The opening day of the 2012 Coed State Track and Field Championships has already netted one State Champion and a handful of medalist performances by our local high school squads.  

Pella High’s Zach Buchheit clocked a 9:26 3200 Meter Run to claim the Class 3A title by over five seconds.  Other highlights on the day included a third place finish by Knoxville’s Derek Seddon, who uncorked a throw of 175 feet 1 inch – his best throw of the season – along with fourth place finishes in the 400 Meter Dash by Pella Christian’s Jasmin Schelhaas and PCM’s Jordan Van Roekel in the Class 2A Girls and Boys events, respectively.  

Other events earning medals included a fifth-place finish by the Knoxville boys in the 4×800 Meter Relay; seventh-place finishes by the Pella High boys 4×800 Meter Relay and Pella Christian’s Derek Van Kooten in the long jump; and an eighth place finish by Lexi Kain of PCM in the 400 Meter Run.  

The action on day one also featured five athletes or teams in preliminary events that qualified for Saturday’s finals.  In the Shuttle Hurdle Relay, Pella High’s boys squad clocked a 58.73 – the fastest time going into Saturday’s finals – while their female counterparts were also impressive, as they logged the second fastest qualifying team and took first in their heat.  PCM also qualified their girls Shuttle Hurdle Relay for Saturday’s finals in Class 2A.  

Individual qualifiers from Session One both came in the 200 Meters, as Kain of PCM took third in her heat to qualify the 7th fastest time in Class 2A, while Colton Spaur of Knoxville finished fourth in his heat but just fast enough to land the last spot in Saturday’s 3A finals.  

Through the first day of competition, the Pella High boys sit in fourth place in the Class 3A team standings with 12 points, but Decorah has jumped out to a comfortable lead at 29 points.  The Knoxville boys are in the mix as well, as they sit in 7th place with 10 points.  In Class 2A, the Pella Christian girls are in a tie for 14th with 5 points, and PCM is in 32nd with 1 point.  On the boys’ side, the roles are reversed, as the Mustangs are tied for 14th with 5 points, and the Eagles of Pella Christian are in 22nd with 2 points.  For a complete list of times and finishes for our local athletes, find the link to the complete meet schedule and results in Today’s Sports.

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