PELLA — The Panorama boys set the stage Friday, and the Panther girls followed up Saturday as each squad posted results at the Central College Indoor Classic that left head coach Greg Thompson more than happy.
“Three boys set four new personal bests, and if this wasn’t the best overall Central Indoor for our boys it has to be close,” Thompson said. “We had 10 events place in the top 20, of which four were in the top 10. This was an impressive start to the season.”
One day later the Panther girls also had three thinclads set a total of four personal best efforts.
“This was an excellent meet, and, like the boys, has to be one of the best for the program,” Thompson said. “We had 14 events in the top 20 and seven were top 10. This was a very impressive start to the season. It is an unclassed meet, so all schools compete against each other. We, as coaches, feel good if we get a few events in the top 20 at a meet like this.”
Colton Stogdill was named boys team MVP by the Panther coaches. He was 15th in the 3200 in 11 minutes, 25.4 seconds, a new PB (personal best) by 20 seconds, with his 2:45.75 in the 800 a drop of nine seconds.
Dan Jensen was seventh in the shot put at 42 feet, four inches, with Zac Rizzuti’s 17th-place leap of 17’11-3/4 a team best.
Spencer Hunt sped to seventh in the 60 meter dash in 7.47 seconds, with a 9.22 second clocking in 60 hurdles placing Luke South 10th overall. Hunt was eighth in the 200 in a team-best 24.33, with Levi Richey running a 59.84 400 while Danny Nordquist had a team-best 5:09.18 in the 1600.
Rizzuti, South, Hunt and Gracen Wellberg combined to place seventh in the 4×200 in 1:40.95, with Rizzuti, Richey, Lucas Wasson and Josh Carstens were 16th in the 4×800 in 10:02.19 while Welberg, South, Rizzuti and Hunt finished 13th in the 4×400 in 3:52.89.
Morgan Johnk tied for top honors in the girls high jump after clearing 5’2, with Lydia Knapp tying for 12th at 4’8.
Knapp’s 13th-place showing of 32″4-1/4 in the shot put and her effort in the 400 (time n/a) were both new PB’s and convinced the coaches to name her girls MVP.
Bailey Beckman was fifth, and Payton Douglass 16th, in the long jump with flights of 15’6 and 14’4.
Johnk broke her own school indoor record in the 60 hurdles in 9.71 seconds, with Ella Waddle placing eighth in the 1500 with a clocking of 5:36.53. Waddle also led the team in the 800, finishing 18th in 2:42.24.
The 4×800 unit of Brianna Hoffman, Lydia Lindstrom, and Olivia and Gwen Steffen, combined to finish seventh in 10:44.99. Douglass, Johnk, Carson Fisher and Shey Storesund were 12th in the 4×200 in 1:59.24, with the 4×200 B quartet of Hoffman, Knapp, Maggie Woodvine and Hope Arganbright crossed 16th in 2:00.3.
The 4×400 A quartet was a scratch, but no matter, as the B foursome of Hoffman, Knapp and the Steffen sisters posted a 4:31.84, with a time of 4:49.35 recorded by the C unit of Storesund, Lindstrom, Fisher and Maddie Knapp.
