Dinsdale’s progression stops at second

Drake Relays

By MARK PAWLAK
DES MOINES — Third place at the Drake Relays as a sophomore.

Runner-up as a junior.

The next step for North Tama’s Blaire Dinsdale would be to become the high school girls’ 800-meter run champion.

A former teammate had a different plan Friday at Drake Stadium.

Waukee junior Colette Gnade passed Dinsdale on the homestretch to take first place in an elite field.

Gnade was back in the middle of the pack at the halfway point and surged ahead late to deny a trio of Redhawks in a winning time of 2 minutes, 14.09 seconds.

In addition to Blaire Dinsdale’s runner-up finish in 2:14.61, Brooke Dinsdale was eighth (2:18.93) and Sara Stoakes 11th (2:20.34).

Freshman Shelby Houlihan of Sioux City East, who led the first 500 meters, was third in 2:15.34.

Both Dinsdales along with Gnade and Dowling Catholic senior Betsy Flood set a national youth and meet record in the 4x800 relay at the 2006 USATF National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships.

The Dinsdales got off to a strong start at the gun, but it was all for not as Clear Creek-Amana’s Sam McAllister got tangled up with another runner and her fall prompted a restart.

On the restart, Houlihan went out to the front with Blaire Dinsdale second as Brooke Dinsdale got caught up in traffic.

“The false start kind of got to me, but it let me know that Houlihan wanted to lead, that helped,” Blaire Dinsdale said.

Brooke Dinsdale went to the outside to move into fourth at the end of the first lap and Gnade was in the middle of the pack.

Blaire Dinsdale passed Houlihan with 300 meters to go and also at that point Gnade — the state indoor champion in the 800 — made her move. She caught Dinsdale in the homestretch and crossed the finish line first.

“Probably with 10 meters to go, I wasn’t sure,” Dinsdale said of when Gnade passed her. “I heard the announcer say she was coming around the outside so I knew she would be coming because I raced her twice now and I knew she’s been working really hard on her finish.”

The 800 winner had set a new meet record the previous two years, but Friday’s weather made the likelihood of a third straight year near impossible. The temperature before the race was 44 degrees to go with a northwest wind at 24 miles-per-hour.

Dowling Catholic’s Katie Flood (2:15.96) and Betsy Flood (2:17.16) were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 14-runner field.

“I’m surprised actually,” Gnade said. “It’s one of the ultimate goals for me. It’s such an honor to run with the Dinsdales, Floods, Houlihan, it’s one of the most competitive races here.”

Friday’s finish was the third in the top eight in the 800 for Brooke Dinsdale at Drake, including the 2006 title.

“There were a lot of smart girls in there, a lot of competitive girls,” she said. “A lot of girls that wanted it this year.”

“That field is tougher than ever,” Blaire Dinsdale added. “It’s the greatest its been.”

In the final high school girls’ event of the day, North Tama clocked the No. 1 time in the 4x400 preliminaries. Stoakes, Erin Guzman, Brooke Dinsdale and Blaire Dinsdale had a time of 4:01.17 to win the opening heat, which produced half of the field for today’s finals.

The 4x400 final has the makings of being another Waukee-North Tama showdown.

Right behind North Tama in the preliminaries was Waukee at a heat 2-winning 4:01.90 with Gnade running the anchor leg.

Last year at Drake, Waukee was the champion and North Tama the runner-up.

Sioux City East led by Houlihan, Iowa City West, Cedar Falls, Johnston, Hudson and Ames round out the 4x400 finals field.

The first Redhawk to take the track Friday was Stoakes, who advanced to the 100 finals for the second consecutive year.

Stoakes was the only Class 1A runner in the finals and her 12.75 was good for sixth place. She was fifth in her preliminary heat but it was by far the best of the four heats as Stoakes was seeded seventh going into the finals.

Last year, Stoakes left with a fifth-place finish.

It was a four-race day in all for Stoakes, who followed the 100 preliminaries and finals with the 800 and the 4x400.

Stoakes was 11th in the 800 in 2:20.34 and ran the opening leg on the Redhawks’ 4x400 relay.



Disney 18th in shot put

West Marshall junior Joe Disney had his best throw on his last attempt of the day as his mark of 45 feet, 9 1/2 inches put him 18th in the high school boys’ shot put.

Disney set a school record Thursday night at 54-5 at Monroe.



BCLUW boys leads the area’s 4x100

The Comets’ team of Austin Krause, Adam Probasco, Cory Haywood and Tanner Dielschneider had the area’s top showing in the 4x100 relay as they clocked a 45.10. BCLUW was 37th overall after taking second in its heat.

South Tama had the 56th-best time with a 45.72 turned in by Randon Hill, Josh Muhlstein, Seth McDonald and Hunter Else.

Grundy Center’s Todd Schafer, Dalton Wrage, Chris Henely and Zach Mackie were 75th in 47.90.

On the girls’ side in the 4x100, East Marshall was fourth in its heat and 42nd overall in 52.77 with the group of Heather Eash, Jena Diers, Alisha Wignall and Alaina Heng.

BCLUW’s entry of Kris Penick, Haddie Vawter, Jamie Fisher and Nicole Fisher finished in 54.73 and was 75th overall.

The Comets’ also were in the 4x400 field with Penick, Kelsey Feltz, Nicole Fisher and Vawter coming in 22nd in 4:13.96.



Triple time

Faith Burt of Cedar Falls joined long jump champion Jennifer Jorgenson of Southeast Webster-Grand in winning an event for the third time at Drake.

Jorgenson claimed gold for the third consecutive year, while and Burt was the champion in the high school girls’ 100 dash in 12.36. She was the champion in the event in 2005 and 2006.



Future Panther dominates

University of Northern Iowa football and track recruit Jarred Herring had a big day for Burlington High School.

Herring won the high school boys’ 100 dash in 10.69, anchored the winning 4x200 relay and anchored the 4x100 relay which had the third fastest time in the preliminaries.



Panthers again

Northern Iowa won its second consecutive title in the men’s university 4x800 relay. The Panthers’ group of Jack Ogden, Dorian Ulrey, Mike Craddick and Tyler Mulder turned in a time of 7:28.98.