Jefferson's Koenigsfeld picks Iowa track

CEDAR RAPIDS — You hear 'Jefferson girls' track;' you think, 'sprinters.'

But there's more than just the Cheetah Girls. There's a middle-distance diamond in the rough in Meredith Koenigsfeld.

'I think I'm going to have a really good season,' Koenigsfeld said Tuesday night, after announcing that she will run collegiately at the University of Iowa. 'I set a goal of 2:12 (in the 800 meters). I wrote it down, and I see it every day.'

A 6-foot-1 senior, Koenigsfeld elected to walk on with the Hawkeyes with hopes of earning a scholarship at some point.

'What struck me the most was how tight the team is,' she said. 'They seemed very invested in who I am.'

Koenigsfeld is the third member of the Jefferson senior class to commit to a Division-I track and field program. Jasmine Blue and Abilene Ranschau will run at Northern Iowa.

As a junior, Koenigsfeld ran on a seventh-place distance medley relay and an eighth-place 1,600-meter relay at state.

She plans to major in nursing at Iowa. She chose the Hawkeyes over Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com