Photo Courtesy of Hillcrest Academy Yearbook
The third biggest story in Hillcrest Academy sports highlights the Raven track and field team this spring on the biggest stages in the state. The season started with a bang indoors for the Ravens when brother and sister duo Owen and Rya Scott won individual 1A state championships at the Iowa Association of Track Coaches meet in Ames with Rya winning the 60m dash and long jump and Owen the long jump. The Raven girls finished top 10 in the state as a team as Hillcrest got top 10 event finishes from Scott fifth in the 200, Siena Stanerson eighth in the 3000, Delaney Shaw ninth in long jump and Marie Yoder 10th in the 3000. The trio of Owen and Rya Scott and Stanerson also posted top 10 finishes at the Central College indoor in long jump, 60m dash, 200, and 3000.
The Ravens won a dozen event championships during the outdoor portion of the regular season. Owen Scott took long jump titles at Van Buren, Central City, and Eckstrand. Rya Scott won gold in the 100, 200 and long jump at Central City, and the 200 at Eckstrand. Marie Yoder was the 3000 champ at Central City and Eckstrand. Kale Bailey was the high jump champ at Van Buren and Central City. Siena Stanerson won the 3000 at Mediapolis and Delaney Shaw and Niva Helmuth won long jump and high jump respectively at Louisa-Muscatine.
In the championship portion of the season, Rya Scott was a two time Southeast Iowa Superconference North champ, taking gold in the 100 and 200. Owen Scott was the Superconference winner in long jump. He backed that up with a State qualifier meet title in the same event, setting a new Raven record flying 22′ 7 3/4”. Hillcrest would earn seven bids to the Class 1A State meet including Owen Scott in long jump and the 400, Rya Scott in the 100 and 200s, Kale Bailey in high jump, Marie Yoder in the 3000 and the 4×200 team of Stavia Miller, Karina Bourha, Niva Helmuth and Rya Scott. On the blue oval at Drake Stadium Owen Scott was third in long jump and 22nd in the 400, Kale Bailey was fourth in high jump. For the girls, Marie Yoder was 11th in the 3000 and Rya Scott 15th in the 100 and 20th in the 200.
Our countdown of top 10 stories in Raven sports from last year reaches No. 2 on Thursday with a trip to the golf course.