Former Indians Track Stand-Out Earn National Title
National Champions in the 4×800 meter relay for Grand View University. Isaiah Wittrock, Ben Huftalin, Carter Huyser, and Talon Munger. (Photo by Justine Munger)
Former Indian Track Stand-Outs Earn National Title
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Carter Huyser and Talon Munger, both former Oskaloosa Indians, now compete for the Grand View University Vikings on their track and field team.
The pair is half of the 4×800 national championship team in the NAIA. Isaiah Wittrock and Ben Hauftalin were the other runners that made up the team.
Last year, the team finished third at the indoor nationals, and conference champions for the past two years.
Munger said that upon waking up, “You’re ready to go. We’ve been preparing for this all season, so we were just there, mentally ready to go.”
“We knew from the prelim that we had a chance to win,” added Huyser. “We knew we could get in; it was just about executing it.”
Hyser is the first leg of the team, while Munger is the third leg of the team.
When hearing the gun to start the race, Huyser said, “It’s really scary starting it [relay] off. You can mess up a lot for the whole relay.”
Munger said he evaluates how the race’s first and second legs have been doing as he prepares for his portion of the race. “I feel confident as a third leg that I can beat a lot of people.”
“It was a great race. It was a good win,” the pair said of their effort.
Munger also placed an impressive 10th in the 600 meter.
Munger and Huyser said that COVID ended their outdoor season, and they went home during the off-season and stayed focused, knowing what they had to do to be successful this year.
Both Munger and Huyser ran the 4×800 for the Oskaloosa Indians, where they competed at the state meet.
Huyser explained that his experience running at the state track meet in high school helped prepare him to run at the NAIA’s national event.
You can catch the whole interview on the Indians Network Facebook page on Monday at 7 pm. It will also be live on MCG Channel 7 at the same time.
Additional reporting by Jamie Brockman.
