Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Fort Dodge senior Christian Davidson competes earlier this season.

Area track and field athletes were denied the chance to run at the state meet a season ago.

Now, they are more than ready to punch their state tickets.

State-qualifying meets will be held across Iowa on Thursday, as runners and competitors take their shot at competing on the Blue Oval of Drake Stadium.

The top two finishers at each site, as well as the next 12 best times or distances, will advance in Class 4A.

In Class 3A, the top two performers at the meets and the next-best eight efforts in each event will earn state spots.

Class 1A’s event winner, plus the next best 14 performances, will earn a spot.

The Fort Dodge boys and girls will compete in Waukee.

The Dodgers’ school-record 4×100 quartet of Christian Davidson, Jake Erickson, Sam Daniel and Tyler Schreier enter the meet with the fastest time (42.89).

Davidson, Daniel, Erickson and Schreier have the quickest time (1:34.56) in the sprint medley for the meet as well.

Schreier has the third-best mark for Thursday’s qualifying meet in the 100 and the long jump. Sawyer Springer has the third-best throw in the shot put.

The St. Edmond boys and girls will compete in Madrid in a Class 1A meet.

St. Edmond’s Kase Baker has the top regular-season time for the Madrid meet in the 200-meter dash (22.52), and the second-best mark in the 100. Sean Flattery is the second-quickest in the 400.

The Gaels have four of the fastest relays in Madrid. The 4×100 team of Grant Heldorfer, Cael Kolacia, Flattery and Baker check in with a 44.87.

In the 4×200, Kolacia, Flattery, Anthony Lacina and Baker clocked a 1:33.17. Heldorfer, Kolacia, Parker Oswald and Flattery have the fastest mark in the 4×400 (3:34.88).

The sprint medley quartet of Oswald, Lacina, Baker and Flattery are also the standard at 1:37.65. St. Edmond is second in the 4×800.

The St. Edmond girls’ 4×400 squad of Caroline Shelly, Emma Alstott, Mya McClain and Avery Galles have the fastest mark from Madrid coming in at 4:20.81. Shelly, Michaela Leiting, Alstott and Aubrey Bemrich are the fastest in the 4×800 as well (10:19.66).

Josie Harvey, McClain, Galles and Bemrich are the top seed in the distance medley (4:33.36). Bemrich is second in the 800.

In Class 3A, Algona, Humboldt and Webster City will run at Nevada. The Humboldt boys have the quickest time in the 4×800, distance medley and shuttle hurdle relays.

Senior Quinton Orr is the fastest in the distance triple: the 800, 1600 and 3200.

Webster City’s J.J. Moore has the best throws in both the shot put and the discus.

Algona’s Moraih Knapp (3000) and Dionna VanGorkem (high jump) bring the top qualifying marks to Nevada. Humboldt’s Lily Groat (400 hurdles) and Kendal Clark (discus and shot put) are in the same position.

Humboldt has the fastest 4×100, and Algona is in the lead in the 4×200.

Manson Northwest Webster will hold a Class 2A meet with area teams Eagle Grove, East Sac County, Emmetsburg, Greene County, Pocahontas Area, South Central Calhoun and Southeast Valley.

For the boys, Greene County is the quickest in the 4×400 and shuttle hurdle relay. Also for the Rams, Jackson Morton (110 hurdles) and Nathan Black (high jump) have the top regular-season performances.

Pocahontas Area is No. 1 in the boys’ distance medley. Also for the Indians, Jacob Gerdes is the fastest in the 800. For Southeast Valley, Cooper Nuss (1600) is the standard.

South Central Calhoun’s Cole Corey has the best mark in the 400 hurdles.

On the girls side, MNW’s Maddie Moline has the fastest time in the 1500 and 3000. Teammates Jaynie Weiss (high jump) and Lexi Wood (shot put) are the athletes to beat in their respective events.

Southeast Valley’s Kiersten Fisher has the best performance in the long jump and 100-meter hurdles.

Emmetsburg has the quickest 4×100 time.

CLASS 4A

At Waukee — Ankeny, Des Moines Lincoln, Des Moines North, Fort Dodge, Indianola, Johnston, Norwalk, Waukee.

CLASS 3A

At Nevada — Algona, Clear Lake, Gilbert, Hampton-Dumont-CAL, Humboldt, Nevada, North Polk, Webster City.

CLASS 2A

At Hudson — Aplington-Pakersburg, Belmond-Klemme, Central Springs, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, Waterloo Columbus, Dike-New Hartford, Forest City, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura, Hudson, Iowa Falls-Alden, Osage, South Hardin.

At Manson Northwest Webster — Eagle Grove, East Sac County, Emmetsburg, Estherville Lincoln Central, Greene County, Manson Northwest Webster, OABCIG, Pocahontas Area, Ridge View, Sioux Central, South Central Calhoun, Southeast Valley.

CLASS 1A

At Madrid — Ankeny Christian, Baxter, Collins-Maxwell, Colo-Nesco, Grand View Christian, Lynnville-Sully, Madrid, Martensdale St. Mary’s, Melcher-Dallas, Ogden, Paton-Churdan, Southeast Warren, St. Edmond, Twin Cedars.

At Audubon — Alta-Aurelia, Audubon, Anita-CAM, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Earlham, Exira-Elk Horn/Kimbalton, Glidden-Ralston, Griswold, IKM-Manning, Newell-Fonda, Nodaway Valley, Orient-Macksburg, Storm Lake St. Mary’s, Stanton.

At Northwood-Kensett — Bishop Garrigan, Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, Lake Mills, Nashua-Plainfield, Mason City Newman, North Iowa, North Union, Northwood-Kensett, Riceville, Rockford, St. Ansgar, West Bend-Mallard, West Fork, West Hancock.