Woodward-Granger thinclads prepared for state meet

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Abby Musser, Chandler Cavanaugh, Johnnie Morgan, Kaleb Noel, Cole Ashman, Michael Connor and Tanner Vermaas will represent Woodward-Granger at the State Track Meet Thursday-Saturday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

WOODWARD — The Class 2A State Track Meet begins Thursday, but it will be Friday when four Woodward-Granger events step onto the blue oval at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

After many seasons of competition as a Class 1A team, the Hawks are now classified as a 2A school for track purposes.

Senior Abby Musser will cap a stellar track career by competing in both the 100 and 400 hurdles Friday, with the former a preliminary beginning at 10 a.m. and the later a timed final set to run at 11:40 a.m. They will be the 12th and 13th events Musser has appeared in at the state meet for the Hawks.

The standout was part of state championship distance medley (2012) and 4×200 relays (2013) and ran on runner-up 4×200 and 4×400 (2012) teams and on second-place 4×100 and sprint medley (2013) squads. As a sophomore she was on the third-place distance medley team and last year was third in the 400 hurdles, sixth in the 100 hurdles, ninth in the 100 dash and was part of a 16th-place 4×800.

“She is a great mix of talent and mental toughness,” W-G coach George Ashman said. “She was as much experience as anyone out there and has always been very driven. It would be great to see her grab a few more medals.”

Should Musser advance in the 100 hurdles, she will return to the track Saturday morning to run in the finals at 12:35 p.m.

Also running the 400 hurdles for the Hawks will be senior Kaleb Noel, who will compete in track next year for Wartburg College. He was fourth in the event last season.

“Kaleb knows what it takes and has worked very hard,” Ashman said. “He put a lot of time in the off-season and ran all winter. Now it is paying off for him.”

The other W-G event at state will be the boys 1600 medley, which will in a timed final at 12 p.m. Friday.

Freshman Chandler Cavanaugh runs the lead 200-meter leg and will hand off to sophomore Tanner Vermaas for the second 200-meter leg. Senior Cole Ashman will carry the baton for 800 meters, with junior Johnnie Morgan to run the 800-meter anchor leg.

Ashman and Morgan were members of the 4×800 team that placed third last year.

“Cole and Johnnie have experience, which never hurts you,” coach Ashman said. “Cole can run a 52-second 400, and Johnnie is a little stronger in the 800, which is why we have them in that order. We would rather not be in lane eight (in the first of three heats) but maybe we can get out in front and turn in a good time.”

ThePerryNews.com will have updates each day from the state meet, with photos and full coverage at the end of each day of action.

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