Kee girls track and field team qualifies four events for Class 1A State Track that headline sixth-place team finish at State Qualifying Meet

Winters qualifies in four events, joins Mudderman, Strong and Mohn in earning shuttle hurdle relay berth

The Kee girls track and field team had the opportunity to lengthen its season by another week to every high school track and field athlete’s ultimate destination when the Lady Hawks competed in their Class 1A State Qualifying Meet hosted by Edgewood-Colesburg on an initially warm and very windy Thursday, May 15. Kee’s girls made the most of that opportunity in four different events, automatically qualifying for this season’s State Track and Field Meet with two event championships while also earning at-large qualification in two more by having their performances be one of the top-14 non-championship efforts put forth at Thursday’s 10 Class 1A State Qualifying Meets held across the state of Iowa.

“If an athlete is a little off or under the weather, it can have a huge impact on if a certain event qualifies for the State Track Meet,” Kee girls track and field coach Chad Winters shared. “One little hiccup can become devastating for an athlete.  The district track format can create a lot of pressure for athletes to perform to the best of their ability, but more often than not they rise up and perform well. With only the district champion being guaranteed to qualify, it always leaves a little doubt in your mind about if you performed well enough to get in.”

Kee’s two event championships that earned guaranteed qualification were further complemented by a pair of third-place event finishes recorded by the Lady Hawks at Thursday’s State Qualifying Meet that turned out to be strong enough to earn at-large qualifications for this year’s State Track and Field Meet. Those State Meet qualifying events and another third-place Kee effort at Thursday’s meet helped lead the way to 57 team points and a sixth-place team finish for the Hawks in the meet’s 14-team scoring field.

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