Durant is host to final EIHC boys, girls track meet

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By Shannon Heaton | Friday, May 09, 2008 | No comments posted

DURANT, Iowa — The T-shirts say tradition never dies, and some high school traditions are even more death-proof than others.

Eastern Iowa Hawkeye Conference track and field records go back as far as 1951, but with the demise of the league after this athletic season the records never will be broken.

“That’s definitely a big plus,” Wilton’s Lucas Bohnsack said. “We had the best time (in the event) two years in a row, and this time it can’t be broken.”

The team of Austin Maine, Bohnsack, Marcus Wagaman and Drake Austin set the shuttle record last year.

Using a slightly altered lineup Tuesday night — Wagaman and Bohnsack were flip-flopped in 2007 — Wilton’s hurdling four improved on their conference record by 1.32 seconds.

It’s the second time this season the Durant High School track has been friendly to Wilton.

On March 31, Wilton became the first Iowa school in 2008 to have a boys shuttle hurdle relay finish in less than a minute.

“There’s so many people that can jump in at any time. We’ve had quite a few people doing it since junior high,” Bohnsack said. “We all started last year, and it seemed like we broke a lot of track records, at least in quite a few events.”

Mid-Prairie’s Aaron Stockstell already had two meet records before competing Tuesday night, but he wasn’t satisfied with his place in the EIHC record book.

He added a record in the 800-meter run (1:56.90, breaking the old record by .53 seconds) to go with bettering his old record in the 200 (21.95 seconds, breaking his own by .21 seconds).

With three conference records, Stockstell might be able to lay claim as the best track and field athlete the conference has had.

“It was (in the back of his mind),” Stockstell said of cementing his legacy with a third EIHC record. “I didn’t know what the record (time) was, but I went from there and just ran off the record pace. The 400 (his first win of the night, and not a new record-setter) took it out of me, but to come back and get my own record (in the 200) was a big accomplishment.”

Tipton junior Missy Miller had two records that she was close to breaking in the girls meet (100 hurdles, 400 hurdles).

But she and her shuttle hurdle teammates were gunning hardest for the relay mark, falling just short.

However, it’s already a Tipton record, and there are bigger fish to fry, in Miller’s mind.

“I had my fastest times this year (in both events), but I haven’t really been thinking about (conference marks),” Miller said. “We’re getting focused on racing at districts and state. I ended my cross country season (last fall) with a win like that (at conference), and just getting a couple of wins under my belt, that was the big thing.”

In the boys meet, Mid-Prairie almost doubled the output of runner-up West Liberty (132-68).

In addition to Wilton’s shuttle hurdle relay, West Liberty took a win in the distance medley relay and got a first from Justin Meyers in the long jump.

Tipton got three individual firsts, with Eric Thein winning both the 1,600 and 3,200 and Matt O’Donnell taking the shot. Wilton added another first in the 3,200 relay.

In the girls meet, Mt. Vernon and West Branch slugged it out, with Mt. Vernon taking the team title with 113 points.

Tipton was third with 70, paced by three wins from Miller in the hurdles events (100, 400 and shuttle relay).

West Liberty’s Taylor Feldman was the only other local winner, with a first in the discus.

Contact the sports desk at (563) 383-2285 or sports@qctimes.com.