Sullivan just shy of shot put finals, top-20 finishes for 4x200 and Welch in long jump at State Track Meet to wrap up Waukon boys track season

The 2018 Waukon boys track season came to an official end at every team’s and athlete’s ultimate destination, the Iowa High School State Track and Field Meet held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines Thursday-Saturday, May 17-19. The Indian track boys had five team members qualify in three events among this season’s Class 2A track and field elite.

A pair of field event efforts accounted for the Indian track boys’ Thursday efforts at the season grand finale, each ending up short of qualification for the eight-competitor final rounds of their respective competitions. Senior Isaiah Welch’s return to the State Meet in the long jump yielded a best effort of 19’8.5” that left him short of the eight-jumper finals and in 14th place in the Class 2A 24-jumper field. Carroll Kuemper senior Miles Rupiper claimed the Class 2A long jump crown with a leap of 22’1”.

Junior Brady Sullivan was making his first State Meet appearance and finished with the Indians’ highest placewinning at the season grand finale, just missing the eight-thrower finals by less than five inches. He launched a 50’7.5” effort for his best throw that ended up placing him ninth overall in the 24-thrower Class 2A shot put field. Kingsley-Pierson senior Nick Phelps won the Class 2A shot put championship with a heave of 67’2” that broke the Class 2A State Meet record of 67’0” that had stood for nearly 50 years.

The track Tribe’s final event at the season finale was its lone relay event to qualify, that being the 4x200 made up of Welch and fellow senior Abe Schwartz book-ended by the sophomore pair of Brock Hatlan and Dawson Baures. That foursome ran to a clocking of 1:35.07 that placed them eighth in their eight-team heat and landed them in 20th place overall in the 24-team Class 2A State Meet field.

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