Hesse wins 800m medal to lead Waukon track boys at State Meet
Waukon boys track senior Peyton Hesse battles near the finish line in the Class 2A 800 meter run at the State Track Meet in Des Moines Saturday, May 21. The senior closed out his high school track career with a personal-best 1:59.26 clocking in the event, placing him eighth both in his 12-runner section and overall in the 24-runner Class 2A field. Hesse also completed the 400 meter circuit in a time of 52.45 seconds at the season grand finale, placing him seventh in his eight-runner heat and 16th in the overall Class 2A event field of 24 runners. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on this website.
The 2016 Waukon boys track season came to a close where all teams strive to be, with three Indians competing in five events at the Iowa High School State Track Meet held Thursday through Saturday, May 19-21 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. Seniors Peyton Hesse and Wyatt Wille wrapped up their careers at the season grand finale, being joined by junior Tyler O’Neill in competing amongst the Class 2A track and field elite, with Hesse highlighting that final Indian showing for 2016 by winning an eighth-place medal in the 800 meter run.
O’Neill led off the Indian effort at the season grand finale Thursday morning, May 19. The Tribe’s most recent distance running leader ran with pack leaders early in the race but slowed off that and his usual pace under the warming conditions, finishing 23rd in that 23-runner Class 2A field in 11:03.41. Aplington-Parkersburg senior C.J. May claimed this year’s Class 2A 3200 meter crown in a time of 9:39.94.
Pulling double duty in his high school track swan song, Hesse began that State Track “two-fer” Thursday afternoon with a 400 meter clocking of 52.45 seconds, which placed him seventh in his eight-runner heat and landed him 16th overall in the Class 2A field of 24 runners. The Class 2A 400 meter dash was won by Camanche senior Will Seeser in a time of 49.36 seconds. Hesse returned to the track Saturday, May 21 to win a medal in the Class 2A 800 meter run in a personal-best time of 1:59.26, which placed him in the final medal-winning spot, eighth, both in his 12-runner section of the event and overall in the 24-runner Class 2A field. That Class 2A 800 meter run was won by Monticello senior Matt Manternach in a time of 1:52.77, just ahead of his twin brother, Derek, who finished second in 1:54.22.
Senior Wyatt Wille was the boys track Tribe’s only other State Meet competitor and lone Friday competitor, pulling his own double duty Friday morning, May 20. Having jumped 6’2” to earn a State Meet high jump appearance, Wille failed to clear the opening height of 5’9” in his three attempts, ending up in 24th place with no officially recorded height. The Class 2A high jump was won by West Burlington Notre Dame senior Xavior Williams with a leap of 7’0”. A couple hours later that morning, Wille ran to a 58.11 clocking in the 400 meter hurdles, which placed him seventh in his eight-runner heat and 23rd out of the Class 2A field of 24 runners. Treynor junior Brett Daley won the Class 2A 400 meter hurdles in 53.17 seconds.
