By Sydney Hauser
The Mount Vernon girls shuttle hurdle team competed at the Drake Relays for the third consecutive year on Sat. April 28. The Mustangs, made up of Catherine Yeoman, Annie Rhomberg, Annie Leopold, and Lauren Ryan, finished in 3rd. The final leg for the hurdle team, Yeoman, competed in her final race at the Drake Relays and added to the continued success of the shuttle hurdle team.
Catherine began hurdling in seventh grade where track is first offered to students through the school.
“My dad was a good hurdler in high school and he encouraged me to try hurdling,” said Yeoman. “And I loved it!” Yeoman hurdled throughout middle school track and continued into high school. Her effortless speed and smooth sailing over the hurdles brought much success to the track team. She was a part of the hurdle team that placed 3rd two years in a row at 3a state track and the relay team that placed 7th at Drake in 2016 and 3rd in 2017 and 2018.
“Catherine has had a great four year career for us at MVHS as a hurdler – being part of the record holding Shuttle and holding the school record in 100H,” said head coach Maggie Willems. “Catherine has been a key part of the shuttle hurdle, running the important anchor leg.” It was Catherine who anchored the 2018 Drake Relays shuttle hurdle and helped them reach a third place finish.
“It really takes four girls that know how to hurdle, have good form, and can be fast at them,” said Yeoman. “Not a lot of schools have four girls that are good at them.” With this years success, it is very apparent that Mount Vernon has just that. But good hurdlers is not all it takes to have a great team, Yeoman also credits the trust they have with one another as a key component. “We also just have to have trust in each other, especially for the exchanges.”
With the end of the track season coming up, Yeoman hopes to end her running career on a high note, “Our goal for the rest of the season is to work hard and try to win shuttle hurdle in 3a at the state track meet.” The Mount Vernon girls track team will run at Solon on Thurs. May 10 for a chance to qualify for state. The class 3a Girls State Track and Field meet is held May 17-19 at Drake University.
