Spartan senior girls paying it forward to youth at state meet (PHOTOS)

By: 
Jake Ryder

DES MOINES – Grundy Center seniors Brooke Flater, Sarah Lindeman and Hailey Wallis got to run their final race at Drake Stadium in Des Moines in the final event of the day for the girls, joining up with junior Kyah Luhring for an eighth-place finish in the 1A 4x400 relay on Saturday at the state track and field meet.
  
Lindeman, who had in the past been a state alternate, jumped into the fray this year, making her Blue Oval debut with three freshmen – Bella Dole, Paiton Wallis and Taylor Stahl – in the 4x800 relay on Thursday as that group finished 11th in 10:27.51.
  
She kept the pace with her veteran teammates, too, to make sure all four of them could go up on Grundy Center's "Wall of Fame" as state medalists in the 4x400 in a time of 4:16.05.
  
"I've put in so much work over the years and it finally has shown," Lindeman said. "It's great not just to run, but to run with my best friends. … We all work so hard with lifting and agility workouts in the summer and that's really what it comes down to. I'm so thankful that I got to do this with my best friends and leave it all out there."
  
Paiton Wallis appreciated Lindeman's help with acclimating the freshmen to Drake Stadium.
  
"She's a great leader for our team," she said. "It's exciting to be here and run with this group of girls. The adrenaline pushes us, and the excitement of being here motivates us."
 
The Spartans earned three total medals in the 4x400, distance medley and Kyah Luhring logging the best Grundy Center finish with a third-place leap in the long jump, her third medal in the event in as many tries.
 
Kylie Willis was another accomplished senior ending her season at the state meet, finishing 16th in the shot put after launching a 35 foot, 6.5 inch throw. She bested her district title winning throw by six inches and beat seven more girls than she was projected to, based on her 23rd-place seeding.
 
Class 1A: Day 1
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Class 1A: Day 2
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Class 1A: Day 3
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