Brady Sullivan claims Class 2A State Runner-Up honors in the shot put to lead Waukon boys effort at the season grand finale


Class 2A Shot Put State Runner-Up ... Waukon boys track senior Brady Sullivan unleashes a shot put effort in the Class 2A competition at the State Track and Field Meet in Des Moines Thursday, May 16. Sullivan launched a personal-best throw of 56’5.5” to claim State Runner-Up honors in that throwing event behind fellow Northeast Iowa Conference senior Noah Fenske of New Hampton and his championship toss of 60’0.25”. Sullivan also competed in the Class 2A discus, firing a toss of 136’10” in the steady rain of Friday morning, May 17 to end up 11th in that overall field, with Fenske also winning that event with a toss of 152’11”. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this website.

The Waukon boys track season came to a final end where every team and athlete strives to be, as three Indians competed in four individual events at this year’s State Track and Field Meet held Thursday-Saturday, May 16-18 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. With weather during the three-day event featuring the extremes of blistering heat Thursday and rainy, wet conditions for some of the remainder, so too were the Indians’ event results near the extremes among Iowa’s Class 2A track and field elite.

Senior Brady Sullivan tallied the track Tribe’s best finishes at the season grand finale, first finishing as the Class 2A State Runner-Up early Thursday afternoon in the shot put with a personal-best toss of 56’5.5” to finish second behind fellow Northeast Iowa Conference senior Noah Fenske and his State Championship launch of 60’0.25”. After scratching on his first preliminary toss, Sullivan put together throws of 49’4” and 54’6.25” to earn himself a second-place spot in the eight-man finals. Despite not needing anything better than his last preliminary throw to hang on to his runner-up spot, Sullivan uncorked throws in the finals of 55’8.5”, his personal-best 56’5.5” and 55’4.5” to further secure his State Runner-Up result, with champion Fenske throwing no less than 58’4” in his six total State Meet tosses to never have is title in jeopardy.

Junior Brock Hatlan took to the track for his lone State Meet appearance early Thursday afternoon, placing eighth in his eight-man heat of the Class 2A 100 meter dash in a time of 11.74 seconds. That clocking did not allow him to make the eight-runner finals and placed him 23rd overall in the Class 2A 24-runner field, which was won by Spirit Lake junior Joe Stein with a clocking off 11.10 seconds.

After a one-hour weather delay, the Friday, May 17 competition for the Indian track boys was started off with the season grand finale debut of sophomore Brady Behrend in the Class 2A high jump. Behrend was one of 22 jumpers who cleared both 5’9” and 5’11” in a steady morning rain before joining eight of those in bowing out at 6’1” to end up in an eight-way tie for 15th place in the 23-jumper field, which was topped by Sibley-Ocheyedan senior Grant Brouwer with a championship leap of 6’9”.

Sullivan returned to the throwing field events Friday, competing in the Class 2A discus. In his final high school track and field competition for the track Tribe, Sullivan fired off throws of 136’10” and 127’6” on either side of one scratch, neither of those good throws advancing him to the eight-man finals in the event. His toss of 136’10” placed him 11th overall in the 24-thrower field, which was also topped by New Hampton senior Noah Fenske with a toss of 152’11” for his second throwing event State Championship of the Class 2A State Meet.