Leah Stewart breaks another long-time school throwing record at NEIC T&F Meet

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — As a qualified shot put and discus thrower at last week’s Drake Relays, Charles City junior Leah Stewart had a combined six attempts.

Only one of them counted.

That was her first throw in the shot put, which was good enough for 15th place. Stewart scratched on her subsequent two throws in the SP. Then the following day in the girls discus competition, Stewart scratched on all three of her attempts and didn’t place.

“I’ve been working on a new method, and we didn’t have enough time to get it down for (the Drake Relays),” Stewart said. “My feet got crossed up in the shot put, and then in the discus, it was rainy and wet … but I’m not making excuses.”

Adjusting to a new technique may take time, but during Thursday’s Northeast Iowa Conference Track and Field Meet at Comet Field, Stewart made a “little” progress.

With a winning throw of 41 feet, 5 inches in the shot put, Stewart broke another long-standing school record in as many home meets.

The last time at Comet Field, Stewart threw the discus 128 feet, 6 inches which broke a 28-year-old record set by Krista Niezwaag in 1996.

Traveling further back in the “way-back machine”, Stewart’s SP throw on Thursday eclipsed a 37-year-old record set by Heather Tietz in 1987.

Unfortunately in the subsequent discus competition at the NEIC meet, Stewart again scratched three times and didn’t place.

“I still need to work on my footwork,” said Stewart, who will by vying to return to state next week at the Class 3A state-qualifier in Clear Lake.

Charles City senior Keely Collins, a school record-setter herself in the girls high jump as well as a four-time Drake Relays qualifier, repeated as NEIC champion in the HJ with a top height of 5 feet, 4 inches.

Stewart and Collins’s winning efforts were the only conference titles the Comets claimed at the NEIC meet, though they just missed winning the final event of the day — the boys 4-by-400 relay — when Waverly-Shell Rock’s Nolan Foster was able to hold off a homestretch-charging Josiah Cunnings in a photo finish.

With Jameson Toma, Sam Wilson and Samuel Freese, the Go-Hawks bested the foursome of Xander Graeser, Keenan Wiley, Nick Williams and Cunnings by the slimmest of margins — 3:28.5 to 3:28.6 — while preventing the Comets from winning back-to-back titles in the relay.

The Comets had a few other silver-medal performances during the evening.

Cunnings, the defending Class 3A state champion in the boys long jump, had one of his better jumps nullified due to a scratch and had to settle for second place with a leap of 21 feet, 7 inches, which was bested by Decorah senior Kaiden Quandahl by two-and-a-half inches.

Cunnings also took second in the 200-meter dash as his time of 22.95 seconds finished several lengths behind Decorah senior Kelley Gates, whose time of 21.75 seconds set a meet record.

Charles City’s girls shuttle hurdle relay team of Edie Collins, Lauren Staudt, Sophia Calpito and Keely Collins — also recently back from Des Moines as Drake Relays qualifiers — placed second (1:08.29) behind Decorah’s Sydney Kipp, Kelby Kerndt, Kennedy Richle and Renae Wilson (1:07.49).

Freshman Calpito, a DRs qualifier in the girls long jump, placed second in the event on Thursday with a leap of 16 feet, 9 1/2 inches. Crestwood junior Lily Troendle won the girls LJ with a flight of 17 feet, 1 1/2 inches.

Charles City juniors Zakey Johnson and Kaden Littleton both cleared 5 feet, 8 inches in the boys high jump with Johnson being awarded second place to Littleton’s third place due to fewer misses. Decorah sophomore Payton Webb won the HJ with a clear of 6 feet, even.

The Comets’ girls 4-by-100 relay team of Edie Collins, Emerson Bohlen, Madie Lensing and Destiny Kolheim placed second with a time of 51.95 seconds behind Decorah’s foursome of Kelby Kerndt, Hayley Stowe, Ava Holthaus and Sydney Kipp (51.62).

In the girls 100 hurdles, Calpito placed second (16.25) behind Decorah sophomore Renae Wilson (15.83).

In the girls 400 hurdles, Staudt placed second (1:08.55) behind Waverly-Shell Rock sophomore Delilah Kroyman (1:07.63).

Decorah won both the boys and girls meets.

Charles City placed fourth in the boys meet and third in the girls meet.