PCM boys claim seven state track and field entries
May 16—MONROE — PCM's boys track and field team held its own during a loaded Class 2A state track qualifier on Thursday.
The Mustangs hosted the event and finished sixth in the 12-team field. They went home knowing three events had qualified for state but added four more events over the weekend.
Colfax-Mingo also competed at PCM High School but its season ended after coming up short for state berths.
PCM's night was highlighted by sprints, hurdles and sprint relays.
Gavin Fenton was part of both PCM wins. He won the 400-meter hurdles and ran on the winning shuttle hurdle relay team.
Seven top-three finishes netted the Mustangs with 63 points and a sixth-place finish. Des Moines Christian (108), Pella Christian (101), Williamsburg (94), Roland-Story (87) and Interstate 35 (78.5) completed the top five.
Pleasantville (49.5), West Marshall (44), South Hamilton (41), East Marshall (40), Colfax-Mingo (20) and Woodward-Granger (14) rounded out the 12-team field.
Colfax-Mingo's best finish was fourth and the Tigerhawks did that three times. Justin Myers had a part in all three of them.
The 400 hurdles had three area athletes in the top four. Fenton earned an automatic state berth with a victory in a career-best 57.04 seconds.
Griffin Olson (career-best 57.96) and Myers (58.72) were 3-4 but neither could clinch at-large state berths. The final at-large qualifying time in the event was 57.89.
It wasn't the only career-best or season-best performance for the Mustangs .
Aidan Anderson was the runner-up in the 200 in a career-best time of 22.35. That's a top five time in 2A heading into the state meet.
The Mustangs clinched state berths in four relays and three of the four teams ran season-best times.
The shuttle hurdle relay squad of Fenton, Trey Broderson, Gavin Van Gorp and Olson earned an automatic state bid with a win. They finished in a season-best 1 minute, 3.69 seconds, which ranks in the top 15.
The other three state-qualifying relays were third. The 4x100 and 4x200 teams featured Anderson, Fenton and Kaden Hale.
The 4x100 relay team also included Olson and they finished in a season-best 44.09. That time is currently 10th in 2A.
Gabe Hobbs joined the 4x200 team and they finished in a season-best 1:33.15, which sits top 12 in 2A.
Anderson, Hale, Olson and Carson VandeLune also qualified in the distance medley relay. That group was third in 3:47.31.
Ben Buys finished fourth in the discus but his season-best throw of 136 feet, 8 inches was far enough to earn a state berth.
In the 110 high hurdles, Colfax-Mingo's Myers and Carter Gibson were 4-5. Myers finished in 16.43 and Gibson ran a career-best 16.46 but a 15.91 was needed to advance to state.
Myers and Gibson combined to team up with Xavier Woods and Brandon Kite in the shuttle hurdle relay. The foursome took fourth in 1:06.82.
