Johnston boys track & field team wins first state championship

Boys track championship

DES MOINES, Ia. (May 20, 2023) — The Johnston Boys Track & Field team won their first ever Class 4A state championship at Drake Stadium today with 84 points, beating Ankeny (80) and Iowa City High (77).  

The victory was highlighted by winning the final race of the meet to secure the state championship. Over the course of the three-day meet, numerous school records were broken and the Dragons scored points (top eight finish) in 12 of the 19 events. Some of the highlights include:

Screen Shot 2023 05 20 at 9.19.21 PMMaking Iowa and national history

  • The Sprint Medley Relay ran the best time in Iowa history.
  • The 4x800M Relay clocked the second fastest time ever in Iowa and currently third fastest in the country this year. 
  • The 4x400M Relay was the fourth fastest time ever recorded in Iowa and is currently the 28th fastest time in the country.

Two relay teams win state championships

The state champions in the Sprint Medley Relay was the Johnston team consisting of Tatum Fox, Owen Ellsworth, Kaia Fox and Jashua Anglo who broke both the school and Iowa all-time record with a time of 1:30.15

The 4x400M Relay team of Jared Klahn, Alex Wear, Dylan Grandon, and Jashua Anglo won the state championship in a time of 3:15.26 seconds.  This broke the old record of 3:18.73, is the fourth fastest time in Iowa ever and is currently the 28th fastest time in the country.

4x800Seven School Records

The 4 x 800M Relay team of Aidan O’Connor, Alex Wear, Brayden Picken and Carson Lane finished 2nd while breaking the school record by 14 seconds.  Their time of 7:38.12 is the second fastest ever in Iowa and currently the third fastest time in the country.

In the 400M race, sophomore Jashua Anglo finished second while breaking his own school record in a time of 48.13 seconds. Alex Wear also placed seventh in the event in a time of 49.68 seconds.400M

Another school record was broken in the Shuttle Hurdle Relay preliminary race in a time of 59.49 seconds.  The team of Vincent Kelly, Sean Strand, Owen Helgeson, and Tony Paye advanced to the finals.

In the long jump, freshman Jeremiah Armstrong shocked the field with a second place finish! His jump of 22 ft, 3.75 inches breaks the school record from 2006.

The state champions in the Sprint Medley Relay was the Johnston LongJumpteam consisting of Tatum Fox, Owen Ellsworth, Kaia Fox and Jashua Anglo broke both the school and Iowa all-time record with a time of 1:30.15

The 4x100M Relay team of Tatum Fox, Owen Ellsworth, Kaia Fox, and JJ Shaw came within 0.007 seconds of a state title, finishing second in a time of 41.89 seconds, a school record.

To finish up the meet, the 4x400M Relay team of Jared Klahn, Alex Wear, Dylan Grandon, and Jashua Anglo won the state championship in a time of 3:15.26 seconds.  This broke the old record of 3:18.73, is the fourth fastest time in Iowa ever and is currently the 28th fastest time in the country.DistanceMedley

Additional results

The Distance Medley Relay team of JJ Shaw, Caden Wilson, Alex Wear and Carson Lane were runners-up in a time of 3:28.18

Tatum Fox, Owen Ellsworth, Kaia Fox, and Jashua Anglo were state runners-up with a time of 1:27.56 in the 4x200M Relay.

In the 400M Hurdles, senior Sean Strand finished fourth with a time of 54.46.

4x200In the 800M run, senior Carson Lane placed fifth in a personal best time of 1:54.31.

In the 100M dash, Owen Ellsworth placed seventh with a time 11.20 seconds.

In the 200M dash, Tatum Fox finished sixth with a time of 22.09 seconds

 

Results and article contributed by Brian Hurley. Photo credit: @JCSD_Track and Mennenfilms.

400Hurdles