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Assumption girls take second in Class 2A

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By Jon Gremmels | Sunday, May 18, 2008 |

DES MOINES — A state championship was within Davenport Assumption’s grasp, but the Knights couldn’t reach it.

The Knights fell two points short of first place, settling for runner-up honors in Class 2A on Saturday at the Iowa state track and field meet at Drake Stadium. North Polk finished with 46 points to Assumption’s 44. Tipton, Oakland Riverside and Dike-New Hartford tied for third with 40.

“Coming to the last three events, we had more people in more races who could score,” Assumption coach Tim O’Neill said. “We couldn’t get enough points.”

Things looked promising when freshman Mary Menster claimed third place in the 1,500 meters — the 17th of 19 finals on the schedule.

“I just gave it all I had,” said Menster, who battled Riverside’s Amanda Vorthmann to the finish line. “I just wanted to go out and run the best I could. At the last 100 meters, I tried to give it all I had, but the last couple of steps she got ahead and I couldn’t get her.”

Vorthmann finished in 4 minutes, 56.25 seconds, .02 of a second ahead of Menster.

At the time, Vorthmann’s second-place finish — worth eight team points — put Riverside two points ahead of Assumption and in a tie for first place with 40 points. As it turned out, .02 of a second was the difference between first and second place.

There was no way O’Neill could fault Menster, though.

“Mary Menster took nine seconds off her (personal record),” O’Neill said. “That was big.”

A point here, a point there — there were many places where the Knights missed opportunities.

The day got off to a rough start when Amanda Brandt, who came in with the fourth-best regional time in the 800 meters, faded on the final lap and went from the lead at the halfway mark to a fifth-place finish and had to be helped off the track after the race.

“She just didn’t have it,” O’Neill said. “She just felt awful after the race, and I don’t know if it was mental or physical.”

Katie Merritt brightened the outlook with a third-place finish (14.86 seconds) in a fast 100 hurdles in which the top two runners beat the state record.

“It’s going to come down to the four-by-one (400-meter relay) and the four-by-four (1600-meter relay),” she said after the race.

She was right.

Unfortunately for the Knights, they finished sixth in both relays — each finish worth three points — as the hopes of winning a state title slipped away.

Jon Gremmels can be contacted at (563) 383-2294 or at jgremmels@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qcvarsity.com.