IOWA CITY - Tristan Beyer is excited about playing football at Upper Iowa University this fall, but there's something he wants to accomplish with the Cedar Rapids Prairie track team before heading to Fayette.

Beyer finished second by a scant margin in the 400 meter dash at the Class 4A state meet last May and it's bugged him ever since.

Deshond Robinson of Clinton won the state title in 48.71 seconds, with Beyer a tick behind in a personal-best 48.85 seconds.

Robinson and Beyer are both seniors now. If they meet again, Beyer plans to finish on top.

"That's the goal, especially since I was runnerup last year," he said Thursday between races at the Washington Demon Indoor Meet in Iowa City. "I want to go back and get that kid from Clinton. I know who he is."

Upper Iowa does not have a track program, so this will be Beyer's final season as a runner before becoming a full-time football player. The Peacocks signed him to play defense as an outside linebacker and strong safety, where he can put his speed and strength to good use and hunt down ballcarriers.

"That's what I want," he said. "It's kind of a hybrid position with speed and a little bit of strength."

Beyer turned down an opportunity to join the University of Iowa football team as an invited walk-on. "I thought about it," he said, but Upper Iowa offered a scholarship and he accepted the chance to play at the NCAA Division II level.

"I got a pretty good deal," he said.

Beyer is not sure if he'll take a redshirt year as a freshman or not. "If the opportunity is there, it's up to me whether I want to play or not," he said.

A devoted weightlifter, Beyer plans to major in exercise and sports science. He recently began a new weightlifting program and was not as limber as normal Thursday, but wanted to run anyway.

"I'm tight and sore," he said, "but I felt really smooth."

Beyer competed in the 60-meter dash and ran the anchor leg on Prairie's 4x400 relay at the University of Iowa. It was a warmup meet for most of the schools, but there were some strong performances by Metro athletes.

Tim Wolfe of Linn-Mar won the 60-meter dash in 7.21 seconds. The Lions also got a third-place showing from Daniel Murphy in the 800 meter run (2:03.53) and a fourth-place showing from Josh Evans in the same event (2:05.80).

Evans, the premier distance runner in the state, used the 800 to get some exercise in preparation for the outdoor campaign.

Shawn Beyer and Willie Rhoads of Kennedy finished in a three-way tie for first place in the high jump by clearing 6 feet, 3 inches. Cody Jamison of Monticello also cleared 6-3.

The Prairie Hawks finished second and third in the shot put with Matt Hilligas throwing 48-10 and Michael Lamparek a notch behind at 48-5. Mitch Pritts placed second in the 1600 for the Hawks in 4:43.71.

Jacob Shannon of Kennedy placed third in the 200 meter dash in 23.89 seconds.