Sports

In what turned out to be its only competition of the week, the Kee girls track team battled more than just the seven other teams at the Starmont Invitational Thursday, April 7, as the Lady Hawks competed in cold, damp conditions as well. Despite all those opposing forces, the Kee girls racked up half a dozen medal-winning performances - half of those being event wins - on the way to compiling 67 team points and a fifth-place team finish.
“It was finally nice to get outside and run a meet,” Kee girls track coach Chad Winters said. “It was cold and windy, which affected the times, but we were able to compete.”

In what turned out to be its only competition of the week, the Waukon boys track team wasn’t competing at full strength at the Decorah Early Bird Meet Monday, April 4, not having all team members in attendance, much less in their strongest events. With that being the case, the Indians tallied a handful of top-three event finishes to help pace themselves to 30 team points and end up fifth in the five-team final team scoring.

The Indians were also scheduled to compete at Postville Thursday, April 7, but had that meet canceled by weather. The track Tribe was scheduled to return to Decorah Monday, April 11 before competing at the New Hampton Invitational Thursday, April 14. The Indians are then scheduled to compete at Decorah for a third consecutive Monday, April 18 before preparing to host their own Indian Relays home invitational Friday, April 22, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The Waukon girls track team had both of its scheduled meets this past week canceled due to inclement weather conditions. The Indians were scheduled to compete at Charles City Tuesday, April 5 and at Decorah Friday, April 8, but had both events called off due to cold, wet conditions.

The Lady Indians were scheduled to host their own Waukon Early Bird Invitational Tuesday, April 12 before competing at New Hampton Thursday, April 14. The track Tribe is then slated for competition at the Tuesday, April 19 Crestwood Invitational at Cresco and Thursday, April 21 North Fayette Valley Invitational at West Union.

The Waukon boys golf team got its season underway this past week, but not with the results the Indians wanted. Those less than desirable results included the postponement of the Tribe’s Tuesday, April 5 Northeast Iowa Conference dual at Charles City that followed a season-opening loss at South Winneshiek Monday, April 4.

That loss at South Winneshiek came by a result of 153-183 at the varsity level for the Indians, with no Indians managing to shoot below 43. “Each varsity player had one or two bad holes, so next time out we’re looking for more consistency and will try to eliminate the big numbers on some holes,” Waukon boys golf coach Tharin Benson said. “Overall, we need to improve on our short game, chipping and putting.  We left a lot of shots out there around the greens.”

In what turned out to be its only competition of the week, the Waukon girls golf team showed good balance in its season-opening dual meet hosted by South Winneshiek High School at Ossian Monday, April 4 but could not edge that balance low enough to avoid a 200-215 loss to the host Warriors at the varsity level. Senior Leslie Sivesind paced that Indian varsity effort with her round of 51, with junior Annika Anderson turning in a 54, and junior Kayla Palmer and sophomore Kylee Hager each carding rounds of 55.

The junior varsity Indians were able to get past their South Winneshiek hosts, winning their dual competition by a 241-252 final count. Senior Jessica Sholes shot a 52 to pace that Indian JV effort, with sophomore Abby Dixon adding a 55, junior Hannah Hennessy carding a 65 and senior Alyvia Jones completing the Indian team score with her round of 69.

The Waukon boys track team ended up with just one evening of competition this past week, as the Indians’ own Early Bird Invitational was canceled due to the return of winter-like weather Thursday, March 31. That left the Indians with just the Tuesday, March 29 Frostbite Invitational hosted by Sumner-Fredericksburg High School.
The Indian track boys made their presence known in that first outdoor meet of the season, not only winning a handful of events but the entire meet championship at that Frostbite Invitational. The Indians won five events and placed second in four more to pace the squad to 135 team points and the invitational team title.

The Indians were next scheduled to compete at the Decorah Invitational Monday, April 4 and then at Postville Thursday, April 7. The track Tribe will then return to Decorah Monday, April 11 before competing at the New Hampton Invitational Thursday, April 14.

The Waukon girls track team had just one evening of competition this week, competing at the Frostbite Invitational hosted by Sumner-Fredericksburg High School Tuesday, March 29. The Indians tallied eight finishes within top-three event placewinnings, including four event victories, to compile 83 team points and finish fourth in the meet’s eight-team field.

The Indians were next scheduled to compete at the Charles City Invitational Tuesday, April 5 before taking part in the Decorah Invitational Friday, April 8. The Tribe lady tracksters are then scheduled to host their own Early Bird Invitational Tuesday, April 12.

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It was a season for the record books, and the history books, culminating in a first-ever trip to the ultimate destination every high school team desires. The 2015-2016 Kee girls basketball season played out to a best-ever 22-3 season record that saw the Hawks rewrite 10 other team records throughout a campaign that took them to the Iowa High School Girls State Basketball Tournament for the first time in school history, moving the program yet another step forward.
“For the girls that are in high school right now, it sets a standard, a goal that is within reach,” Kee girls basketball coach Dan Love said of this season’s historical result. “For the younger girls and the community, it shows what we are capable of when we work hard and have positive support.”

The Waukon girls golf team will benefit from a trio of returning veterans as the 2016 gets underway. That trio each took turns leading the Indian charge at different times throughout last season, with two of them returning with All-Conference honors to their credit from the end of last season.
Senior Leslie Sivesind and juniors Bailey Farley and Kayla Palmer each return with veteran experience from last spring, with Farley and Sivesind each playing to finishes within the Northeast Iowa Conference’s (NEIC) top-15 players from last season, and being just two of a half dozen returning from that NEIC elite this spring. “I look to them for leadership and to add to our team strength,” Waukon girls golf coach Kathy McMillan said of that veteran trio.
Coach McMillan lists that team strength as the depth her squad fields this season. “My strength is eight players I can put out on the course to fill six spots on the varsity squad,” she said.

The Waukon boys golf team will return a number of familiar varsity faces in five returning letterwinners this season, but will have a new face manning the helm of the program this spring. First-year head coach Tharin Benson has taken the reins from long-time program leader Todd Neal with the start of the 2016 campaign.
“I am from Postville, and currently live with my wife and daughter in Waukon,” Coach Benson explained. “I am currently a special education teacher at Waukon Middle School and coach seventh grade boys basketball, and I am also an assistant varsity baseball coach. I started learning how to golf when I met my wife (the former Bailey Meyer) in high school. She went to high school in Waukon, and was part of the 2003 and 2004 State golf teams. I basically taught myself how to golf through watching videos and copying what I saw. In all, I have golfed for the last 13 years.”