DUBUQUE — Recent Woodward-Granger graduates and state track meet qualifiers Abby Musser, Cole Ashman and Kaleb Noel participated Saturday in an all-state meet at the University of Dubuque.
The Senior Spotlight meet brings together coach-nominated seniors from Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin who have qualified for their respective state meets. Saturday’s gathering was the first time in six years that an Iowa site hosted the event.
W-G co-head coach George Ashman has served as the Team Iowa boys head coordinator since 2004. He is assisted by four other coaches from across Iowa.
Each state can have as many as four entrants in each individual event and up to three teams in each relay. Some events differ from the Iowa state meet, as the boys shuttle relay used high hurdles, while a pole vault and triple-jump competition was also held — neither are officially sanctioned events in Iowa.
Musser joined Pella’s Lydia VanEe, Mt. Pleasant’s Hannah Becker and BCLUW’s Mallor Vawter in capturing first place in the shuttle hurdle in 1 minute, 3.16 seconds, the second-fastest time in the meet’s history and just off the record time of 1:02.91 set in 2009.
The W-G standout was sixth in both the 100 and 400 hurdles, finishing in 16.2 seconds and in 1:10.52, respectively. Musser was third in the 400 and sixth in the 100 hurdles at the state meet in May.
Her prep career is studded with state meet success. All told, the speedster was part of two state champion relays, four runner-up relays, and a third-place relay. She third three times in individual events and sixth twice while also placing ninth once and running on a 16th-place relay, giving her 11 medals in 13 state meet events.
Noel and Ashman paired with GMG’s Bryce Newcomb and Carlisle’s Tyrell Erb on the Iowa ‘B’ team that crossed third in the 4×200 in 1:32.94.
Ashman later joined Eliot Clough (OA-BCIG), Anikan Hall (Anamosa) and Newcomb for a fourth-place showing in the 4×400 as the Iowa ‘B’ team. The quartet finished in 3:35.42.
Noel was also in action in the 400 hurdles, placing sixth in 57.31.
All photos courtesy of George Ashman.
