The Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn girls track & field team came away from the 2021 state championships with medals in three events as well as two new school records and season-best performances in three events.
Junior Jasmine Lux earned medals in three events–the 400 meter dash, the 4×100 meter relay, and the sprint medley relay, at the State Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines last Thursday through Saturday.
In the 400 meter dash on Thursday, Lux lowered the school record she had set and then reset in the past few weeks. She ran 1:00.31 to place fourth and earn a state medal. Lux also ran the preliminary of the 200 meter dash, placing 17th. She had been seeded 22nd in the 200.
Coach Nicole Dorhout said Lux showed an incredible amount of poise this season. “Jasmine has been an extremely dedicated, focused member of our team this year,” she said. “She had goals–one of which was to break the school record–and she did what was necessary to achieve that goal. I am so proud of her effort.”
On Friday, the quartet of sophomore Emily Mutombo, freshman Abigail Otto, junior Lydia Harders, and Lux ran their best time of the year to qualify for the finals of the 4×100 meter relay.
Dorhout was hopeful that the 4×100 would qualify for finals but was not taking anything for granted. Said the coach, “This squad had run a huge season-best time at state qualifying, so I knew things were going in the right direction, but their qualifying time placed them 11th in the field at state. The top-eight make finals, so we knew they would need to run even faster, which they did.”
On Saturday, the same four athletes ran the finals of the sprint medley relay at the 4×100 meter relay. In the sprint medley, the squad finished seventh (earning a medal) and set a new school record. Their time of 1:53.30 broke the old record of 1:53.34, set in 2001 by Terri Snyder, Lisa Epping, April Taylor, and Shana Vetter.
Dorhout had high praise for the squad. “To get into state, this group had to improve their time, and they did that by 4.5 seconds at the state-qualifying meet,” she said. “On top of that, we knew that they would need to run even faster to place at state. They took almost another second off that previous time and got that medal they were chasing. It was fantastic!”
In the 4×100 finals, the Hawks, who had qualified in the eighth-place spot in preliminaries, placed fifth and earned another set of medals.
“The team showed tremendous poise during that race, as it had been pouring rain for about 45 minutes and the track had standing water on it,” Dorhout said. “They didn’t let anything distract them from their goal, which was to place, and they did it.”
Dorhout was also happy with the way the entire team finished the season. “We had eight personal bests at the state qualifying meet, which was fantastic,” she said. “Even those who did not qualify for state had their best performances at the end of the year. We always tell the team, ‘It’s not how you start but how you finish’ and they definitely took that mantra to heart. I’m really proud of them.”
Dorhout said she wants to thank all those who have supported the track & field program. “This is my last year at HMS, and it was a great way to go out,” she said. “In the 16 years I’ve coached here, I’ve been so fortunate to work with great kids, coaches, and supporters of the team. It’s been the honor of my life to work with all the different kids, and I will miss them terribly. I wish them the best in the future.”
Results
Tied for 25th in Class 1A with 11 points.
200 preliminary – Jasmine Lux – 17th -27.42
400 finals – Jasmine Lux – 4th place (medal) – 1:00.31 – new school record
Sprint medley relay – 7th place (medal) – 1:53.30 – new school record – Emily Mutombo, Abigail Otto, Lydia Harders, Jasmine Lux
4×100 relay preliminary – 51.98 – 8th place; qualified for finals
4×100 relay final – 5th (medal) – 53.65 – Emily Mutombo, Abigail Otto, Lydia Harders, Jasmine Lux – 1:54.12