The story of how the Solon distance medley quartet won the Class 3A Iowa high school state track title on Friday, May 22, is a testament to patience.
All the way back in the winter, Eli Kampman, Paxton Holtkamp, Jackson Burk and Mac Svalstad each knew they were the squad the team would try to run in the postseason. All that they had to do was go to work and prepare for the season ahead.
However, at districts, an entirely different quartet of runners had to secure a qualifying time to even make the state meet. While they knew the potential they had, they had to wait and hope their teammates would come through. Additionally, injuries made getting the four of them all together at once difficult throughout the year.
On the evening of May 22, the four runners were back in the distance medley to chase their goal of a state title. After a strong start from Kampman, Holtkamp and Burk, it set up the superstar freshman in Svalstad to run his 800-meter leg.
He finished his leg in 1:52.66 to secure an overall time of 3:27.58.
“I felt really strong there,” Svalstad said. “I’m glad my guys put me in a really good spot.”
While they knew the time was a great one, it came in the first of three heats. Two more sections were left to go, including the third heat. The Western Dubuque distance medley team, led by the state’s track and field icon Quentin Nauman, was in that third heat.
At that point, there was only one thing the group of Spartans could do.
Be patient.
After the final two heats had come and gone, the Spartans’ time still stood and they had been crowned state champions. Mount Vernon took second with a time of 3:28.4, just under a second slower than Solon, thier fierce rival. Despite the rivalry, the Mustangs still made time after the race to congratulate Solon for their win, since both teams did the unthinkable by outpacing Nauman and Western Dubuque.
While Kampman, Holtkamp and Burk are special in their own right, the elite freshman was the final piece of the puzzle to see Solon reach their potential. When asked whether they knew how special Svalstad would be when he got to high school, Kampman quickly stepped in with a vote of confidence.
“Absolutely.”
For Solon, this state title was the ultimate test of patience. Whether it was waiting for the superstar freshman to arrive, biding time to get healthy or crossing their fingers in hopes that Nauman or rival Mount Vernon wouldn’t beat their mark, the Spartans survived a long wait to achieve a special moment at the Blue Oval.
“It was really stressful,” Svalstad said. “Then you saw that second heat, nobody was really even near us. It felt really good. Then I saw them coming down for the last 100, I was trying to calculate in my head what they’d have to go. I saw the finish line and had to celebrate with the guys.”
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Solon boys distance medley wins Iowa high school track state title
Reporting by Eli McKown, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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