Runner Up Finish For Shields At Drake Relays
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By Ryan Stonebreaker
DES MOINES, Iowa — Mount Ayr senior Aubree Shields came away with a runner-up finish in the high jump at the 2026 Drake Relays in Des Moines. Shields, one of the top high jumpers in the state, joined the rest of the field of top jumpers among all classes this year. Last season as a junior, Shields placed 11th at the Drake Relays with a best jump of 5-feet, 2 inches.
Clinton senior Elle Lonergan won the event with a best jump of 5-feet, 8-inches. Only three jumpers cleared 5-feet, 7-inches at the event. Lonergan, Shields and North Polk junior Reese Wagner.
In the field, there were 15 seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and one freshman. Of the top 5 finishers, four were seniors and of the top-10 finishers, eight were seniors. Other regional finishers were Willow Raw from West Central Valley 13th with a best jump of 5-feet, 3-inches and Vanessa Blum from Woodbine who placed 22nd with a best jump of 5-feet, 1-inch.
Shields currently sits as the top high jumper in Class 1A for high jumpers out of 123 1A jumpers this year. Her top jump this season has been 5-feet, 8-inches that came at a meet at Central Decatur on April 16. Woodbine’s Vanessa Blum, Winfield Mt. Union’s Quin Smith, Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Kennedy Brant, and Ed-Co’s Lilee Borisky Roberts as all tied for second with a top jump of 5-feet, 5-inches. All of those jumpers are seniors.
The Raiderettes also had their 4×100-meter relay team qualify for the Drake Relays. The team of Chloe Robb, Shields, Kate Newton and Emma Reynolds ran in heat six, but did not finish for a time. Other schools in the Raiderettes heat were Pella who won the heat out of lane four in a time of 50.10. In order of the rest of the heat finishes were Dike-New Hartford (50.24), Sioux Center (50.28), North Polk (50.50), Woodward-Granger (50.98), Denver (51.15) and Forest City (51.87).
Going into this week, the Raiderettes 4×100-meter relay team has the third best time recorded in Class 1A at 50.90. Ed-Co has the best time at 49.46 and Fremont-Mills has the second best time of 49.96. West Monona is fourth in 1A with a time of 50.92, while fellow POI member Central Decatur is fifth in 1A with a time of 50.95.
