Payton Wensel gave a hint of her immense talent last year as an eighth grader when she won the 200, 400 and 800 meter runs at the state meet for junior high school kids.

Now she's a freshman at Linn-Mar and is already a smash hit on a much bigger stage.

Wensel set a meet record in the 400 meter dash and helped Linn-Mar set another mark in the 4x800 relay as the Lions captured top honors at the 29th Annual J-Hawk Relays at Kingston Stadium.

She also ran on the triumphant 4x400 relay to finish with three gold medals in a major meet that featured 14 schools and five Metro teams.

Stephanie Jenks, a multiple state champion for Linn-Mar the past two years, broke meet records in the 1500 and 3000 and claimed the 800 as the Lions appeared ready to make a serious run at the Class 4A state title this year.

Wensel has been a big addition to a strong program. She's made a seamless transition to the high school ranks.

"Oh my goodness. It's so different," she exclaimed. "In middle school, you don't have a lot of passionate athletes. In high school there are so many amazing athletes. It just pushes you so much harder.

"The passion that these older athletes have, it's really inspiring," she said.

Wensel ranked in the top-10 in the state in five different events as the day began. She ranked third in the 400 meter dash and fifth in the 200, as well as first in the 4x400 relay, fourth in the medley relay and eighth in the 4x800 relay with her teammates.

Wensel thought she might have broken the school record in the 400 Saturday when the scoreboard flashed her time as 57.32 seconds, but her official time was posted as 57.84 seconds. The school record is 57.35 by Ashley Williams.

"Honestly, I've been wanting to go for the school record this year," she said. "And to be able to do that as a freshman ... Well, I'd probably cry my eyes out if I found out I got it."

It did not happen Saturday, but chances are it will soon.

Both of Wensel's parents, Marek and Kelli, were runners in college, so she comes naturally to the sport.

"They didn't make me do it, but they kind of got me started," she said. "I found out it's really fun, whether you win or not. It's a great sport.

"I really got into it in eighth grade. In high school, I plan to be a lot more dedicated to the sport."

Wensel has a fluid style and appears to move effortlessly around the track. Her favorite event is the 400, but she's also highly proficient in the 200 and 800.

Linn-Mar won eight events Saturday, with Jenks and Wensel participating in six of them. Jenks is an established star, while Wensel is just getting started.

"I have gotten to know Payton a little bit," said Jenks, who is two years older. "She's a really, really nice girl. She seems to know where her priorities lie.

"The only advice I can give her: You've got to stay focused, you can't let things bother you. Control the things you can control and hope for the best."

Amber Decker, another veteran star for Linn-Mar, ran on three triumphant relays in the 4x800, sprint medley and 4x400. Maddie Saville, Hanna Saville, Niki Sharma and Kira Ramsey ran on two victorious relays for the Lions.

The Jefferson J-Hawks set meet records in the 4x200 and 4x100 relays with Abbie Ranschau, Jasmine Blue, Morgan Meese and Lucy Schneekloth running in both events. Schneekloth also captured the 200 meter dash.

Alanna Muhammad of Waterloo East broke the meet record in the 100 meter dash. All told, seven meet records fell on a sunny, comfortable day in southwest Cedar Rapids.

Kay Beer won the long jump for Kennedy.

Linn-Mar finished with 95 points. Jefferson edged Dubuque Wahlert for second place, 75-74. Prairie finished seventh, Kennedy ninth and Washington 13th.

29TH ANNUAL J-HAWK RELAYS

TEAM STANDINGS

1. Linn-Mar 95, 2. Jefferson 75, 3. Wahlert 74, 4. Solon 61, 5. Decorah 58, 6. Iowa City West 43, 7. Prairie 39.5, 8. Cedar Falls 35, 9. Kennedy 30, 10. Waterloo West 25, 11. Marshalltown 24, 12. Waterloo East 22.5, 13. Washington 6, 14. Waverly-Shell Rock 1.

CHAMPIONS

Long jump - Kay Beer, Kennedy, 16-1 1/2
High jump - Josie Durr, Solon, 5-2
Shot put - Shelby Gunnells, Solon, 44-5
Discus - Maddie Nilles, Wahlert, 146-7
* 3000 - Stephanie Jenks, Linn-Mar, 9:51.23
* 4x800 relay - Linn-Mar (Maddie Saville, Payton Wensel, Hanna Saville, Amber Decker) 9:23.22
Shuttle hurdle relay - Decorah 1:09.03
* 100 - Alanna Muhammad, Waterloo East, 11.75
Distance medley - Linn-Mar (Niki Sharma, Kira Ramsey, Abby Gries, Morgan Garcia) 4:23.81
400 hurdles - Emma Moss, Solon, 1:10.24
* 400 - Payton Wensel, Linn-Mar, 57.84
* 4x200 relay - Jefferson (Abbie Ranschau, Jasmine Blue, Morgan Meese, Lucy Schneekloth) 1:42.49
100 hurdles - Valerie Welch, Iowa City West, 15.42
800 - Stephanie Jenks, Linn-Mar, 2:17.46
200 - Lucy Schneekloth, Jefferson, 25.86
Sprint medley - Linn-Mar (Brooke Lorenz, Niki Sharma, Kira Ramsey, Amber Decker) 1:53.38
* 1500 - Stephanie Jenks, Linn-Mar, 4:44.85
* 4x100 relay - Jefferson (Lucy Schneekloth, Abbie Ranschau, Morgan Meese, Jasmine Blue) 48.63
4x400 relay - Linn-Mar (Maddie Saville, Payton Wensel, Hanna Saville, Amber Decker) 4:03.57
* Meet Records

METRO PLACEWINNERS

Top 3

LINN-MAR

3. Maddy Genskow, 3000, 11:34.93

JEFFERSON

2. Shuttle hurdle relay 1:09.74
2. Abbie Ranschau, 200, 25.87
2. 4x400 relay 4:06.86
3. Miasia Bergmann, long jump, 15-5 1/2

KENNEDY

2. 4x100 relay 52.66
3. Kay Beer, high jump, 5-0
3. Amarri Waller, 200, 26.38
3. Amarri Waller, 100, 12.16

PRAIRIE

2. Kenzie Soeken, high jump, 5-0
2. Distance medley 4:28.67
3. Hannah Frazee, 1500, 5:03.60
3. Sprint medley 1;54.10
3. 4x200 relay 1:49.79