Let’s consider 2022 to be an unexpected rebuild year for Pella girls track and field team. From a state meet perspective, it was down from some of the recent heights of the program, but there were bright spots that may shine more this coming spring. The Dutch were a solid runner up in the Little Hawkeye Conference and runaway 3A district meet champions in Bondurant with 152.5 team points. Considering a solid core of talent, it was a bit of a disappointment from the team’s perspective to have finished t-20th at Drake Stadium in a super deep Class 3A field at state. But many of those faces are back, and with a mix of newcomers also bringing in new energy and speed, there’s no reason to think the green and white can’t climb themselves back into the top 10 and potentially more in Class 3A this spring season.

“I think this team has a ton of potential,” Head Coach Dak Rasmussen says. “If the girls continue to work hard and stay together as a team and trust the process, then there’s no reason why we shouldn’t bring home another state qualifying meet banner, and I think there’s a lot of parity in the conference and we were 2nd last year, and we potentially have better depth now, and we should be think about [a conference championship] also — bringing home that trophy, again.”

“With state — it’s just kind of a matter of how far have we progressed, how good have we gotten, and how close to those elite teams can we get, but the potential is there to have an amazing season.”

Key returners:
Jacie Trine, Junior – 2022 state meet: 400 meters – 6th, Sprint Medley – 7th, 4×200 – 7th, Distance Medley – 11th
Trine is coming off of a four-spot state qualifying season after earning three entries in her debut meet as a freshman in 2021. The junior is perhaps the most versatile athlete in Coach Dak Rasmussen’s arsenal, as she’s no stranger to long distance as a member of the 2022 state cross country champions. Trine is the 3rd best returning time from state in the 400 meter dash, and was only .54 seconds off of top returner Gracie Federspiel of Solon — and there’s room on the podium with all-time greats Audrey Biermann of Epworth and Ainsley Erzen of Carlisle graduating. Jacie is a near-lock to try and contend in that open race, although Federspiel turned in a really fast 58.52 at the IATC indoor meet, so there will be someone to chase. At this point in the indoor season, Trine is the 3rd fastest 200 meter runner in Class 3A as well. The biggest question for the outdoor season and in May is where does Trine go beyond the 400? A lot will depend on what Pella feels like are the best relays to score, whether that’s the 4×200, sprint medley, distance medley, 4×400, or even 4×800. Trine also has the 4th best 800 meters indoor time so far this year (2:32.12), so there may be a lot of spots for this junior to try and get to Drake Stadium. Jacie is poised for another strong season and should be a key point scorer for the Dutch all spring and is a likely four-event state qualifier.

Delanie Reynolds, Senior – 2022 state meet: Sprint Medley – 7th, 4×200 – 7th, 4×100 – 4th, Distance Medley – 11th
The senior is no stranger to Drake Stadium and was the ultimate team player as a relay sprinting specialist in 2022, one season after finding herself at four events at state as a sophomore. Reynolds was also at two events at the Drake Relays for the Dutch last year and has her sights set on multiple trips to the famous blue oval this year. The senior will be key in leading a young group of sprinters trying to replicate previous years of success. Perhaps the biggest question for Reynolds will be how the team ultimately stacks their relays — it seems as if she will be back in the sprint medley and 4×200, but the rest remains to be seen. Delanie has turned in some solid 60 meter times in the indoor season as well, and has plenty of the speed that’s made her a focal point for the Dutch sprinting rotation. Reynolds has two years of big race experience and will be a key factor in if Pella gets back to the top five of Class 3A and the Little Hawkeye Conference crown this spring.

Marissa Hackman, Senior – 2022 state meet: 4×100 – 4th
Oh, what could have been in 2022. But it’s real life and that so often impacts sports, and the super-talented sprinter Marissa dealt with a nagging leg injury for the majority of last spring that hampered her overall impact. Hackman ran in four races at Drake Stadium during the 2021 state meet, but health limited her to just a few carries — albeit strong ones, in the 4×100 relay for Pella’s 4th place race 10 months ago. There’s plenty of motivation for Hackman to show why she was missed last year, and no shortage of reason to believe her. Marissa will be side-by-side with fellow senior Reynolds in most relays and could factor into the open 100 and 200 meter races as well. Hackman has been featured in the indoor season in the 4×100 and sprint medley relays running the 200 leg, and if health isn’t an issue, will very likely find her way back to the Drake Relays and four events at this May’s final event.

