Cedar Falls starts strong at Drake, Keiler wins high jump

The men’s and women’s track team both started out the seasons very strong. They continued to excel and improve as teams, leading up to the Drake relays. 

At the Cole Collinge Relays, the men’s team put up one of the highest point totals ever, scoring 249 points to win the meet. 

They had multiple standout performances, which led to the final lineup being posted for the Drake Relays.

With the relays starting on April 27 and continuing through Saturday, April 29, there will be multiple highlighted events. So far the 3200m and the high jump have both been completed. 

In the 3200m, freshman Jaden Merrick hit the Drake blue standard with his time of 9:24.92. At the Relays, on Thursday, April 27, he finished 6th with a 12 second PR, in a time of 9:12.88. This is the second fastest time in the United States for a freshman. Junior Luke Hartman also had outstanding performances, as he ran 9:32 to earn his spot on the blue oval. He improved, placing 14th, with a four second Pr, running 9:27. 

In the high jump, senior Jacob Keiler won the Drake Relays high jump, with a final jump height of 6-10. This earned him a new school record, along with a huge personal record. 

At the Cole Collinge Relays, the shuttle hurdle finished first with a time of 60.84, earning them a Drake blue standard as well. They are set to race prelims, and then, if they qualify, the finals, later this weekend. 

The 4x100m also had a Drake blue standard, which earned them their spot on the blue oval, Friday morning for the prelims. This team featured Keiler, senior Connor Trunnel, senior Derek Woods and senior Cayden Schellhorn. 

“Being a senior it provides a good opportunity to showcase the talent of Cedar Falls, but also just to hopefully set an example for the underclassmen, so they can keep the tradition alive,” Schellhorn said. 

“The first part of the relays has been good. As a distance coach, seeing both Luke and Jaden hugely improve, has been fun to watch. They both have more confidence now, and are ready for the rest of the season,” distance coach Brett Egan said. 

The rest of the weekend, some of the highlight events for Cedar Falls feature the: 4x800m relay, DMED, 4×100, 110H hurdles, 4×400, sprint medley and the 1600m.

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