Sports

The Kee boys track and field team faced an extremely busy start to its outdoor schedule this past week but had it shortened just a bit early on, as a Tuesday, April 1 meet at Sumner-Fredericksburg was called off due to winter weather. However, two other meets remained yet for the track and field Hawks, with those meets being on back-to-back nights and resulting in an eighth-place finish at the Waukon Early Bird Invitational Thursday, April 3 before the Kee boys placed seventh at the North Fayette Valley Invitational Friday, April 4.

The Hawks were next scheduled to compete at Edgewood-Colesburg Tuesday, April 8 before taking part in Postville’s Foster-Kiesau Relays Thursday, April 10. Kee’s boys will then compete in Decorah Monday, April 14 before traveling to Monona for the MFL/MarMac Invitational Thursday, April 17.

Lady Hawks’ shuttle hurdle relay of Winters, Mudderman, Strong and Mohn sets new record

The Kee girls track and field team got its outdoor competition schedule underway a little later than originally planned, as the Tuesday, April 1 Sumner-Fredericksburg Invitational the Kee girls were scheduled to compete in was called off due to winter weather. The Lady Hawks still had the Friday, April 4 North Fayette Invitational on their schedule for this past week and finished in the middle of that nine-team field, using six medal-winning efforts to headline a 57-point team result that produced a fifth-place team finish.

The Lady Hawks were next scheduled to compete at Postville Tuesday, April 8 before traveling to Decorah Thursday, April 10. Kee’s girls are then slated to take part in the Waukon Early Bird Invitational Tuesday, April 15 before competing in the MFL/MarMac Invitational at Monona Thursday, April 17.

The Waukon girls track team had to wait a bit to get its first outdoor competition of the season in the books, as the Sumner-Fredericksburg Invitational the Lady Indians were scheduled to compete in Tuesday, April 1 was canceled due to the return of winter weather in northeast Iowa. Instead of sitting idle for the week, the Waukon girls got themselves into the Union Invitational in LaPorte City Thursday, April 3 as a late entry, claiming four event finishes within the top three, including a runner-up result as its highest finish at the meet to pace a team scoring effort of 64 points that placed the track Tribe in fourth place in the large invitational field of 16 teams.

The Waukon boys golf team will once again feature one of its largest recent squads, as 22 young men have reported for early-season duty this spring. Of those 22 Indian linksters, four of them return with varsity letterwinning experience from previous seasons.

Those four varsity veterans bringing back their experience on the links include senior Dalton Ellickson and the junior trio of Reid Deeney, Trevor Peiffer and Dylan Stegen. Ellickson is one of just two seniors on this season’s roster, as Seth Lloyd joins him as the other most upperclassman member of this spring’s squad.

The Waukon girls golf team of 2025 will field a squad of nine young ladies this spring, with just under half of those lady linksters returning with varsity letterwinning experience. Just over half of this season’s squad comes from a senior class that has helped rebuild the Waukon girls golf program into a full team for competition, as just three years ago there was only a single freshman golfer that made up the entire squad, current senior Alyssa Connelly, who is now this season’s most veteran golfer when it comes to high school competition.

Three senior classmates who have added their efforts to the squad in more recent years will again join Alyssa Connelly as this year’s letterwinning returnees, as Faith Cooper, Halea Corwin and Eva Whalen have all come back for one final season on the course as well. “I look for team leadership and student interaction,” Waukon girls golf coach Kathy McMillan said of her returning varsity letterwinners.

The Waukon girls track and field team got its competition season underway as a full team for the first time this spring Tuesday, March 25 at the Northeast Iowa Conference Indoor Meet at Luther College in Decorah. No team scores were kept, but the Indians did record three event victories and one each of runner-up and third-place finishes to headline their efforts at the meet.

The three Indian victories included the two longest individual races and one of the longer relay events, as junior Willa Troendle and sophomore Bryiah Stewart ran the 200 meter legs, junior Elle Wilkins completed the 400 meter segment and junior Emma O’Neill anchored the 800 meter finale for a win in the distance medley relay in a time of 4:40.69. The two distance wins were claimed by some young legs, as freshman Miriam Downing clocked in at 12:18.38 for gold in the 3000 meter run and sophomore Reegan Benzing did the same in the 1500 meter run with a tape-breaking time of 5:20.23.

The Waukon boys track and field team will enter its 2025 campaign with one of its smallest teams in recent years for a second consecutive season, after having fielded its largest team just three seasons ago. This spring’s squad of 43 young men who reported for early-season duty will be led by seven veterans returning with varsity experience, including a pair of those veterans returning with experience at the highest level of competition at the season-ending State Meet.

The Indians were scheduled to get their team competition season underway Tuesday, March 25 at the Northeast Iowa Conference Indoor Meet at Luther College in Decorah. The Waukon boys will then begin their outdoor schedule at the Sumner-Fredericksburg Invitational Tuesday, April 1 before the track Tribe will host its own Early Bird Invitational Thursday, April 3.

The Waukon girls track and field team of 2025 will benefit from more than half of its squad returning with varsity letterwinning experience from previous seasons. Within that collection of 20 returning veterans this spring lies seven young ladies who bring back that veteran experience from the ultimate level of competition, the State Track & Field Meet.

Junior Addison Winters breaks 20-year-old long jump record with victorious leap of 17’1”

The Kee girls and boys track teams got their competition season underway indoors at the annual Upper Iowa Conference (UIC) Indoor Meet held Friday, March 21 at Luther College in Decorah, scoring some event victories and already setting a new school record. In their respective team races, the Lady Hawks battled to a runner-up finish in their nine-team field and the Hawk boys finished in sixth place.

Both Kee teams are next scheduled to start their outdoor season at the Tuesday, April 1 Sumner-Fredericksburg Invitational. The Hawk boys will then compete in the Waukon Early Bird Invitational Thursday, April 3, with the girls to compete in the North Fayette Invitational Friday, April 4.

Waukon girls basketball senior Keira McCormick signed a letter of commitment to play basketball for Simpson College in Indianola at a Thursday morning, March 13 signing event in the Waukon High School gym. Pictured above at that signing event are, left to right seated in the front row, Keith, Keira and Amy McCormick, and in the back are Keira’s siblings, Kennedy and Kole McCormick.

“It just felt like family to me; the school setting, the coaches, the team atmosphere, and then I got my basketball offer from them,” McCormick said of making her decision to attend Simpson College and play basketball for the Lady Storm.