LACYNGE — Iola High’s track team will have two events represented at the state track meet next week. ALSO CLAIMING a spot to the state meet will be Iola’s 4x800m relay team. The quartet consists of Chase Regehr, Travis Hermstein, Kohl Endicott and Ethan Holloway.
Senior Emery Driskel clinched her spot with a first place finish in the 100-meter high hurdles at the Class 4A Regional. She finished in 15.85 seconds, almost a full second faster than the 16.72 seconds posted by Paola’s Aziza Patillo.
“I’m really excited,” Driskel said. “I wanted this chance because last year I kind of messed up and didn’t run as well, so I’m looking forward to this year.”
Driskel still has a chance to beat Iola’s school record in the event. Kendra Taiclet set the mark at 15.60 seconds in 2012. The fastest Driskel ran the hurdles this season was in 15.68 seconds at the Pioneer League Meet on May 14, making her a Pioneer League Champion.
“She’s had a really good season, she’s so close to that record,” coach Dana Daugharthy said. “It looks like she’ll have to do it at state. She ran a little bit less today because she had no one really running with her. I think she can get it.”
Driskel has been nursing a leg injury most of the season. Driskel had been competing in the 300m hurdles, but has sat out to keep her chances at getting a medal in the 100m hurdles.
This will be the fourth season that Driskel has qualified for the state track meet. This is the third-straight season she’s qualified in the 100m hurdles. She previously went as an alternate and a relay team member.
“I think I’ll have a better chance this year,” Driskel said of winning a state medal. “I’m more confident, so I feel like I’ll do better.”
Daugharthy said it was a bit of a surprise the team did so well this season.
“It’s like I was telling the other coaches,” Daugharthy said. “At the beginning of the season if you would have told me that we had a 4×800 team going to go to state, I thought you would have been lying. We just didn’t have anybody back. Kohl also was a good addition.”
The only returning runner from last year’s relay team is Chase Regehr. All three others were new additions. Endicott didn’t even join the team until the Pioneer League Track Meet.
Endicott, who has been playing baseball all season, helped the team run its fastest time of the season last week at the meet. They finished in 9:02.72.
Endicott was one of the biggest question marks for the team. Iola’s baseball team has qualified for the Class 4A-II State Baseball Tournament that will be in Topeka next Thursday and Friday. Luckily, the 4x800m relay will not be until Saturday morning.
This week, they didn’t do as well at the 4A Regionals. The team finished in fourth place with a time of 9:13.26 seconds. But, it doesn’t matter because the time was good enough to qualify them for state.
Part of the reason that the relay team has also done so well as of late is the improvement from Hermstein. He had been running around a 2:30 leg, but has dropped it by about as much as 18 seconds throughout the season.
“I never usually run the 800 because I’ve always run the mile,” Hermstein said. “But, the first couple of races of the season, I wanted to really improve on this race. I knew I could do it and each race I’ve gotten better.”
The 4x800m relay team and Driskel head to the Class 4A State Track Meet next Friday and Saturday in Wichita.
Driskel, 4x800m relay team qualifies for state
