For the third straight year, the Columbus Wildcats are the boys’ champions of Southeast Iowa Super Conference North track and field.
Columbus won the team title once again last night at the Super Conference Championships in Wayland, finishing with a team score of 179 points that was not only 24 ahead of second-place Pekin in the North but was also the highest team score across both divisions.
The Wildcats were kings in the North again thanks largely to an incredible night from Lamar Ceant. The sophomore was the champion of both the 100 and 200-meter dashes with times of 11.16 and 22.47 seconds, respectively, and he would set a new Super Conference record by winning the 110-meter hurdles in 14.45 seconds.
To top it all off, Ceant also ran with junior Alexander Rees and seniors Riley Kaalberg and Johnathan Miranda to win the North title in the shuttle hurdles relay with a Super Conference-record time of one minute four seconds.
Senior Juan Chairez joined Miranda, Kaalberg and Rees on the 4-by-100-meter relay team that won Columbus a Super Conference North championship in 44.49 seconds. Senior Ty Muniz added a gold medal in the 3,200 meters by crossing the finish line in 10:04.
Rees would be second to Ceant in both the 110-meter hurdles and the open 200, as would Kaalberg in the 100, while Muniz was runner-up in both the 800 and 1,600.
Sophomore Ryan Villa would be third in the mile for the Wildcats, as would junior Angel Venzor in the 400 hurdles. Columbus also finished second in both the 4-by-200 and 4-by-800 and third in the distance medley and the 4-by-400.
At their home of Roth Track and Field, WACO finished third in the team standings thanks to a strong night from Jude Dykstra. The junior was the 800-meter champion in 2:05 and won a Super Conference North title in the mile in just under 4:41.
Dykstra also ran a leg on the distance medley team that gave the Warriors a conference crown with a time of 3:40, teaming up with sophomore Hayden Shelman and seniors Louden Huisenga and Gage Samo.
Huisenga was the high jump champion in the North, clearing six feet one inch, while Shelman took third in the long jump, as did junior Garrett Landau in the two-mile. WACO was also second in the 4-by-100 and the sprint medley.
Winfield-Mount Union took fourth as a team behind second-place finishes from senior Kohlby Newsom in the open 400 and junior Jaxton Jones in the 400 hurdles.
Senior Cooper Buffington was third in both the shot put toss and the discsu throw, while the Wolves won silver in the distance medley and bronze in the shuttle hurdles.
Owen Scott would win a Super Conference North title for the Hillcrest Academy Ravens by leaping 20 feet nine inches in the long jump, and the junior was also third in the 100 meters.
Lone Tree junior Dom Garcia would claim third in the 200, as would the Lions’ 4-by-200. The best finish for the Highland Huskies came from their 4-by-200 relay, which took fourth place.