Crestwood boys’ track team wins home invitational, MFL meet

CRESCO - The Crestwood boys’ track team had an outstanding week as the Cadets notched first place at its home meet on April 11 with 163 points and grabbed first at the MFL-Mar-Mac Meet on April 13 with 159 points.

The Cadets also qualified two individuals for the Drake Relays, held from April 26-29 in Des Moines. Senior Zach Mehmert tallied a throw of 55 feet, 2.5 inches in the shot put on April 11 to qualify. Senior Maurice Powell had a jump of 22-1.5 in the long jump at the MFL meet to punch his ticket.

“The two main highlights from the week were the boys winning the team title in both track meets, and we had two athletes qualify to compete in the Drake Relays at Drake Stadium in Des Moines,” Cadet Boys’ Coach Brett Daley said. “We put together a lineup on Tuesday that would give us the best chance of winning, which we did. 

“Then we used a very similar lineup Thursday in Monona to go for another team title, and we accomplished that as well. On Tuesday Zach Mehmert broke a school record and qualified for the Drake Relays in the shot put. On Thursday, Maurice Powell qualified for the Drake Relays in the long jump. 

“The Drake Relays is a professional and collegiate track and field event held annually in Des Moines toward the end of April. It involves professional athletes from around the world and collegiate athletes from across the country. Many athletes who compete at Drake have already won Olympic medals in their career, and some who compete this year will likely win olympic medals in the future. 

“High school athletes who meet the qualifying marks set by the Drake Relays are invited to compete against their prep peers at the Drake Relays as well. Having one athlete qualify for Drake is an honor. Having two qualify is quite special. Maurice and Zach have put a lot of work into their speed, power and athleticism, and their work is being rewarded with a trip to compete at the highest level of Iowa high school track and field competition.

“During the home meet (on April 11), the Crestwood boys’ team competed against some very good competition. We put together a lineup that we thought would allow us to win the meet, we executed where we needed to, and we were able to place first as a team. The standout result from Tuesday was Zach Mehmert who placed first in the shot. That mark (55-2.5) broke a school record set in 1989 by Richard Knutson (54-3). That mark also automatically qualified Zach for competition at the Drake Relays in Des Moines. 

“The standout performer of the night was Maurice Powell, who won all 4 events he competed in (long jump, 100, 200, 4x100 relay). We also had some standout performances in the middle-to-long distance races. Nathan Ahern placed first in the 800 (2:04.83) and the 1600 (5:14.27), and Dominic Bigalk had a big win in the 3200 (11:48.38).

“On Thursday at MFL, with limited rest and a stiff wind out of the south, our times were down slightly overall, but we were able to execute and win our second meet of the week. Maurice Powell had a huge second jump in the long jump (22-01.50), which won him that competition and qualified him for the Drake Relays.  

“Cody Fett was able to step up and win the discus competition (118-01). Our sprint medley team of Aidan Skoda, Dashel Donlan, Robby Ollendieck, and Nathan Ahern won a close, competitive race (1:40.69)," Daley said.