Raegan Snieder, Sophomore – 2022 state meet: 1500 meters – 8th, 3000 meters – 13th, Distance Medley – 11th
Snieder was a freshman who found her fit right away in 2022, after a sensational All-State debut on the cross country course. Raegan made a triumphant comeback in Fort Dodge this past October to solidify the school’s first ever girls state cross country team championship, and this young, but experienced distance runner is poised to lead a deep distance group on the track this spring. Snieder was pulled from the 4×800 relay due to potential fatigue in May 2022, or she would have been in four races at Drake Stadium as a freshman. The now-sophomore is the 5th fastest returner in the 1500 meter race in Class 3A and is top eight in the preseason 3000 meter times after placing 13th in the longest race of the state meet last year. There’s a good chance she’ll be sharing the spotlight in those events (more on that below), and there is a lot of competition in the 800 meter ranks for Coach Rasmussen’s bunch, but Raegan will certainly be a big factor in how far the Dutch can go in Class 3A and in their entire spring calendar.

Macy Schroeder, Junior – 2022 state meet: 800 meters – 12th, 4×400 relay – 17th, 4×800 – 14th
Macy came on strong at the end of 2022 to find herself at three events at the state meet. She’s one of the top returning 800 meter runners in all of 3A, with the 5th best time coming back from last year’s race at Drake Stadium, and she’s the 13th fastest indoor time so far this spring, just two seconds back from 4th place teammate Jacie Trine. Schroeder definitely hit her peak as the season neared its end last spring, and she will be a huge factor in the 4×800 relay as well. Macy has a lot of on-squad competition for that 800 mark, and it should be a fun spring to see how she can potentially emerge from that, the same way she did to earn a varsity spot on the state championship cross country team this past fall.

—
Athletes to Watch:
Autumn Blink, Abbey Bogaards, Abby Teagarden – 2022 state meet: Blink – 3000 meters – 16th; Bogaards – 4×800 – 14th; Teagarden – 4×800 and 4×400 – 17th
It’s the annual “group athletes together in the preview” section, but hear me out. This trio of “As” had solid 2022 seasons as 800 meter specialists, and in some cases, participants in longer races. Teagarden and Bogaards were members of the three fastest 4×800 relay times from last season, and Blink was the 3rd fastest mile on the team and 5th fastest 800 last year — and was 16th in the 3000 meter race last season at state, just four and a half seconds behind her teammate Snieder (11:52.83). Blink is also coming off of a strong fall season, becoming the No. 2 runner for the eventual state cross country champions and is poised to push others on the team in the distance races. This trio would certainly be in the mix to put together a strong 4×800 relay with some combination of Schroeder, Snieder, and Marissa Ferebee — and the “As” all have Blue Oval experience that will be beneficial come postseason time.

Maddie Schmitz, Senior – 2022 state meet: 4×400 – 17th, 4×800 – 14th
Maddie has worked hard to find herself higher in the lineup for the Pella coaching staff, and ran at two races in 2022 at the famous Blue Oval as a reward for that. Schmitz may not have the big stats like those in the “key returners” category, and it can be argued she be moved to that side of the list. Schmitz is a true leader in many regards in the classroom and at Pella High, and that has translated to the cross country and track programs these past few seasons. Schmitz found herself on this side of the preview only because the 800 meter scene is extremely crowded for the Dutch — but she may have a home instead in the 400 meter hurdles, according to Coach Dak, where her 2022 season best was just a few ticks away from a state qualifying bid.

Kelsey Tauke, Sophomore – 2022 state meet: 4×400 – 17th
The younger of two Tauke sisters out for the track and field team in 2023, Kelsey had a solid debut as a freshman, taking part in the 4×400 relay at state and placing 4th at the district meet in Bondurant in the 400 meter hurdles (1:12.42). Tauke may make her biggest leap in the high jump this year (pun intended), where her indoor best of 4-10 is tied for 8th in Class 3A to start the young season, two inches better than her season best from 2022. Kelsey is likely to find herself back on the 4×400 relay, and could earn state bids and a lot of points between the hurdles and clearing the high bar this spring.

Kylie Tauke, Senior – 2022 state meet: Long Jump – 23rd
The older of two Tauke sisters out for the track and field team in 2023, Kylie had a late season hop in her step and found herself at Drake Stadium, despite battling some nagging injuries throughout the year. Kylie had a strong follow up softball campaign (41 hits, team-best 30 runs scored) and this past winter, was the leader of a Pella girls basketball team that made it to the doorstep of the Class 4A state tournament, earning Academic All-State, First Team All-Conference, and All-District honors. Tauke’s leadership will be invaluable, and she’s also hoping to improve her jumps to get into the scoring ranks of Class 3A this spring.

