Young stars burned bright for Marshalltown girls track and field at the Bobcats’ home invite on Monday at Leonard Cole Field.

Bobcat freshman Grace Christensen won two sprinting events to lead MHS to fourth in the team standings with 75 total points.

Waukee Northwest won the team title at 87 points, followed by West Des Moines Valley (85) and Aplington-Parkersburg (84).

Christensen double-dipped gold in the sprints, winning the 100-meter dash in 12.94 seconds and 200 in 27.85.

“That’s a fantastic performance,” MHS head coach Chad Pietig said. “She’s a gamer, and this is her home track, she was going to defend it no matter what, and times like those can win races anywhere.”

Both times were season bests for Christensen.

“I’ve been working on my blocks a lot,” Christensen said, “just showing up for practice every day and locking in on those. I was definitely hyped up for those races tonight.”

Christensen was also on the runner-up 4×400 relay team along with Millie Heitmann, Erandy Ibarra Madrigal and Leia Hernandez in 4:35.91, a season-best time for the Bobcats in that event in the first time those four have run together.

“The 400 is a hard race but I was excited to do it in good weather and at my own home track,” Christensen said. “All of those girls have been working hard on this relay, too, and doing their best.”

Niah Lott added a second-place finish in the 100 at 13.19. MHS also grabbed silver in the 4×800 relay with Heitmann, Drea Ceren, Mallory Meyerann and Mattea Wright. Marshalltown added seven bronze medals — Anessa Morrison in the 3,000, Chloe Hoogenson in the high jump, Mattea Wright in the 800, Mallory Meyerann in the 1,500 and the shuttle hurdle, distance medley and 4×100 relay teams.

Marshalltown head coach Chad Pietig said much of the credit for Monday’s youth movement, where roughly half the team points came from underclassmen, is a credit to the senior group that was honored for their Senior Night at Monday’s meet.

“That group was sophomores when the stadium was being renovated, and they could’ve easily quit with having no place to practice, but they stuck it out,” Pietig said. “We had just 21 girls out that year and they’re a big reason why we have such a large team this year. They stuck around, they kept this team going.”

The Bobcats are back in action at Mason City on Thursday, May 1.

“There were a lot of good things to be proud of tonight,” Pietig said. “This was by far our best meet, effort-wise and competitiveness-wise, and it’s fun to see a group like this that’s willing to push themselves and compete hard. And they’re so young too, and that’s pretty encouraging.”

Bobcat Girls Invite

At Marshalltown

Team Standings — 1. Waukee Northwest 87; 2. West Des Moines Valley 85; 3. Aplington-Parkersburg 84; 4. Marshalltown 75; 5. Mason City 44; 6. Waterloo East 28.

EVENT RESULTS

(top 3 only)

High jump — 1. Yar Tong (WDM) 5-0; 2. Angerine Bulambo (WDM) 4-8; T-3. Kiera DeWaard (WNW) 4-6; T-3. Avery Freund (A-P) 4-6; T-3. Chloe Hoogenson (MHS) 4-6.

Long jump — 1. Aubrie Burclaw (WNW) 15-5; 2. Emma Wolff (A-P) 15-2; 3. Eva Walker (A-P) 15-0.5.

Shot put — 1. Caylee Harken (A-P) 33-3; 2. Zaria Falls (MC) 33-1.5; 3. Zoey Uhlenhopp (A-P) 32-2.5.

Discus — 1. Valiant Jeptoo (WNW) 102-7; 2. Caylee Harken (A-P) 90-8; 3. Zoey Uhlenhopp (A-P) 86-1.

Sprint medley — 1. MC (Riordan, Latham, York, Davis), 1:54.92; 2. A-P 1:58.62; 3. Valley 1:58.90.

3,000 — 1. Brogan Evans (MC) 11:01.39; 2. Merryn Newton (WNW) 12:43.75; 3. Anessa Morrison (MHS) 12:58.86.

4×800 — 1. WDM (Jones, Clevenger, Engbrecht, Gauthier), 10:55.96; 2. MHS 11:01.57; 3. WNW 12:12.59.

Shuttle hurdle — 1. WDM (Kruchten, Kluver, Schultz, Harris), 1:10.82; 2. A-P 1:15.35; 3. MHS 1:18.73.

100 — 1. Grace Christensen (MHS) 12.94; 2. Niah Lott (MHS) 13.19; 3. Mariah Jenkins (WE) 13.68.

Distance medley — 1. A-P (Walker, Buttjer, Klooster, Schultz), 4:35.78; 2. WNW 4:59.51; 3. MHS 4:59.85.

400 — 1. Olyvia Doty (WNW) 1:04.32; 2. Maya Mestdagh (WNW) 1:05.29; 3. Maya Ballou (WDM) 1:05.86.

4×200 — 1. A-P (Allan, Wolff, Kalkwarf, Freund), 1:51.54; 2. WNW 1:53.53; 3. WE 1:54.57.

100 hurdles — 1. Ava Eddy (A-P) 16.27; 2. Avery Schultz (WDM) 17.32; 3. Marlow Smith (WDM) 17.44.

800 — 1. Alyssa Pohlman (WNW) 2:38.98; 2. Alexia Hale (WDM) 2:44.63; 3. Mattea Wright (MHS) 2:46.29.

200 — 1. Grace Christensen (MHS) 27.85; 2. Adri Allan (A-P) 28.37; 3. Ka’Jhira Mhoon (WE) 28.59.

400 hurdles — 1. Rylee Kluver (WDM) 1:11.87; 2. Amyra Dayton (WDM) 1:18.10.

1,500 — 1. Peyton Bobolz (MC) 5:33.46; 2. Eva Fulk (MC) 5:35.88; 3. Mallory Meyerann (MHS) 5:49.44.

4×100 — 1. WNW (Sangel, Brown, Storm, Baldwin) 52.48; 2. WE 53.84; 3. MHS 55.41.

4×400 — 1. WNW (Mestdagh, Senhart, Wilson, McEnroe), 4:34.97; 2. MHS 4:35.91; 3. WE 4:45.28.