Some southern Iowa athletes have been running jumping and throwing their way to the top at the state and national level in the sport of track and field.

by Ryan De Zwarte

The month of June started out by wrapping up the season 2023 in Ames at the USATF state championship. Oskaloosa athlete Tierney Carter found success finishing 2nd in the 800m, 2nd in the 400m hurdles and 3rd in the high jump. The De Zwarte brothers also excelled, with Rylee finishing 8th in the 100m and 8th in the long jump. Ryder finished 2nd in the Javelin and 3rd in the shot put. All three athletes secured All-State status in their events and qualified for the regional championships in La Crosse, Wi.

The End of July saw 1500 of the fastest athletes in the Midwest gathered at Grand View University with the top 8 athletes in each event moving on to compete in the Junior Olympics, where the winners will be crowned as national champions.

Tierney Carter found further success in the 800, qualifying in 6th place. She followed up her performance by finishing 6th in the high jump and qualifying 1st in her steeplechase debut. Hannah Quang proved to be elite in the 100m hurdles qualifying in 6th place. Ryleigh Willken joined the group with a 6th-place finish in the high jump. Rylee De Zwarte finished 10th in the 100m, 10th in the 200m, and 3rd in the Javelin. Ryder De Zwarte qualified, finishing 4th in the shot put and 4th in the Javelin. Raya Walker added to the qualifiers finishing 6th in the long jump. Not to be left out the 4x100m relay team of Chloe Borror, Adison Glosser, Trista Hansaker, and Khloe French won gold, finishing 1st.

The Junior Olympics will be held July 26 through August 5 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

The Southern Iowa Track and Field Club practices twice a week, May through July, at the Community Stadium in Oskaloosa. For more information on the club’s results, practice schedule, or events, search Southern Iowa Track and Field on Facebook.