Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Noah Daniel runs for Fort Dodge at the state track meet on Thursday in Des Moines. For more photos, please visit CU.messengernews.net

DES MOINES — Noah Daniel set a goal to qualify for the finals at the state track and field championships here this week in his final time competing as a Dodger.

The University of Iowa football commit achieved that on Thursday inside Drake Stadium, advancing to the finals of the Class 4A 100-meter dash.

Daniel posted the eighth-fastest qualifying time in prelims at 10.99, earning a spot in the finals on Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

“The 100 is such a bang-bang crapshoot,” FDSH head coach Nik Moser said. “Three out of the first heat and five out of the third made the finals. We felt really good that if he finished in the Top-4 — or in this case, the Top-5 — of his heat, he would have a shot (at making the finals).

“Noah got out and had a great race. Now, we’ll try to improve from that seed in the finals.”

Daniel also competed in the 200-meter dash prelims, placing 11th overall at 21.89. The eighth and final runner to advance went 21.79.

“Only two other guys in Fort Dodge track history have run faster 200 times than that,” said Moser, who is one of those two along with fellow former Dodger state champion Quennel McCaleb. “We knew he would have to go sub-22 to have a shot, and we were just hoping he would stay in that eighth spot after running in the first heat.

“Our conversation after the race was that he had just ran his last 200 as a high school kid and ran his best time ever. You can’t really ask for much more than that.”

For the first time since 2023, Daniel wasn’t the only Fort Dodge runner at state. Jamarius Echols competed in the 400-meter dash, and the 4×800 relay of Jayce Point, Cael Hansen, Simeon Roberts and Joos Langkjaer also competed. Dalton Eckley competed in the high jump in 2024, and Daniel was the lone qualifier last year.

Echols, a junior, took 23rd in the 400 in 52.84. Norwalk’s Kaiden Kunze was the event winner in a time of 47.80. Echols won a district title in the 400 to qualify for state for the first time.

“It was good for him to get that state experience,” Moser said. “Jamarius is a kid that, next season, we will be looking for big things out of him. He got better and better as the year went on and has the chance to take more steps from here on out.”

Point, Hansen, Roberts and Langkjaer clocked a season-best time of 8:18.20 to place 21st overall. That included a 56.54 split from Hansen on his leg of the relay.

“Cael ran our first sub-two minutes 800 this year and had a PR,” Moser said. “Jayce got us out well. Honestly, the 4×8 was a real big surprise for me throughout the year.

“Simeon never ran track and did a great job, and Joos, who is a foreign exchange student, was one of our better 800 runners. It was a lot of fun to watch them all year and I am just so grateful for (seniors) Simeon and Joos.”

Cedar Falls won the 4×800 in a new state-best 7:39.97.

The Fort Dodge girls ran in the shuttle hurdle relay, placing 23rd in the prelims in a time of 1:15.04. Adyson Friesth, Ava Osorio, Charlotte DeJong and Maeleena Meyer comprised the quartet.

“It was tough because Adyson tripped over the second hurdle as it looked like her leg buckled,” FDSH girls head coach Todd Constable said. “She got up and finished, which was great to see. I’m just happy we were able to get Maeleena down there as a senior. She’s worked so hard to get there.

“Adyson, Ava and Charlotte are all younger kids who now have that state experience and will come back stronger (in 2027). It was great to see the girls all improve throughout the year.”

Friesth and DeJong are completing their sophomore seasons. Osorio is just a freshman.

In addition to Daniel running in the 100 finals on Saturday, the Fort Dodge boys will compete Friday in the finals of the 4×200 relay and the prelims of the 4×100 relay.