Iowa High School State Track And Field Championships On Deck

Three-day event begins this week in Des Moines from Drake Stadium.

Western Dubuque's Quentin Nauman reacts as he crosses the finish line in the 3A 1600 meter final during the 2025 Iowa high school state track and field meet at Drake Stadium on May 24, 2025, in Des Moines. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After weeks of battling inclement weather and competition, the Iowa high school boys and girls track and field season comes to an end this week with the state championships.

Co-hosted by both the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, events begin on Thursday, May 21 in Des Moines, Iowa from “The Blue Oval” known as Drake Stadium.

Team champions will be crowned in four classifications along with individual and relay winners in Class 4A, Class 3A, Class 2A and Class 1A.

State Track And Field Events Set Through District Meets

Fields were set this past Thursday, May 14 during district meets around the state. Previously, athletes could qualify throughout the track and field regular season before the decision was made to have everything set on one special night.

One Final Run For Distance Sensation Quentin Nauman

Several returning state champions will be in action led by University of Oregon recruit and Western Dubuque High School senior Quentin Nauman. The distance king swept the 800-meter run, 1,600-meter run and 3,200-meter run in record-breaking fashion last spring as a junior, adding more gold at the Drake Relays to his resume.

Katie Willits Ready To Sprint Her Way To State Track Gold

Waukee Northwest High School’s Kate Willits is a sprinting sensation, sporting the fastest 100-meter time in the state at 11.57 and the best 200-meter dash in 24.02. She also runs on relays for the Wolves, who are among the favorites to capture team gold.

Ajak Maual, Kaiden Kunze, Cauy Konz, Abby Mecklenburg Among Those Set For Action

Ajak Maual of Waukee High School has cleared 7-0 in the high jump and won that event at the Drake Relays earlier this season. Nevada High School’s Kaiden Kunze is one of the fastest runners in the state and a favorite to claim gold in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash.

Cauy Konz from Treynor High School is another looking to sweep the sprint events. 

Abby Mecklenburg of Linn-Mar High School will look to conclude her career with her best leap yet, as she won gold last year at state and is the only Iowan to ever go over 20 feet in the event as a female.

Throwers likes Kylee Hill of Burlington, Anna Hadley from Pekin and Rachel Haack of Iowa City High are all chasing double-gold in the discus and shot put.

A complete schedule of events for the state track and field championships is available online, along with the entries for both the boys state meet and the girls state meet.