Distance Medley Blue Standard Qualifiers from late March 2023 for Pella
Another meet, another chance for the Pella boys track and field team to flex their muscle as the Dutch dominated the SE Polk Relays Thursday.
Pella won the meet with 185 points and added three more Drake Relays automatic qualifiers to their already hefty collection. Hanson King threw the discus 166 feet, 3 inches, as he will now join teammate Brandon Fischer in both the discus and shot put at Drake Stadium with a Blue Standard mark — the ninth for the team this season. Pella has the only two Blue Standard discus throwers in all of Class 3A, and the duo also hit the official mark during the indoor season in the Shot Put.
The Dutch 4×800 relay gave the Dutch its 10th Blue Standard qualifier, as the combo of Trey Van Hauen, Nathan Vander Waal, Canaan Dunham, and Chase Lauman ran a time of 8:05.48 — currently the fastest in the entire state. This is the fifth event Lauman has qualified for the Drake Relays, so the Dutch will have some decisions to make come late April.
Pella’s 4×100 relay has already broken a school record that last year’s team fought hard to break — Kenson Fuller, Quinn Gruver, Cam Schulte, and CJ Shetterly now have the 4th best time in 3A and a mark of 43.44 seconds, the team’s 11th Blue Standard auto qualifier for Drake. Shetterly was .03 seconds away in the 100 meter dash (10.98 seconds) — his first of the season, of adding that Blue Standard to his collection, as he’s now officially in three events (Long Jump — currently the best in 3A, and the Distance Medley). CJ was the winner in that event and the long jump Thursday.
Pella’s Blue Standards as of April 6th:
Chase Lauman – 800m, 1600m, 3200m
Brandon Fischer – Discus, Shot Put
Hanson King – Discus, Shot Put
CJ Shetterly – Long Jump
Distance Medley Relay
4×100 Relay
4×800 Relay
Meanwhile, the Dutch had several individual wins at the SE Polk Relays, including:
100 meters – CJ Shetterly
800 meters – Chase Lauman
1600 meters – Nathan Vander Waal
110 hurdles – Luke Fairchild
4×400 relay
4×800 relay
Shot Put – Hanson King
Discus – Hanson King