Payton Lyons, Senior
While the Pella boys program is renowned for it’s consistent success near the top of Class 3A, it’s been awhile since the girls have had athletes in the mix to throw their way to state. The indoor season has been strong for a senior who has worked to get extra distance in the shot put. Lyons is at 34 feet, 7 inches for her best throw so far, which is good for 7th best in the preseason. Scoring at state will be a tough test with a solid group of throwers ahead of her, but any mark in that range will be a qualifying mark to get to the Blue Oval in May, and more importantly, will add depth to Pella’s scoring abilities in the conference and district meet title races again. Lyons is an experienced thrower (and talented All-State musician, for those keeping score), and will look to lead a season of improvement for an often overlooked area in the girls track and field program.

Marissa Ferebee, Freshman
I’ve stated before that I have a small measure of hesitancy to include 9th graders in an early season spotlight, but sometimes the light shines where it needs to. Marissa Ferebee will be a likely source of success for the Dutch in 2023 on the track. The freshman sensation broke the school’s 5K record multiple times this past fall and placed 5th in what may have been the deepest ever Class 3A individual race in state cross country meet history — and she’ll be the fastest returner in that field for Coach Cutler and company later this year. In the meantime, Ferebee is finding her home on the track, and a debut run of 11:14.05 in the 3000 meters at the Iowa Track and Field Indoor meet is a time that would have been 6th best at state last May. Now, that 3000 field is loaded and there’s a long gap between Paityn Noe of Ballard and the rest, but Ferebee has raced against all of those elite athletes before, and should be a contender for some points in that event later this year. In the meantime, it’ll be a learning experience — and it’s a good thing almost all of Marissa’s teammates from the XC course will be ready to share their expertise about running 800 and 1500 meter races.

Karmyn Long, Freshman
What did I just say about freshmen and spotlights? This youngster had flashes of varsity time with the softball team last summer as an 8th grader, and in the indoor track season, has found a home already on the oval and appears poised to carry on a tradition of excellence in the sprint groups at Pella High School. Kamryn has been featured heavily on the 4×100 relay that stands at 4th fastest in Class 3A heading into the outdoor season and has an early season long jump high mark that’s 15th best in Class 3A (15-04.75). Long was keeping pace with Reynolds and Hackman in the 60 meters at the Dickinson Relays as well. There’s a high probability that this freshman will be featured in multiple relays and individual events for Pella in 2023, and look for her progress and name to pop up a lot in the conference and district meets this May.

CLASS 3A TEAMS TO WATCH:

Solon – 1st in 2022, 84 points at state
The Spartans jumped from a 2nd place finish in 2021 and turned it into a dominating season, capped with the Class 3A state championship last spring. Solon did so by earning place winners all over the track, just missing points in some events but doubling up in the 400 meter and 800 meter races. That depth shone the brightest when Sparty won the 4×400, 4×800, and distance medley races. Solon did lose some key members, including Emma Bock, who scored in four of those events between the solo and team races. But don’t count this emerging powerhouse out — Gracie Federspiel won the 400 meters at the IATC Indoor Meet and put together a blazing 800 meter run (2:24.10) that’s listed 2nd currently on Bound, and All-State cross country star Kayla Young figures to be a stalwart in a deep distance field. Hurdler Sophia Stahle placed 3rd in the 400 meter hurdles, and Mia Duckett and Aly Stahle just missed the podium in the 100 and 200 meters last May. Solon remains a threat to score in nearly every relay again in 2023, although they will have holes to fill in each. The Spartans are making a run at back-to-back titles, and they’ll be a tough out at every meet they compete in this spring.

