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Decorah's Katie Nimrod fueled by state track power nap to run power race
Jeff Linder
May. 18, 2018 9:06 pm
DES MOINES — Katie Nimrod competed with speed in her legs and graffiti on her wrist.
The self-imposed message, scribbled in marker: 'Figure it out.'
'That's my mindset,' the Decorah High School senior said after winning the Class 3A girls' 400-meter hurdles at the state track and field meet Friday afternoon at Drake Stadium. 'Figure it out, and control what I can control.'
A future University of Northern Iowa runner, Nimrod ran in 1:03.14, more than 2 1/2 seconds ahead of the field.
It came shortly after anchoring the Vikings to a second-place finish in the distance medley relay. Nimrod was asked how she got past a 'disappointing' finish.
'It wasn't a disappointing loss at all,' she said after Crestwood's Ellie Friesen passed her with a 2:13.1 anchor. 'I ran a two-second PR in on my anchor leg. Crestwood just ran great.'
Between races, Nimrod found a tree, took a five-minute power nap, then prepared for the next race.
That's figuring it out.
Crestwood takes the team lead into the final day. The Cadets have 36 points, Dubuque Wahlert has 35. Decorah is third with 26.
Mount Vernon's Jade Hard claimed the crown in the shot put with a heave of 41 feet, 11 inches. And she knew exactly how she would reward herself.
'A big, fat, taco pizza,' she said. 'For sure, I'm ordering a pizza. I deserve it.'
Friday's triumph came as a shock to Hard.
'I wasn't expecting this at all,' she said after winning by nearly 2 feet. 'I had my heart on my sleeve. I just wanted to throw today.'
The race of the day came in the 800-meter relay, in which Dubuque Wahlert, Benton Community and Pella ran 1:40.93, 1:40.99 and 1:41.14, efforts that rank No. 4, No. 6 and No. 10 all-time.
'I knew it was fast, but I didn't know it was 1:40-fast,' said Benton leadoff runner Grace Martensen.
The Bobcats are back in the pack with 11 points now, but should have a load of points coming Saturday.
'A lot of upper points,' Ellie Masten said. 'I'm glad we could get some today.'
STATE TRACK & FIELD: 3A GIRLS
Teams (top 10, through 10 events) — 1. Crestwood 36, 2. Dubuque Wahlert 35, 3. Decorah 26, 4. Sioux City Heelan 25, 5. Pella 24, 6. Mount Pleasant 16, 7. (tie) Iowa Falls-Alden, Mount Vernon and North Polk 14, 10. (tie) Davenport Assumption and Clear Creek Amana 13.
Shot put — 1. Jade Hard (Mount Vernon), 41-11; 2. Lexie Magnani (Mount Pleasant), 39-11 3/4; 3. Kaeleigh DeWaard (Pella), 39-5 3/4; 4. Meghan Hettinga (MOC-Floyd Valley), 38-10; 5. Brooke Kruse (Carlisle), 38-2 1/2; 6. Kelsey Fields (Creston), 38-1; 7. Jaydyn Palmer (Center Point-Urbana), 37-8 1/2; 8. Leigh Johnson (Fort Madison), 37-0.
Long jump — 1. Aliyah Carter (Dubuque Wahlert), 18-0; 2. Sienna Durr (Grinnell), 17-8; 3. Ellen Castle (Boone), 17-6; 4. Hannah Anderson (Washington), 17-5; 5. Katie Saner (Crestwood), 16-11 1/4; 6. Karsyn Stratton (Clear Creek Amana), 16-10 1/2; 7. Sarah Frett (Dallas Center-Grimes), 16-9 1/4; 8. Sam McGowan (Sioux City Heelan), 16-8 1/2.
Distance medley relay — 1. Crestwood (Bodermann, Mast, Saner, Friesen), 4:06.40; 2. Decorah, 4:07.65; 3. Sioux City Heelan, 4:10.84; 4. North Polk, 4:11.79; 5. Dubuque Wahlert, 4:13.30; 6. Iowa Falls-Alden, 4:13.60; 7. Anamosa, 4:13.74; 8. Pella, 4:14.72.
800 relay — 1. Dubuque Wahlert (Wedewer, Sherman, Broderick, Hasken), 1:40.93; 2. Benton Community, 1:40.99; 3. Pella, 1:41.14; 4. Solon, 1:45.38; 5. Keokuk, 1:45.97; 6. Decorah, 1:46.62; 7. Spencer, 1:46.86; 8. Davenport Assumption, 1:47.33.
400 hurdles — 1. Katie Nimrod (Decorah), 1:03.14; 2. Maggie Cristoforo (Mount Pleasant), 1:05.70; 3. Aricka Lambson, 1:05.99; 4. Emily Holterhaus (Pella), 1:06.03; 5. Emma Kelderman (Oskaloosa), 1:06.21; 6. Brett Schneider (Fort Madison), 1:06.22; 7. Elsie Thoreson (Pella), 1:06.23; 8. Chloe Hansen (Harlan), 1:06.41.
l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com