Girls’ track in Iowa: The best it’s ever been

The facilities are more modern. The athletes are bigger, faster and stronger. And the sport has never been better.

Welcome to The Golden Age of girls' track in Iowa.

“It seems like we've been saying that every year lately, that it just keeps getting better and better,” said Bill Calloway, coach at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, who has been in the business more than 35 years. “Obviously, it's a totally different ball game now.”

Girls' track  has been on a steady upward spiral in Iowa through the past decade, and stars like Ellen Ries, Ashley Miller, the Dinsdale twins and Sara Stoakes were instrumental.

But, lately, that steady improvement has morphed into an explosion.

“We're just going through a faster group of kids right now,” said Mike Dick, executive director of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. “I'm not sure we've ever had it better.”

You've got Katie Flood of West Des Moines Dowling. You've got Hannah Willms of Dike-New Hartford. There's Sioux City East's duo of Shelby Houlihan and Ellen Dougherty. Don't forget Alex Gochenour of Logan-Magnolia or Jessica Gehrke of Iowa City West.

They'll all be on display at the co-ed state meet Thursday through Saturday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Talent - elite talent - is everywhere. And the proof is in the performances.

There are 19 events in girls' track. In 10 of those, the all-time Iowa best has been set since 2007, including five this year: Willms in the high jump, Flood in the 1,500-meter run, Gochenour in the 100-meter hurdles, Urbandale's shuttle hurdle relay and Iowa City West's 400-meter relay.

Consider this: In the 1,500, the top three times in state history (by Flood, Houlihan and Morgan Casey of Northeast/East Central) were established within seconds, at this year's Drake Relays.

In all, seven Drake girls' records were set this year.

So, what has happened? How have the athletes become more, well, athletic?

“The level of training has really improved over the years,” Calloway said. ”The knowledge out there has improved vastly.”

Benton Community Coach Marty Thomae, a 30-year veteran, said: “People have bought into weight training … Mercy Acceleration, Velocity and all that.”

Coaches are no longer the be-all, end-all for their athletes.

“There is so much more support outside the coaching staff … trainers, chiropractors and so forth,” Thomae said. “If the kids have a bump or a bruise, you can send them to a therapist, and they'll let you know when they can start training again.”

The runners are faster. And so are the surfaces.

Not so long ago, all-weather tracks were few and far between. Now, most schools have them.

“That has raised interest of the kids, I think,” Calloway said. ”They didn't like falling in the cinders too much.”