DES MOINES — Aubrey Johnson found her confidence.
The Gilbert freshman learned from a nerve-racking experience at the Drake Relays last month that she had to relax and just believe in herself during the Class 3A long jump at the 2026 Iowa high school state track and field championships on May 22.
Johnson placed second in the event with a jump of 18 feet, 1.25 inches. The only long jumper to beat her was Grinnell’s Aiden Gosselink, who leaped a 3A-record 19-7.25.
“It was pretty pressured because Aiden Gosselink is really good,” Johnson said. “I’m glad I got second.”
Johnson went into the Drake Relays with the second-best jump in the state at the time, but she had to settle for 14th-place last month after peaking at 17-1.25.
She learned a lot from that experience.
“It (Drake) helped me build up confidence in my jumping,” Johnson said. “(It helped) to get my mark down and learn the long jump pit they have.”
Johnson qualified for the finals at state with her first jump, which went 17-2. She slipped a little to 16-10.25, but then hit 17-5.25 on her last jump to earn a top-four spot going into the finals.
With the pressure gone, Johnson put it all together on her first jump of the finals. That is when she topped 18 feet to secure second place.
“That felt really great,” Johnson said. “It was redemption for me.”
Johnson’s last two jumps went 17-5.75 and 17-11.25. That final distance would have been good enough for second place on its own.
Right after the long jump, Johnson showed her versatility by anchoring the Gilbert girls 4×100-meter relay team to a 48.99 time in the prelims, which fell one spot short of qualifying for the finals.
Earlier on May 22, Johnson punched a ticket to the finals of the 100 hurdles, running the third-fastest qualifying time at 14.08.
With three more years to go, the sky appears to be the limit for Johnson as a track and field athlete. Especially in the long jump.
“I’m excited for the years to come,” Johnson said. “Hopefully getting farther jumps as I go on.”
Gilbert boys 4×200 team places fifth in 3A
The Gilbert boys 4×200 team finished fifth in 3A on May 22.
The Tigers entered the state meet with the second-best qualifying time in 3A. But anchor runner Tanner Twedt suffered a groin injury during the qualifying meet. Gilbert coaches and runners found out on May 19 that he would not be able to compete at state.
“It was unfortunate to hear,” said Gilbert runner Paul Marpe. “He’s one of our best runners and athletes on the team.”
Gilbert ran the second-fastest qualifying time in 3A at 1:28.46. Without Twedt, the Tiger quartet of Aidan Rash, Ean Eldred, Gabe Fierce and Marpe still managed to shave time off that qualifying effort at 1:27.73.
“Even without Tanner, we still got a good place,” Marpe said. “I think we performed well as a team.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert’s Aubrey Johnson takes second in long jump at Iowa state track
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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