Sports

The Waukon girls track team made one final appearance for the 2016 season, making that final appearance memorable at the Iowa High School State Track Meet held Thursday through Saturday, May 19-21 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines by winning the team’s first State medals since 2009 in two out of the Indians’ three qualified events and breaking a nearly 40-year-old school record in the process. That new standard was set in the track Tribe’s highest finish at the season grand finale, a fourth-place result in both its eight-team heat and overall in the 24-team Class 2A field of the sprint medley that resulted in a clocking of 1:51.93, which bested that event’s previous Waukon girls track record of 1:52.10 set in 1977.

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.

The 2016 track and field season officially came to an end for the Kee girls track team, with two of its members competing one final time in their specialty events among the elite in Class 1A of the Iowa High School State Track Meet held Thursday through Saturday, May 19-21 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. That Kee pair included freshman Katie

Brennan and sophomore Kendra Cooper, who finished on opposite spectrum ends among their respective event elite.

Brennan was the first to compete for the Lady Hawks, lining up among Class 1A’s top 24 distance runners in the 3000 meter run Thursday afternoon, May 19. In her first-ever Iowa High School State Track Meet, Brennan found herself toward the end of that 24-runner pack initially, but willed her way back over the last severals laps of the event to end up fourth in a time of 11:27.40. The Class 1A 3000 meter run was won by East Mills freshman Janette Schraft in 10:48.20.

Kee boys track junior Danny Brennan leads a small pack in the Class 1A 800 meter run Saturday morning, May 21 at the State Track Meet in Des Moines. In his second consecutive State Meet appearance in the event, Brennan ran to a clocking of 2:02.57 to finish fourth in his 12-runner section and end up in the final medal-winning eighth place overall out of the 24 Class 1A runners competing in the event, which was won by Mount Ayr senior Kyle Dolecheck for the third consecutive year in a time of 1:57.15. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more by clicking on the Photo Galleries link on The Standard’s website, www.waukonstandard.com.
 

The Waukon girls track team was vying for extension of its 2016 season at the Class 2A State Qualifying Meet hosted by North Fayette Valley in West Union Thursday, May 12. For two individuals and one relay team, that feat was accomplished with the required top-two finish in their respective events to automatically qualify for this week’s Class 2A State Track Meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Junior Erika Johnson earned a return trip to Des Moines in the long jump in championship style, while senior Madison Snitker qualified in two events that placed second at Thursday’s State Qualifying Meet, including the 200 meter dash as an individual and as the anchor leg of the Tribe’s sprint medley, joining fellow senior Nicole Behrend and juniors Regan Wasson and Lanci Bulman in also making a return trip to the season grand finale.

Those State-qualifying efforts paced the Indians to 47 team points and a seventh-place team finish in Thursday’s 12-team final standings.

The Waukon girls and boys track teams will each be represented in multiple events at the Class 2A State Track Meet at Drake Stadium in Des Moines this week. Three boys will be competing in five individual events at this year’s season grand finale, while five Waukon girls will be competing in three different events including two individual events and one relay.

Thursday, May 19 will be the busiest day for the Waukon representatives, beginning with junior Tyler O’Neill in the 3200 meter run starting at approximately 10:10 a.m. for the 24-runner, one-time finals of that event. Junior Erika Johnson will be making a return trip to the season grand finale in the long jump, where she will compete Thursday at approximately 11:30 a.m. in the second of two flights, jumping fifth in that 12-competitor second flight.

The Waukon and Kee baseball and softball teams are all scheduled to open their 2016 seasons Tuesday, May 24. Both the Kee baseball and softball teams will play host to Decorah at 5:30 p.m., with baseball hosting a varsity doubleheader and softball hosting a JV/varsity doubleheader. Baseball will also play at Maquoketa Valley for two varsity games Wednesday, May 25 at 5 p.m.

The Waukon baseball team will also open its season at home, hosting North Fayette Valley Tuesday, May 24 for a JV/varsity doubleheader that begins at 5:30 p.m. The Waukon softball team will open its season on the road, playing at Central Elkader Tuesday, May 24 with a varsity/JV doubleheader to begin at 5:30 p.m., with the varsity game slated to be played first.

Season previews and full schedules for all teams will be published in a future edition of The Standard.
 

The Waukon boys track team was looking to keep the 2016 season going for as many events as possible, competing at its Class 2A State Qualifying Meet hosted by North Fayette Valley at West Union Thursday, May 12. Just three individuals were able to achieve that next level, but two of them did so in multiple events to advance five total events to the Class 2A State Track Meet later this week at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

The Kee boys track team brought its 2016 team season to a close this past week, but the season continued for one Hawk to the season grand finale for a second consecutive year. Kee junior Danny Brennan won the 800 meter run at the Hawks’ Class 1A State Qualifying Meet at Edgewood-Colesburg Thursday, May 12 to earn a return trip to the Class 1A State Meet in that event this Saturday, May 21 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Prior to that State Qualifying Meet effort, the Kee boys got in a few events Monday, May 9 at a rained-out Postville Invitational rescheduled from April 5, the Hawks placing seventh in that limited event. The Hawks also finished 12th in the final team scoring of that Class 1A State Qualifying Meet.

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The Kee boys and girls track teams will both be represented among the Class 1A track and field elite later this week at the Class 1A State Track Meet held at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. The Brennan family will be represented on both teams, as the brother/sister tandem of junior Danny Brennan and freshman Katie Brennan each earned State Meet qualification this past week with championship efforts in their respective specialty events.

Katie Brennan will take to the track in her Iowa High School State Track Meet debut Thursday afternoon, May 19 at approximately 3:20 p.m. in a one-time timed final where she brings the third-best qualifying time into that 24-runner field. Joining Katie Brennan in representing the Kee track girls will be sophomore Kendra Cooper, who earned her first-ever State Meet qualification in the discus. She will compete Friday, May 20 at approximately 2 p.m. and will be the fifth thrower in the first flight of 12 competitors.