 4×200-meter relay at 1:29.39.
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