LAMONI — Both Perry track teams were in competition for the first time this spring with a visit to the Jenner Indoor Friday.
Head coach Matt Hardy brought only eight Jayettes to the meet and the team competed in just seven of the 13 offered events, but Perry scored well enough to place second in a 14-team field.
Ben Coy’s Bluejays were eighth among 13 teams after participating in 12 of the 13 events. Underwood won the boys side with 89 points, with Central Decatur and Panorama 2-3 at 60 and 55 points, respectively, with Perry totaling 22 points.
Panorama, third in 2A last year, rolled to the girls win with 113 points, but the Jayettes — limited in numbers and events — placed second at 44 and had several bright moments.
Sophomore Jasmine Shriver stood out, besting Panorama sprinters to win both the 55-meter dash and the 220, in 7.7 and 28.28 seconds, respectively. Fellow soph Quinn Whiton was seventh in the 200 in 30.19.
Freshman Jaylene Karolus was second to two-time state cross country medalist Ella Waddle of Panorama in both the 800 and 1500. Karolus — who also ran at the cross country state meet — crossed in 2 minutes, 41.55 in the former and 5:33.56 in the latter.
Sophomores Whiton, Shriver and Kennedy Tunink and freshman Alyssa Grow were third in the 4×200 in 2:01.31, with Grow, Peyton Tunink, Katelyn Saldana and Cindy Truong 13th in the distance medley in 5:23.2.
Shriver and Whiton were 5-8 in the long jump, at 15 feet, 9-3/4 inches and 14’11, respectively.
The Bluejays earned medals in just five of their 12 events, but the Perry coaches entered the meet determined more to see how some faces fared in new places, with less emphasis on overall results.
“It was a decent day,” Coy said. “We have our baseline now for times, which gives us a foundation heading into the outdoor season.”
Kato Dougan was second in the 55-meter dash in 6.94 seconds, with Tyler Fessler fourth in the 400 in 57.19. Dougan flew 20’3-3/4 for fourth in the long jump, with the 4×200 unit of Collin Malmberg, Jordan Long, Byron Melendrez and Dougan fourth in 1:47.05 while the 4×800 foursome of Bryan Funez, Jeb Stewart, Ben Stika and Malmberg placed fifth in 10:28.93.
Perry also ran in the distance medley relay, with the quartet of Malmberg, Melendrez, Long and Mario Cruz eighth in 4:28.28.
Hayden McFarland was 12th in the 1600 (5:52.47) and 14th in the 800 (2:32.65), with Dougan and Fessler 7-10 in the 200 in 25.01 and 25.54.
Jeb Stewart was the top Jay in the 55 hurdles with a 10th-place time of 10.1 ticks while senior Carlos Calderon placed 11th in the shot put with a best heave of 36’10-1/2.
Perry will no fine-tune where they can in anticipation of Thursday’s Davis Relays at Kaufman Track. AC/GC, Carroll, Panorama and Saydel will attend with both of their squads, with the Des Moines Christian boys and Winterset girls also expected to compete.
