Pella’s Track team is off to a phenomenal start, breaking multiple school records and earning multiple blue standards. A blue standard is when you reach a time good enough to qualify for Drake relays. Track started with a successful indoor season, and there are high hopes after the Dutch were state runners-up last year, only behind DCG by one and a half points.  

“Honestly, every season is special and exciting for us coaches and athletes,” said Coach Cutler. “There is probably additional outside excitement because we’ve finished so highly over the past two seasons.”

Pella lost a lot of athletes this season, the seniors of last year were impressive with multiple records, but that won’t stop this hungry beast of Pella. 

“Even though we lost a lot, we still have loaded depth with distance, throwers, and sprinters,” said senior Quinn Gruver. “We had kids who weren’t even known last year step up.” 

Notable Freshman Canaan Dunham is going to be a beast in the next couple of years. He already has set multiple freshman records.

On March 30, Pella had their first outdoor meet of the season, starting out strong with a couple of school records broken and multiple earned blue standards. 

“The first meet at Waukee went well. The guys competed especially well against some outstanding 4A competition in tough conditions,” said Cutler. “When you have 20-30 mph winds blowing, many teams can get discouraged or settle for less than their best because the circumstances aren’t what you’d like, but our team ignored what they couldn’t control.”

Pella is chasing the state title this year and has started off well, but the season is just getting started. Senior Brandon Fischer isn’t just chasing the trophy, he is close to putting his name in the record books. In the first outdoor meet he was 8” away from the school discus record. Phenomenal athletes like Fischer are why Pella is confident in meeting their full potential, the state championship.

Notable Records Broken(*) and Blue Standards

During Indoor Season:

Shot Put Hanson King 55’2″

Long Jump CJ Shetterly 22’5″

60m Cj Shetterly 6.92 sec*

800m Chase Lauman 1:56.98*

1600m Chase Lauman 4:17.14 (this is both an indoor and overall school record)

3200m Chase Lauman 9:24.86

4×800 Trey Van Hauen, Canaan Dunham, Nathan Vander Waal, Chase Lauman 8:11.77

During Outdoor Season (so far)

1600m Medley  

CJ Shetterly, Quinn Gruver, Trey Van Hauen and Chase Lauman 

with the current fastest time is 3:34.88 in the State

 Freshman Canaan Dunham broke the freshman 1600m record by running 4:31.46.*