A deep field of athletes from all over the state got their first runs, jumps, and throws of the season going at the UNI Dickinson Indoor Relays Monday and Tuesday.
Headlining the start to the year were the Pella boys — who placed 2nd in Class 3A last spring and are the defending Little Hawkeye Conference champions. The green and white had one of the best indoor meets in school history to begin what looks to be a special year in 2023. The field of teams at UNI featured several Class 4A schools and select 3A and 2A competitors, with several previous state medal winners lining up in multiple events.
Chase Lauman–the most decorated returning athlete for the Dutch, has already earned his spot at the Drake Relays, where he finished in the top 10 in 2022. Lauman ran 800 meters in a time of 1:56.98 to win the race and earn a Blue Standard qualifying spot.
CJ Shetterly broke the school record for the 60 meters in his first race (6.983 seconds), and followed that up with a 6.92 time in the finals to place 2nd. Shetterly placed 5th overall in the long jump (21-03.75) as well.
The Dutch throwers seem to be poised for a strong campaign this spring as well, as after the first meets of the season for Hanson King and Brandon Fischer, the two are now No. 1 and No. 3 respectfully in indoor records for that storied part of the program. King placed 5th and his throw of 54-00 even is the best ever at an indoor competition for Pella, and also broke the Blue Standard for the Drake Relays in April. Fischer — a 2022 state qualifier, topped 52-09.75 for his best throw — which is 6 and a half inches better than his top mark from last spring, and placed 7th. King’s throw beat the indoor marks set in the same seasons as Nick DeJong (2019) and Kody Huisman (2021) won their state championships in May, and Fischer now stands behind Hanson and former state medal winner Austin Hill.
Pella also turned in several promising finishes from key athletes that shows off some impressive potential depth, including a 13th place finish (8.77 seconds) for Luke Fairchild in the 60 meter hurdles — he’s the lone returner from the 110 meter state championship team in 2022. Nathan Vander Waal (9th place – 9:58.48) became just the 9th-ever Dutch runner to break 10 minutes in the 3200, and teammate Zach Neumann beat his state meet race from last year by 20 seconds (25th place, 10:46.27). Canaan Dunham was 11th in the 1600 meters in his first high school track race, and his 4:35.14 time was just outside the top 10 ever run in program history as well and 2nd best by a 9th grader. Senior Quinn Gruver ran 23.48 in the 200 meters to place 123th — just .15 short of his 2022 state race performance last May.
Click here for full results from the Pella boys at the UNI Dickinson relays. Weather-permitting, the Dutch will next be in action on Friday at the Iowa Track and Field Coaches Association Indoor State meet.