CEDAR FALLS - Tristan Beyer was happy for his Cedar Rapids Prairie teammates last year when they won titles at the Drake Relays and Class 4A state meet, but that could have been him.

That could have been him on the 4x400 relay that took first place at Drake. And that could have been him on the distance medley that took top honors at the state meet, but a hamstring injury knocked him out of both races.

"It hurt, not so much physically but mentally," Beyer said Tuesday. "I wanted to compete with my guys."

He hopes to make up for lost time this season.

Beyer sped to victory in the 400 meter dash in 51.65 seconds Tuesday at the Dickinson Relays in the UNI-Dome, topping a field of 127 runners who competed in 16 sections.

"Not too bad," he said after seeing his time posted on the big scoreboard in the Dome. "I was pretty proud of myself."

Beyer won the 400 at the Mississippi Valley Conference indoor meet in the UNI-Dome last week in 52.64 seconds, so he improved by nearly a full second in a week's time. "I was hoping to get better," he said. "I don't want to stand still."

A classic battle could be developing in the 400 in the Metro (and the state) this year between Beyer and Nick Corbett of Cedar Rapids Washington. Corbett, a senior, placed second in the 400 in 49.46 seconds at the Class 4A state meet last year. Beyer, a junior, has some catching up to do.

"That's perfectly fine. I have no problem with that," Beyer said, accepting the challenge. "We'll see how it races."

Corbett and Beyer have not met this year, but they'll undoubtedly race several times during the outdoor track season. Unlike Corbett, Beyer has never cracked 50 seconds in an open 400, but he's getting close.

"I think I can do it," he said. "I thought I could do it last year, but I didn't get the chance. I've put more into it this year."

He thinks he might even crack 49 seconds and get into the 48's.

"That's my goal," he said. "Set them high and go get them."

Beyer has gotten bigger and stronger thanks to hard work in the weight room, trying to improve his speed and stay healthy. "I'm living in there, basically," he said.

It's too late to rewrite history and get a piece of those relay titles at the Drake Relays and state meets from 2012. Austin Dellamuth and Jacob Aune graduated, so the Hawks will have to put new units together, but at least Beyer has a momento from those achievements.

After Prairie won the state title, his teammates summoned him from the stands so he could appear in the same picture with them. "I love my teammates," he said. "I love my teammates for letting me do that."

Metro runners captured three titles at the Dickinson Relays Tuesday.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior Timauntay Jones won the 800 meter run in 1:58.84 with a strong finishing kick. He also won the open 800 at the MVC meet here last week.

The Linn-Mar Lions claimed the 4x200 relay in 1:32.90 in a tight race with Iowa City West (1:33.13) and Waterloo West (1:33.18). The Lions used a young quartet on the relay with sophomore Austin Flieder, sophomore Tristan Freese, freshman Danny Gorsich and sophomore Perrion Scott.

Scott finished third in the 200 meter dash in 23.19 seconds, just eight-hundredths of a second behind champion Royce Peterson of Iowa City West. Linn-Mar also claimed a bronze medal in the 4x400 relay.

Jordan Houdeshell of Linn-Mar won the wheelchair 400 and 60 meter races and placed second in the 200.

DICKINSON RELAYS
at UNI-Dome

WINNERS
High jump - Justin Randall, Burlington, 6-6
Long jump - Dequayvious Martin, Waterloo West, 22-11
Shot put - Derrick Hurt, Newton, 52-4 1/2
3200 - Isaac Steffensmeier, Fort Madison, 9:37.55
4x200 relay - Linn-Mar (Austin Flieder, Tristan Freese, Danny Gorsich, Perrion Scott) 1:32.90
4x800 relay - Pleasant Valley 8:13.08
1600 - Daniel Gardarsson, Iowa City West, 4:25.95
400 wheelchair - Jordan Houdeshell, Linn-Mar, 1:12.98
400 - Tristan Beyer, Prairie, 51.65
60 hurdles - Sydne Davis, DM Roosevelt, 8.29
60 wheelchair - Jordan Houdeshell, Linn-Mar, 12.98
60 - Cray Washington, Fort Dodge, 7.19
200 wheelchair - Drake Sachsenmier, Camanche, 36.60
200 - Royce Peterson, Iowa City West, 23.11
800 - Timauntay Jones, Jefferson, 1:58.84
4x400 relay - Cedar Falls 3:34.44

METRO PLACEWINNERS
Top 8

LINN-MAR
1st - 4x200 relay 1:32.90
1st - Jordan Houdeshell, 400 wheelchair, 1:12.98
1st - Jordan Houdeshell, 60 wheelchair, 12.98
2nd - Jordan Houdeshell, 200 wheelchair, 36.81
3rd - Perrion Scott, 200, 23.19
3rd - 4x400 relay 3:35.50
4th - Mike Keiser, 60 hurdles, 8.63
5th - Brandon Jeffries, 60, 7.28
6th - Daniel Murphy, 3200, 10:04.46

PRAIRIE
1st - Tristan Beyer, 400, 51.65
5th - Mitch Pritts, 3200, 9:55.17
7th - Haakon Wilz, 60 hurdles, 8.70

JEFFERSON
1st - Timauntay Jones, 800, 1:58.84
7th - 4x800 relay 8:37.32