DES MOINES — Athletes from around Messengerland will take to the blue oval inside Drake Stadium in hopes of claiming state track and field titles beginning here on Thursday.

A number of qualifiers are seeded in the Top-8 entering the meet, while several others have recorded strong times and marks during the regular season.

The action begins at 9 a.m. with Class 1A and 4A, while 2A and 3A take the afternoon session starting at 2:40 p.m. The same times are set for Friday with Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. for all classes.

Defending state champion Molly Joyce recorded the best long jump at districts in 1A and is seeded seventh in the 100-meter hurdles for Bishop Garrigan. The junior standout is also part of the shuttle hurdle relay that is seeded second with Bear teammates Reagan Murphy, Zoe Montag and Emma Grandgenett.

Garrigan’s Audi Crooks, like Joyce a defending state champion, again had the best throw in 1A in the shot put at districts. Crooks has committed to Iowa State University to play basketball and, along with Joyce, helped lead the Golden Bears to the state basketball title this past winter.

Newell-Fonda’s Carter Sievers is ranked third in the long jump, with the Mustang girls third in the 4×200 relay and the boys fifth in the same event. Bishop Garrigan’s Collin Casey is tied for fifth in the high jump.

In 2A, Kaleb Scott has one of the top marks in the state in the high jump, as he is seeded seventh after districts for Southeast Valley. His teammate, Cooper Nuss, is ninth in the 3,200-meter run.

Fellow Jaguar Shelby Mills had the second-best district throw in the discus. South Central Calhoun’s Keira Hammen is ninth in the shot put.

Manson Northwest Webster’s Preslie Oswald and Alyssa Richman are seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 3,000-meter run.

The 100-meter dash featured four area girls in the Top-15 while Kennedy Trca of Clarion-Goldfield/Dows is seeded sixth in the 100-meter hurdles. The Cowgirls are also seventh in the shuttle hurdle relay.

Humboldt’s shuttle hurdle relay of Jordan Coon, Corey Dettmann, Keegan Groat and Caden Matson comes in with the fifth-best time in 3A, while Webster City’s J.J. Moore is third in the shot put and fourth in the discus.

Algona’s A’Lailah Perry is seeded eighth in the discus.

A live stream of the action is available on the Iowa High School Sports Network at https://www.ihssn.com