SIGOURNEY – Despite cool temperatures and a steady rain North Mahaska’s track teams qualified 12 events for next week’s Class 1A state meet. The boys earned their ticket in eight events while the girls added four.

Andy Knockel, Brayden Veiseth and Nataliya Linder each qualified in two individual events apiece. Knockel notched spots in the 200 and 400 meters while Veiseth earned spots in the 800 and 1,600 meters. Linder will compete in the 400 hurdles and long jump events. Other punching tickets to state were Emmerson Jedlicka in the 3,000 meters and Lucas Nunnikhoven in the 400 meter hurdles. 

The girls qualified in the 1,600-meter relay as the 24th team with a time of 4 minutes 23.76 seconds. The boys placed three relays into state including the sprint medley, 3,200-meter relay and the 1,600-meter relay.

Thursday night in Sigourney, Knockel was the first to punch a ticket winning the 400 in 52.10. He said it was slower than he wanted to run.

“The first 200 was kind of slow, I was just trying to stay ahead of everyone,” said Knockel. “That last 150 I just kicked it in and gave it everything I had. I knew there weren’t a lot of people ahead of me on time, so I just wanted to stay out ahead.”

Knockel will go into the state meet with the 17th fastest time in the 400. He ran second in the 200 in 22.72 seconds, which was the ninth best in the 24-person field.

Veiseth enters state in the 1,600 with the 12th best qualifying time at 4:39.38 and 15th in the 800 with his 2:02.85. Nunnikhoven has the 21st best time in the 400 hurdles with a time of 57.67.

All three will also be part of the qualifying relays. The boys broke two school records in including the 1,600 relay, which they broke at conference.

The sprint medley team of Hunter Wernli, Nunnikhoven, Kaleb Stout and Knockel finished in 1:37.21 breaking a three-year old mark set in 2021 by Dylan Klinker, Grant Smith, Matthew Goemaat and Sean Knockel by .23 of a second. The previous mark was 1:37.46. The sprint medley team has the 12th best time overall.

Nunnikhoven, Stout, Nate Sampson and Knockel broke their mark in the 1,600 relay in 3:29.03 and will have the second best time entering the state meet.

The final event for the boys is the 3,200-meter relay. The team of Asher DeBoef, Sampson, Yang and Veiseth posted the 13th best time of 8:33.46.

Linder will enter three events at state. She has the eighth best jump in the long jump at 16-feet 4.5 inches. She is 12th in the 400 hurdles in 1:09.26. She will also be a part of the 1,600-meter relay along with Kayla Readshaw, Alivia Schock and Aly Steil.

Emmerson Jedlicka will head into the state meet in the 3,000 with the 18th best time of 11:23.49.

In the team race, Pekin won the girls competition with 103 points followed by Danville with 87, North Mahaska 77 and Hillcrest Academy with 68 and Sigourney with 57. The NM boys were fifth behind Columbus with 114, Danville 104, Pekin 81.5, Winfield-Mount Union 80.5. NM scored 78.

North Mahaska State Qualifying Events

Thursday, May 16

3,000 meter final Emmerson Jedlicka 3:20 p.m.

Long jump final Nataliya Linder 4:30 p.m.

200 meter prelim Andy Knockel 4:40 p.m.

3,200 meter relay final boys 5:50 p.m.

400 meter final Andy Knockel 7:20 p.m.

Friday, May 17

400 meter hurdle final Nataliya Linder 5:40 p.m.

1,600 meter relay girls prelim 7 p.m.

1,600 meter relay boys prelim 7:40 p.m.

Saturday, May 18

Boys sprint medley relay 9:50 a.m.

800 meter final Brayden Veiseth 11:10 a.m.

200 meter final If Qualified 2:05 p.m.

1,600 Meter final Brayden Veiseth 2:45 p.m.

1,600 meter relay final girls If qualified 3:55 p.m.

1,600 meter relay final boys If qualified 4:20 p.m.