The final tune-up before tomorrow’s state qualifying meet took the West Central Valley boys track team to Guthrie Center Monday Night for the annual Hap Merritt Invitational. The competition included athletes from 14 regional schools including West Central Activities Conference members AC/GC, Des Moines Christian, Earlham, Madrid, Panorama, Van Meter, and Woodward Academy. The Wildcats finished in a tie for sixth place with Des Moines Christian with 62 points scored. The Madrid Tigers won the 2018 Hap Merritt Invitational with a top score of 81. The Wildcats registered first-place finishes in three events Monday in Guthrie Center. Senior Billy Larsen crossed the finish line first in the 400-meter hurdles with a race time of 57.6 seconds. Junior Cole Arnburg took gold in the open 400 race with a quarter mile time of 52.8 seconds. Finally, the Wildcats sprint medley crew of Kaleb Badker, Brock Wolfe, Carson Wadle, and Arnburg clocked the event’s quickest time at 1:38.56.

The West Central Valley boys track team gears up for the Class 2A State Qualifying meet tomorrow at Van Meter High School. The Wildcats are one of 12 teams competing in the event including WCAC members AC/GC, Des Moines Christian, Panorama, Van Meter, Woodward Academy, and Woodward-Granger. The top two finishers in all 19 events will qualify for next week’s state track meet in Des Moines. The best eight nonqualifying performances across the state will also be invited to compete at the state meet. First events begin around 4 p.m. tomorrow from Van Meter High School.