Willow Ray pictured above

The West Central Valley Girls and Boys Track and Field Teams participated in the Iowa High School Class 2A State Qualifying Meet in Treynor on Thursday, as junior Willow Ray will be heading to Des Moines in High Jump.

Athletes and relay teams had to finish top two in their respective event in order to qualify for the state meet. For the Wildcats, Ray was able to advance in the Girls High Jump going a height of five feet and five inches to win first place. 

Other great performances by West Central Valley included senior Talia Williams that marked fourth in the High Jump, freshman Rebecca Cassady nabbed seventh in the open 400 Meters, and junior Dallas Morgan garnered eighth place in the Girls 3000 Meters.

On the boys side for the Wildcats, sophomore Kael Sawyers tallied sixth in the High Jump, sophomores Ethan Balsmeier and Mason Fortney went seven-eight in the 200 Meter Dash, while senior Aiden Brandon grabbed eighth in the Long Jump, and junior Mason Fuller finished ninth in the 400 Meter Hurdles.

Although Ray was the only automatic qualifier for West Central Valley, the next eight individuals and relay teams will make the state meet. We will discover those in the next coming days. The 2026 Iowa High School State Track and Field Meet will be held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines May 21st-23rd. The full results from the Class 2A State Qualifying Meet in Treynor can be found by clicking here.