Newell-Fonda girls win East Sac County Relays behind relay sweep

Newell-Fonda won the East Sac County Relays on the strength of a deep relay corps and two individual victories, edging East Sac County 135-130 in Sac City. The five-point margin made every race count, and the Wildcats answered with first-place finishes in the sprint medley, 4x800, distance medley, 4x200 and 4x400.

Danika Meyer and Mareni Brabec supplied the front-end scoring that helped put the meet away. Meyer won the 800 meters in 2:50.36, while Brabec took the 1,500 in 5:25.3. Together with the relay sweep, those victories showed how Newell-Fonda can pile up points in both distance events and relays, a combination that can decide a postseason meet as quickly as it decided this one.

The relay results were especially strong. Newell-Fonda won the sprint medley in 2:08.29, the 4x800 in 10:54.74, the distance medley in 4:46.33, the 4x200 in 1:59.09 and the 4x400 in 4:42.81. That kind of spread across the program’s depth chart matters in small-school track, where one or two places in each event can shift a team from chasing to winning.

Storm Lake St. Mary’s also left its mark on the meet, finishing sixth with 29 points. The Comets had placements in the long jump, discus, shot put, 400 hurdles and 1,500 meters, a reminder that Buena Vista County athletes were scattered throughout the results sheet, not just in the team title chase.

The result fit a larger pattern for Newell-Fonda this spring. The team has already won the Mustang Relays, and Brabec has shown repeat strength in the distance races, adding another 1,500-meter win to her season. With the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s state-qualifying meets set for Thursday, May 14, and Newell-Fonda assigned to Audubon in Class 1A, the relay sweep in Sac City offered a clear warning to the rest of the field: Newell-Fonda is carrying both top-end talent and enough depth to score in bunches when the pressure rises.