The Iola High School Track and Field Team returned to work despite blistering winter weather still lingering into the spring.
With spring break just around the corner, it was back to basics for the Mustangs, who hope to get a few athletes in the state meet this season.
“This is our fourth practice. We got out on Monday. Rarely you to get out on your first day of practice,” Iola coach David Daugharthy said. “We’re glad to have that opportunity. We had to go back inside Tuesday and Wednesday, but any time you can get outside it’s always great.”
With a smattering of experienced seniors and underclassmen with potential, Daugharthy feels excited about the 2025 Mustangs. After pushing then freshman Keegan Hill to the state meet in the 3200-meter run, Daugharthy hopes to push a few more through this year. After senior hurdler Cortland Carson barely missed the cut in 2024, Daugharthy sees Carson, who recently captured the school scoring record in basketball, as a strong state candidate, along with a few other up-and-comers.
“[Carson] might be able to help us in maybe a relay or also may the intermediate hurdles. He could get to that spot,” Daugharthy said. “We also have guys in the 4×800 (relay) that have pieces that I think could maybe get there. We have a junior thrower, Bethany Miller, she was close to qualifying last year and a sophomore runner, Keysha Smith, I think she missed out by .02 seconds.”
To establish growth, coaches first must establish a baseline. Throughout much of Thursday’s practice runners clocked their pre-meet times. Throwers developed their pre-launch techniques so not to foster bad habits and develop the muscle groups required for each throw.
“We’re pretty excited about what we got. We had one state qualifier last year,” Daugharthy said. “We went through a really tough regional, but we have a lot of pieces I’m excited about a lot of younger kids that show a lot of promise. What we’re looking for is growth, and we’re seeing a lot of that.”
While excited to put his athletes up against competition, and making evaluations from there, Daugharthy tries not to obsess over his athletes’ times and distances this early. While establishing a baseline is important, he won’t worry over those figures until the postseason approaches in late April.
Daugharthy, a former college javelin thrower, said he learned that philosophy from first-hand experience. He hit a personal record his freshman year. By trying to recapture that moment, he feels it had a negative impact on his mental approach to each meet and in turn had a negative impact on each throw.
“Every time we go out there, we’re trying to do our best but we understand we always aren’t going to hit that mark,” Daugharthy said. “Specifically, early in the season, we want to peak at the end of the season. We want our best marks at league – at the end of the season and on to state.”
