Iowa high school state track and field 2025: Tracking the top girls’ individuals and teams

DES MOINES — The Iowa high school state track and field meet begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at Drake Stadium and runs through Saturday.

Here are the top individuals and teams in the girls’ field, along with The Gazette’s championship picks:

Class 4A

Top individuals: Freshman Charlee Gall of Cedar Falls wasted no time in making herself known. She won the 3,000 and the 1,500 at the Drake Relays. Emma Havighurst of West Des Moines Valley is one of the state’s all-time hurdling greats; her Valley shuttle team could flirt with sub-60. Indianola’s Josie McGraw is seeded No. 2 in both hurdles events, and Linn-Mar’s Abby Mecklenburg has exceeded 20 feet in the long jump on multiple occasions this spring. Pleasant Valley possesses a pair of middle-distance aces in Ani Wedemeyer and Grace Boleyn.

Scouting the team race: We passed on mentioning any Waukee Northwest standouts above, and that was by design. This Northwest team could stand among the all-time 4A greats by weekend’s end. The Wolves are seeded to score in 14 events, and are favored in six. That includes a 1-2 possibility by Avery Winter and Logan Vogt in the 400. Winter is the top seed in the 400 hurdles, Emee Dani in the 800. Defending champion Pleasant Valley is projected to push for second place along with Indianola, Valley and Cedar Falls. Indianola is seeded first in two events, second in four. Among Metro/Iowa City hopefuls, Linn-Mar could crack the top 10.

Projected points leaders: Waukee Northwest 117, Indianola 66, Pleasant Valley 56, West Des Moines Valley 56, Cedar Falls 51.

Our trophy picks: 1. Waukee Northwest, 2. Pleasant Valley, 3. Indianola.

Class 3A

Top individuals: A recruit of Kansas State, Clear Lake senior Reese Brownlee was the Drake Relays girls’ most outstanding performer. Among her accomplishments was a sub-60 effort in the 400-meter hurdles. She’s a heavy favorite in that event, and will contend in the open 400, the long jump and the sprint medley relay. Elise Coghlan and Josi Dufoe lead ADM’s unmatchable hurdles crew. Pella’s Marissa Ferebee and Harlan’s Lindsey Sonderman are set to wage battle in the distance races, and Davenport Assumption’s Kelly Grobstich in the top sprinter. Grinnell’s Aiden Gosselink has long-jumped 20 feet twice in recent weeks, and Mount Vernon’s Sydney Maue cleared 5-10 in the high jump last week.

Scouting the team race: Defending champion Adel-DeSoto-Minburn scored 48 points on the way to the 3A title last year, and the Tigers are projected to go well beyond that number this weekend. The hurdles group will score major points, the sprint relays will do their part, and don’t forget that London Warmuth was the Drake high jump champion. Mount Vernon is bidding to become the first school to win state titles in volleyball, basketball and track in the same school year. It’s possible, but the Mustangs must (and probably will) outperform their pre-meet seeds. Middle-distance prowess is likely to put Gilbert in the mix for a trophy, with Sioux Center, Dubuque Wahlert, Marion and Williamsburg battling for top-five slots.

Projected points leaders: Adel ADM 64, Gilbert 49, Mount Vernon 36, Sioux Center 35, Dubuque Wahlert 34.

Our trophy picks: 1. Adel ADM, 2. Mount Vernon, 3. Gilbert.

Class 2A

Top individuals: Tipton senior Noelle Steines will put a bow on a memorable distance-running career this weekend. The Bradley University recruit has eight career track championships to go with four individual titles in cross country. She will be in the mix in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000, but won’t be alone out front. Van Meter’s Laura Streck in the top seed in the 1,500 and 3,000. Pella Christian possesses three sprint stars in Rachel Kacmarynski, Bailey Vos and Meredith Van Wyk, none of which are seniors. Mid-Prairie freshman Jeorgia Evans will try to break up that PC dominance in the 100 and 200, and also could be a factor in the long jump.

Scouting the team race: Van Meter edged Pella Christian by three points for the 2A title in 2024, and those two teams will be the pacesetters again this weekend. Streck and Madison Boese (top-seeded in the 400 hurdles) are Van Meter’s headliners, and the Bulldogs are seeded to score in 11 events. Pella Christian, meanwhile, relies on its sprint crew that is seeded No. 1 in five events, and 2-3 in another. River Valley Conference contestants Mid-Prairie and Tipton are prominent members of the chase pack. The Evans sisters lead the Golden Hawks; Steines and Ella Hein will push the Tigers far beyond their projected 25 seed points.

Projected points leaders: Van Meter 72, Pella Christian 69, Mid-Prairie 43, Roland-Story 32, Tri-Center 30.

Our trophy picks: 1. Van Meter, 2. Pella Christian, 3. Mid-Prairie.

Class 1A

Top individuals: Nashua-Plainfield’s Kadence Huck is an Oklahoma State recruit, and capable of lifting the Huskies into trophy contention. She is the top seed in the 400, and also will be a factor in the 800 and the 1,500. In the two distance races, she will tangle with Lili Denton of Council Bluffs St. Albert. Edgewood-Colesburg possesses a pair of rising sprint stars Kaitlyn Hahn and Rylee Atkinson, both of whom are juniors. HLV/Tri-County’s Ema Roberts is the defending 1A champion in the high jump; same story for Iowa Valley’s Lydia Kriegel in the discus. Kriegel is the top seed this week in the shot put.

Scouting the team race: Yes, St. Albert has a distance difference-maker in Denton. But what sets the Saintes apart from their challengers is the fact that they also have a 4x200 and a 4x400 that are seeded in the top three. Because of that, a team race similar to last year (in which the top five teams were separated by four points) isn’t expected. Hahn and Atkinson are projected to score big for ascendant Ed-Co, which managed only four state points in 2024. Fort Dodge St. Edmond is seeded to score in only five events, but four of them are top-three projections. Huck led Nashua-Plainfield to 38 points last year; expect a similar story this weekend.

Projected points leaders: Council Bluffs St. Albert 54, Edgewood-Colesburg 39, Fort Dodge St. Edmond 36, HLV/Tri-County 33, Saint Ansgar 30.

Our trophy picks: 1. Council Bluffs St. Albert, 2. Nashua-Plainfield, 3. HLV/Tri-County.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com