ADM – 2nd in 2022, 66 points at state
ADM may have come from “out-of-nowhere” to turn in an excellent season wire-to-wire — and not to pat myself on my back, but it was obvious the Tigers were poised for a huge leap from 2021 to 2022, as I mentioned at the end of last year’s girls season preview. In fact, they jumped from 27th at state to an impressive runner-up finish that saw contributions up and down their lineup. The Tigers scored 16 points at last year’s state meet between three entries in the long and high jump — and London Warmuth and Olivia Tollari are back and contenders for those individual titles. ADM also earned a lot from distance standout Geneva Timmerman, who earned 3rd in both the 1500 and 3000 meters in last year’s races and another All-State finish at state cross country this past spring. The defending 4×100 and 4×200 relay champions also have three of four returning in that race (Makalya Crannell, Jada Grove, and Tollari). ADM was not able to match Solon’s depth across the entire oval last year, and were 7th in both the 4×800 and distance medley races, and just missed out in the 4×400. But there are a ton of returning faces for the Tigers and based alone on what the Spartans lost, they might just be the preseason favorites to win it all in 2023. It should be a fun battle between last year’s top two to see if they can repeat or flip the script on each other this May at Drake Stadium.

Western Dubuque – 3rd in 2022, 51 points at state
The girls from Epworth have been a really solid Class 3A program for some time, coming in 4th in 2021 and earning a 3rd place trophy in a competitive top five battle in 2022. But 2023 may be more of a rebuilding season, especially since the Bobcats leaned heavily on all-time great sprinter Audrey Biermann. The star shone the brightest at Drake Stadium last year, winning the 100, 200, and 400 meter races, and was the anchor on the Class 3A champions in the sprint medley relay. That’s 40 points that will be extremely hard to replace. But not all is lost for Western Dubuque — they scored 2nd in the Mississippi Valley Conference indoor championships. Brynn Walters was a 2022 place winner in the 100 meters and a handful of qualifiers are back. It will likely take 60+ points for the 3A champions this year to earn that title, and the Bobcats may be a year or so away from getting back to those heights, but should be in line for a fun season in northeast Iowa.

Dubuque Wahlert – 4th in 2022, 50 points at state
Wahlert gave it a great effort to repeat as Class 3A champions — only scoring nine fewer points than the 2021 title-winners, but finished just outside of the trophy podium instead in 2022 despite another strong state meet. It was more a matter of how the others ahead of them improved, and the Eagles won’t be going anywhere from the top five picture this spring. Sprinters Rylee Steffen and Meghan McDonald each had top eight finishes as a sophomore and junior respectively. The two will anchor Wahlert in what has been a traditional strength in the program for many years — sprinting relays. They are favorites to earn wins in the 4×100, 4×200, and sprint medley relays and Steffen and McDonald should again contend for podium spots in the 100, 200, and 400 races. The trick for the Eagles to get by ADM or Solon and to fend off other teams will be adding depth elsewhere on the track, especially since the top two from last year have a lot of returning talent. But if Wahlert can reach the top of the podium in those sprinting races, they can rack up a ton of points and be a real threat to get the gold.

Carlisle – 5th in 2022, 46 points at state
It’s eerie sometimes how the more things change — they often stay the same. After scoring 46 points in 2021 to place 3rd in Class 3A, the Wildcats, with largely the same cast — scored 46 points again at the state meet in 2022. Ainsley Erzen finished her senior season the same way her junior campaign went, repeating as the champion in the 800 and 1500 meter races. But as Carlisle discovered in the cross country season, that special talent left enormous shoes to fill. But a developing storyline is that Junior Maya Bergstrom is also really starting to shine on her own, even in the enormous shadow of her former teammate, with the best 800 (2:23.16), 2nd best time in the 1500 meters (4:58.23) and 3rd best time (10:55) in the 3000 in the indoor season so far and is a threat to score at state in all of those — and maybe even keep the 800 meter 1st place medal in Carlisle’s trophy case for another two seasons. The other good news is that Isabelle Noring is set to defend her back-to-back championships in the long jump, wowing the Drake Stadium crowd with a jump of 18-08.75 to win that event by nearly a foot over the rest of the field. If Bergstrom and Noring can rack up points in their respective events, Carlisle may crack that 40 mark again — especially if they can put together a strong relay with Bergstrom and fellow junior Marie Daggett (who is top ten in all distance races in the preseason indoors) to round out that threat, but the top three this spring will be a tough ceiling to break through.

