Co-ed track takes on Jesse Days

Aiden Rushing, Reporter

Results update:

  • Men’s team placed third overall with 108 points
  • Women’s team placed last overall with 9 points

On Apr. 12, the annual Jesse Days co-ed track meet will be held at Brady Street Stadium with teams from North Scott, Pleasant Valley, Bettendorf, Davenport Central, Muscatine, and Assumption High Schools attending.  Jesse Days is a track meet that decides whether or not runners will qualify for the Drake Relays.

Gym teacher and new track coach Dakota LaMaack has been working hard with the girls track team by practicing everyday after school.

“A couple goals would be to cut down on some of our [the track team] times from indoor meets. We’ve only had one opportunity to run outside so far because of the weather, so it’ll be great to see us run in warm weather hopefully,” LaMaack said. “A lot of the girls really work hard everyday at practice and consistency is really key in any sport… keeping the girls coming regularly really does help the team,” she said.

Other members of the track team have set high goals for themselves at Jesse Days, such as senior Darnell Mosley, who has been involved in track since seventh grade.

Some of his goals for Jesse Days include winning long jump and doing well in all of the events he is in.

“In long jump, my personal record right now is 22 feet 1 inch and a half,” Mosley said.

He hopes to improve his personal record along with the warm weather.

Senior Savanah Strunk has been involved in track since the seventh grade.

“My goal is to hopefully qualify one of our relays for Drake–that’s a big deal to us–and hit PR’s because this will be our first outdoor meet that actually has nice weather,” Strunk said.

According to LaMaack, all of the runners have been working hard everyday since the track season started in Nov. to keep improving and making new personal records for themselves in each of their events.