CEDAR FALLS - They affectionately call her "grandma," and 16-year-old sophomore Hannah Grimm doesn't mind at all.

Compared to the other members of the Cedar Rapids Prairie 4x400 meter relay team, Grimm is the oldest member of the club even though she's just a 10th grader.

All the other runners on the varsity 4x400 are freshmen. "They're all babies," Prairie Coach Chris Perkins said Tuesday, in jest and admiration.

These babies can scoot, although it might be a few years - months? - before they reach full maturity on a track.

Prairie's young relay team won its heat at the 2012 IGHSAU State Indoor Championships Tuesday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls and had the fastest time on the board at one point, but the Hawks dropped all the way to 16th place by the time all the heats were finished.

It didn't seem to bother them a bit. They knew they'd performed well and given a hint of what might come in the future.

"I think we can do a lot," Grimm said. "We challenge each other so much. It's just awesome."

The three freshmen on the 4x400 relay are Hannah Kousheh, Hope Steimel and Emily Wallace. They ran the first three legs, then "Grandma" Grimm ran the anchor and held off a strong challenge from the Waukee anchor to win the heat.

In this case, "Grandma" wears braces and enjoyed dancing with her teammates in the UNI-Dome and taking a final lap around the UNI-Dome to warm down, with several of the young Hawks running with bare feet and big smiles.

"Grandma" Grimm seems to enjoy her role on the relay. "Yeah, I look after them," she said, smiling. "It's OK. We're all good friends.

"Oh, they do complain a lot," she said, kidding. "No, they're fun."

Prairie was clocked in the 4x400 relay in 4:21.69, nipping Waukee by one-tenth of a second to win the heat. There were three faster heats after that and Cascade ended up winning the event in 4:07.68, a full 14 seconds faster than the Hawks.

They didn't list each runner's year in school in the heat sheets, but Prairie undoubtedly had the youngest team in the 4x400 relay. The Hawks finished 16th out of 56 teams in the event.

The meet was called the State Indoor Championships, but that was a misnomer of sorts. Everyone was welcome, regardless of qualifications, and teams arrived from all parts of the state to have fun and test their skills.

Prairie and Linn-Mar were the only Metro teams at the meet, which officially ended the indoor track season. Outdoor meets will begin later this week.

Carolyn Newhouse of Linn-Mar finished fifth in the 3000 meter run in 10:45.32 for the highest finish among Metro athletes. Nobody else from the Metro cracked the top-10.

IGHSAU State Indoor Championships
UNI-Dome

(No Team Scores Kept)

Winners

High jump - Taylor Twedt (WSTF) 5-6.
Long jump - Heaven Chandler (CCJC) 17-4.
Shot put - Amanda Houston (FTMD) 40-2 1/2.
3000 meter run - Rebekah Topham (CRWD) 10:21.20.
4x200 relay - Davenport Assumption, 1:46.03.
4x800 relay - Indianola, 9:35.40.
60 meter hurdles - Taylor Twedt (WSTF) 9.13.
60 meter dash - Erin Hawkins (DMR) 7.74.
1500 meter run - Rebekah Topham (GRWC) 4:46.75.
400 meter dash - Alisha Jones (DVN) 57.86.
200 meter dash - Erin Hawkins (DMR) 25.43.
800 meter run - Haley Manning (WG) 2:18.17.
4x400 relay - Cascade, 4:07.68.

Prairie Placewinners
(Top 16)

13th - Hannah Grimm, high jump, 4-10
14th - Rachel Griffin, shot put, 34-5
14th - Hannah Kousheh, 200, 27.46.
15th - Alison Speltz, 60 meter dash, 8.41.
16th - 4x800 relay (Hannah Kousheh, Hope Steimel, Emily Wallace, Hannah
Grimm), 4:21.69

Linn-Mar Placewinners
(Top 16)

5th - Carolyn Newhouse, 3000 meter run, 10:45.32.
11th - Rachel Perry, 400 meter dash, 1:02.28.
13th - Maddie Saville, 800 meter run, 2:27.83.
13th - Carolyn Newhouse, 1500 meter run, 5:09.53.
13th (tie) - Sara Strauel, high jump, 4-10