Spencer – 6th in 2022, 33 points at state
In 2022, there was an elite pack of teams that clearly drew a line between the top five and the next group. Spencer turned in a really solid state meet and it feels like they have more to accomplish in 2023. The Tigers were paced by hurdler Jerra Merchant, who placed 5th in the 100 meter hurdles and 4th in the 400 meter event. Distance specialist Peyton Morey was 18th in the 1500 meters and 9th in the 3000, and had a solid 21st place finish in the deep 3A cross country field last fall. Thrower Elliana Heisinger was a double-qualifier in the shot put and discus, and Olivia Huckfelt was 13th in the discus throw as well. Spencer won the shuttle hurdle relay last year and will have three members returning on their 4×200 relay that placed 4th. But there are some spots to fill on their other place winning relays. Still, with many all-time greats that scored the majority of their points of teams ahead of them graduating, opportunity knocks for this northwestern Iowa team to crack in the top five and contend for a trophy if they see even modest improvement from their returning leaders.

Ballard – 8th in 2022, 26 points at state
Paityn Noe is likely the best distance runner ever to lace up her shoes in Iowa High School history — and she has the trophy case and record book marks to back it up, dominating the cross country world this past fall by becoming the first Iowa female prep to break the 17 minute 5K barrier. Noe’s swan song for the Bombers is writing itself, and a blazing fast 3000 meter race at UNI (9:34.08) shows she is once again the absolute real deal and–assuming good health, likely to nab that long race’s title. The 1500 will be a more competitive battle with many strong returners in that field — including teammate Annika Larson, who posted 4:51.18 at state last year. Cross country teammate Ava Vance had a really nice 3000 as well (11:29.53) at the Iowa Track Coaches Association indoor championship this spring. If the Bombers are going to contend for anything team related in 2023, they will need that trio to score a lot of points between the three distance races and 4×800 relay — and while it’s a real possibility they could cross the 40 point mark with their strong group of distance runners, they’ll struggle to match up with ADM, Solon, and Wahlert in terms of depth if they can’t find more consistency elsewhere. But a top five team finish may just be icing on the cake for the final show Noe will put on in high school.

Newton – t-9th in 2022; 22 points at state
Like a lot of Class 3A teams, the Cardinals enter 2023 as a specialist squad. They just happen to be really, really good at the hurdles. State Champion Addisyn Terpstra is back to defend her 100 meter hurdle championship and the whole gang is back from the shuttle hurdle relay that placed 2nd. But the other four points scored at Drake Stadium in 2022 graduated in distance standout Alyssa Shannon, who also just missed the podium in the 800 and 1500 meter runs. Newton could very well sweep the hurdles titles this year, and they will be fun to watch this spring. But the Cardinals won’t win a state team title and struggle to stay in the top ten if they don’t see major improvement elsewhere.

Decorah – t-13th in 2022; 19 points at state
The Vikings from northeast Iowa have rich tradition, winning 17 consecutive Northeast Iowa Conference titles, and were a strong program when Pella had a ton of success last decade, most notably finishing 5th overall and winning the 4×400 relay in 2018 when the Dutch clinched their first ever team state title. And much like our local girls, the Vikings have been rebuilding since, and there’s a strong chance they leap back into the top 10 of Class 3A — and maybe a bit more. Decorah will be paced by Seniors Julia Alberts and Lani Hubka, the first of whom is the best returning discus thrower from last year’s 3A state meet, placing 3rd; the latter placed 8th in the 200 meters last year. Three of four return from their 8th place sprint medley relay and 6th place 4×100 meter relay and they have most of their state qualifying 4×800, distance medley, and shuttle hurdle relay girls back, too. While it will take a lot to beat the top three in Class 3A this year, with modest improvement from the Vikings, they are a dark horse top five contender and should be well represented at Drake Stadium in May. Junior Hayley Stowe has the 9th best long jump during the indoor season thus far and could sneak her way into a deep top eight in that event.

Clear Lake – t-6th in 2022 Class 2A; 32 points at state
Behind a talented freshman duo, Clear Lake competed well in a Class 2A scene that has recently been nearly as strong as 3A. Addison Doughan was a podium finisher in the 800, 1500, and 3000 meter runs that would have either scored or been awfully close had she been in the 3A races. Reese Brownlee was the 2A individual long jump champion with a leap of 18-7, that was just two inches behind eventual 3A champion Isabelle Noring of Carlisle. All four athletes return from a 4th place sprint medley relay team as well, and three of those individuals (Madison Lesiure, Makella Jacobs, and Lydia Brattrud) were part of a state qualifying distance medley with Doughan. The Lions may be the 2nd smallest team in Class 3A, but that won’t stop them from having success in the stacked larger league, including their 7th place state cross country finish last fall. Clear Lake should be on the radar for a potential top five finish, especially if their distance group can find their stride in some of the distances races to bolster their dynamic duo up top.