NM Boys Set Record at SICL Meet
MARENGO – North Mahaska has been chasing the 1,600-meter relay record all season and on Friday accomplished the feat. The effort helped them to a second place finish at the South Iowa Cedar League championships in Marengo.
The meet began on Tuesday, April 30 but due to weather did not conclude until Friday. The meet resumed for the running of the 400 and 1,600 meter relays. Lucas Nunnikhoven, Kaleb Stout, Nate Sampson, Andy Knockel chased down a 31-year old mark set in 1993. The Warhawk quartet covered the distance in 3 minutes 30.54 seconds to beat the record held by Charlie Newport, Jeremy DeBoef, Bryan Jackson and Ben DeBoef, who held the record at 3:31.7.
In the meet NM picked up four first place finishes, three seconds and doubled in three events. Iowa Valley won the meet with 132 points with NM scoring 108. Lynnville-Sully was third with 100.5.
Nunnikhoven notched a win the 400 hurdles in 57.67. Andy Knockel won the 400 in 50.30 and teammate Asher DeBoef was sixth in 55.25. The other victory came in the 3,200-meter relay with the team of DeBoef, Sampson, Ben Yang and Brayden Veiseth in 8:37.36.
Knockel took second in the 200 meters in 23.12 and added a fourth in the 100 in 11.43. Veiseth added a second in the 1,600 in 4:51.83 and DeBoef was seventh in 5:13.09. Veiseth and Sampson ran 3-4 in the 800. Veiseth finished in 2:07.86 while Sampson ran 2:10.88.
“I speak for coach Amy Griffin, as well, to say that these kids have been particularly fun to coach throughout the season,” said coach Phil Griffin. “It was a difficult season, weather wise, and we missed several meets, and the hardest one to miss is our own home relays. But, through it all, the kids kept good attitudes and competed to the max, when they did get to compete.
Hunter Wernli, Chance Angle, Stout and Yang placed second in the distance medley in 3:52.75. Wernli. Nunnikhoven, Angle and Gage Ries were third in the sprint medley in 1:40.24. The 800-meter relay team of Wernli, Ries, Angle and Stout was fourth in 1:37.23.
The Warhawks’ 400-meter relay team was fifth in 47.12 and the shuttle hurdle was sixth in 1:11.66. Nunnikhoven was sixth in the long jump with a leap of 19-feet 5-inches. Austin McMahan was eighth in the discus with a throw of 96-5. Max Reed ran eighth in the 100 hurdles in 18.23.
North Mahaska will participate in the Class 1A district meet at Sigourney on Thursday.
Team Scores: 1. Iowa Valley 132, North Mahaska 108, 3. Lynnville-Sully 100.5, 4. Montezuma 93, 5. English Valleys 78, 6. Belle Plaine 67, 7. Sigourney 52, 8. BGM 46, 9. Colfax-Mingo 26, 10. HLV 25, 11. Keota 11.5.
