DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Dowling Catholic sophomore Katie Flood ran the sixth-fastest 3000-meter race in the nation this year, highlighting the first day of action at the state track and field championships Thursday.

Flood, who won last month’s Drake Relays in 9:56.23 and is regarded as one of America’s top young distance talents, took home her second 4A state title in as many tries with a time of 9:46.04. Flood then teamed up with her sister, Betsy Flood, to win the 3,200 relay title in 9:17.38, the eighth-best time in state history.

Despite Katie Flood’s performance, Dowling Catholic was second behind Iowa City West in the 4A girls standings. The Marion and Decorah girls teams are tied in 3A at 16 points apiece. St. Albert Council Bluffs, in its quest to unseat four-time defending champion Tipton, has a five-point advantage in girls 2A. North Tama of Traer opened up a 12-point lead in the 1A girls standings.

Pleasant Valley pulled into a tie with Iowa City West in 4A boys team scoring. Mount Pleasant of Algona, second in 2007, is first in 3A with 18 points. Defending champion Monticello has a nine-point lead over St. Edmond Fort Dodge in boys 2A action. Northeast Goose Lake is first in 1A with 12 points, but four teams are right behind them with 10 points.

Mid-Prairie Wellman’s Aaron Stocksdale became the first three-time winner in the 400 meters since Clyde Duncan in 1964, winning in a blazing 47.67. Stocksdale became just the fifth runner in 103 years to win the title three times. Anamosa’s Colten Kelly, the high jump champion at the Drake Relays, jumped 6-11 to break a 3A boys mark that had stood since 1985.

In the girls 2A 400 race, Hannah Willms of Dike-New Hartford ran the third-fastest time in state history at 54.70. Sergeant Bluff-Luton junior Megan Glisar kept alive her quest to become a four-time state champion, winning her third high jump title with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches that tied her own state mark.

Logan-Magnolia senior Carly Olsen beat, among others, North Tama star Brooke Dinsdale to win the girls 1A 3000 meters. Olsen beat the field by more than 40 seconds, finishing at 10:11.31.

Pleasant Valley senior Devin Allbaugh set the day’s lone record in boys competition. He won the 3,200 at Drake Stadium for the second time in less than a month, finishing in 9:20.88. Allbaugh, who won the state cross country title last fall, will continue his track career at Iowa State this fall.

Davenport Assumption senior Ethan Tuftee, who has signed to play football for Iowa State, won the shot put with a throw of 56 feet, 11 1/2 inches.

Waterloo West sophomore TrayVonn Wright won the 4A boys high jump with a leap of 6-10. Wright notched the best 4A jump since Ames’ Andy Kohler cleared 7 feet nine years ago.

The 3A boys 3,200 race proved to be one of the day’s best. Winterset freshman Evan Selsor overtook Mount Pleasant’s Jared Walker in the back stretch, then held off a late charge from Algona freshman Ryan McMahon to win in 9:34.75, just 2/10ths of a second ahead of McMahon. Charles City’s Eric Tudor finished last, but he won over the crowd by crawling across the finish line after his legs gave out in the final few yards.

The Iowa City West boys shuttle hurdle relay team ran the fastest time in state history at 56.55, though it was set in a preliminary race.

Weather was certainly on the athletes’ side Thursday, with light winds and temperatures around 70 degrees. Forecasts predict the good fortune to continue through Saturday, with temperature expected to creep into the mid 70s.

Sunny skies didn’t hurt attendance either. The crowd of 18,707 set a state meet record, breaking a record set in 2007.