T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Grundy Center’s Tyler Venenga receives encouragement from teammate Emerson Vokes, right, while carrying the baton for the fourth and final leg of the 4x800-meter relay on Thursday at a Class 2A state-qualifying track and field meet in Dike. The Spartans’ foursome of Brennen Sager, Kaden Lynch, Brayden Davie and Venenga qualified for the state meet with its first-place finish in a combined time of 8 minutes, 11.97 seconds.

DIKE — The distance runners for Grundy Center boys track and field led the way for the Spartans at a Class 2A state-qualifying meet at Dike-New Hartford High School on Thursday night.

Grundy Center automatically qualified eight entries in six events with top-two finishes, including three automatic bids for junior distance runner Kaden Lynch, and the Spartans ended the night as district champions. Grundy scored 129 points to beat out Iowa Falls-Alden (113) and Aplington-Parkersburg (104) for the top spot.

“What it really comes down to is being part of a team that is grateful for each other and ambitious for each other,” Lynch said of the team’s success on Thursday. “Having this group to push each other day in and day out and just achieve our goals.”

Lynch automatically qualified in the 3,200, 1,600 and as part of the 4×800-meter relay team along with Brennen Sager, Brayden Davie and Tyler Venenga in a time of 8 minutes, 11.97 seconds that will make the Spartans a title contender in 2A at next week’s state meet in Des Moines.

But Lynch is also careful not to get too far ahead of himself, familiar with the ups and downs of the state meet.

“I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself,” Lynch added. “Sometimes you have a good day, sometimes you don’t. Just getting the opportunity to compete, I’m extremely grateful.”

Emerson Vokes also qualified in the 3,200. Other auto-qualifier spots went to Trent Cakerice in the discus, Venenga and Sager in the open 800, and the shuttle hurdle relay team of Colin Gordon, Cooper Hoy, Jacob Hoy and Tiernan Vokes.

Cakerice, a junior, set a new personal best by several feet to take second in the discus behind A-P’s Joe Johnson.

“If you look at what I looked like as a freshman to now, it’s crazy,” Cakerice said. “I think we have one of the best strength and conditioning programs in the state.”

East Marshall’s Joe Terrones was the other area boys qualifier, second to Lynch in the 1,600 after a hard-fought race between the NICL foes.

“It’s awesome to run with someone that knows what it’s like to medal,” Terrones said. “He pushed me through those first three laps and got me on that last lap, but I gave it my all and got to qualify. It takes a lot of pressure off knowing that I don’t have to sit and wait. … My goal is to finish top 10 at state.”

Grundy Center’s girls also saw success with four automatic qualifiers, including three bids for freshman dynamo Grace Storjohann, winning the 800 and part of two winning relays — the distance medley with Blessing Edittu, Carlie Willis and Ellery Luhring and the 4×800 with Laney Dole, Luhring and Karlee Lynch.

“I’m so proud of every single girl on our team,” Storjohann said. “We’ve improved so much this season. … It made me so happy to bring a group of girls with me, and knowing that I’ve put so much work in that it’s great to finish it off. I feel proud to be part of this team.”

Allison Koch also won the high jump for the Spartans.

West Marshall’s Abby Tollefson beat the seed prognostication, coming into the meet seeded fifth but finishing second for an auto qualifier spot in the 100 hurdles, taking a half-second off her personal-best time in the process.

“I wasn’t expecting to even be in the thought process of qualifying like that,” Tollefson said. “It’s really exciting. … I’ve been working on my block starts, and working on getting my front leg down on the hurdles to get to the next one faster.

“I’m not going to get too crazy about it, but it’s just super exciting to have the opportunity to go and try my best to hopefully do better than I did here.”

A full list of qualifiers, which in 2A will include eight more at-large qualifiers for each event, is expected today.