Storm Lake girls track posts season-high 78 points at home meet

Silvia Kampbell and Melanie Chanthapangna gave Storm Lake a pair of individual victories Thursday at Tornado Stadium, and the Tornadoes turned those wins into a season-high 78 points and a fourth-place finish at the Storm Lake Invitational. Carroll won the meet with 120 points, but Storm Lake’s total showed a clear step forward in front of a home crowd.

Kampbell delivered one of the night’s strongest runs, winning the 3,000 meters in 11:03.20 and adding a second-place finish in the 1,500 meters in 5:18.85. The result fit the profile Storm Lake has expected from her since she was a Lakes Conference runner-up in both races, and it gave the Tornadoes valuable points in two of the meet’s most postseason-relevant distance events.

Chanthapangna supplied the other victory by clearing 5 feet, 1 inch to win the high jump. That mark reinforced why Storm Lake entered the season expecting strength in the jumps, especially with Chanthapangna back after placing eighth at state in the event. Her win gave the Tornadoes a boost in one of the meet’s premier field events and helped anchor the team’s best total of the spring.

Coach Lily Gallagher said the team placed in almost every event, had personal bests and was “finally figuring out what works” for them. Storm Lake also got scoring support from Zoe McCoy, Avery DeHaan, Grace Kenkel and the relays, showing that the 78-point finish was built on more than just two standouts. With Mackenzie Harder, Avery DeHaan, Chanthapangna, Grace Kenkel and Kampbell among the group of returners identified as key pieces before the season, the Tornadoes appear to be using experience to raise their weekly floor.

The fourth-place finish did not challenge Carroll for the team title, but it did give Storm Lake a measurable benchmark. For a program that finished second in the Lakes Conference meet a year ago and has been searching for deeper team scoring, 78 points at home offered a strong sign that the lineup is peaking at the right time.