Spring 2020

All meets canceled Per Governor Kim Reynolds’ Like many athletic facilities, Iowa State University’s Lied Center now directives, all USATF Iowa lies empty. While most Iowa colleges and school districts have gone events are cancelled on hiatus, many of the spring sports, to include track and field, are until further notice. We being cancelled. encourage everyone in our community to work together to COVID-19 virus wreaking limit the spread of COVID-19 by following CDC guidelines havoc with Spring sports and staying away from others This year is definitely starting Within the state, the Iowa Girls as much as possible. Your out much differently than any year High School Athletic Union and the safety and well-being remain Iowa professional, amateur, or Iowa High School Athletic Associa- our highest priority. even participatory sports has ever tion have canceled all spring sports, encountered. to include track and field. With sports tournaments, cham- Locally, the USATF Iowa Youth pionships, leagues, and now even and Masters Indoor and Outdoor Inside this issue: seasons being canceled stemming Track and Field Championships from concerns of the coronavirus USATF Iowa & COVID-19 2 have been canceled, as have many pandemic, you have to wonder club track meets. Drake Relays names sponsor 3 how it will affect our USATF-Iowa Even the Olympic Games have season. been affected, as the IOC has post- Drake Relays postponed 3 Already national meets, such as poned the event until 2021. HS track cancelled 4 the Drake Relays, NCAA Division I, II, and III Men’s and Women’s 4 Renew membership and save Indoor and Outdoor Champion- Season cancelled College track signings 5 ships have been canceled, as have all USATF-sponsored champion- 6 Continued on page 2 Track & field collectibles ships and events.

Spring 2020 USATF Iowa tioned event participants serious- is appropriate in those respective Season cancelled ly. USATF-sanctioned events areas. take place throughout the U.S. USATF defers to the recommen- Continued from page 2 They are run by independent dations of those local health offi- event organizers, and each state cials in its efforts to protect sanc- has local health officials who are tion participants and event organiz- “Obviously, the effects of the making determinations as to what ers.” pandemic are very fluid across the United States and the next few weeks will be very telling,” said USATF IOWA OPERATIONS Jim Walczyk, USA Track and Field Iowa Operations Manager. “Of course, we’ll be hoping for How will this effect track & field in Iowa? the very best; not just for our sea- son, but for the sake of the coun- try,” he said. It goes by several names; 2019 Novel Coronavirus, coronavirus, 2019- At this time, he notes, the best nCOV, and my favorite COVID-19! But no matter what name you use, it option is to go ahead and prepare has turned out to be a very serious pandemic. for local meets and then see how This has been, and continues to be, a very fluid issue with updates from things eventually play out. leading resources coming almost hourly. The sports world has cancelled “Many of our clubs host their or postponed many of its events, as well as seasons. meets at their local high school or What does this mean for us in the USATF-Iowa world? It means we sit college – those entities are going to have the final say on whether or not tight and play a wait and see game. We will follow the lead of the CDC, you will be allowed to host your Iowa DPH, State of Iowa, USATF National Office, and any other neces- meet,” he said. sary entities as we make decisions to move ahead. While the Junior Olympic series Although our season does not usually start until May, things look more is cancelled for 2020, Iowa could and more ominous with every day’s news reports. However, we can hope still host an Iowa Association or for the best and plan for the worst. The health and well-being of our track Youth Meet, as long as they pass community is our top priority. out their own medals and don’t use We can plan and sanction for developmental meets and the association the JO name for the event. championship meet and hope for the best at this time. We’ll continue to According to the USATF web- monitor all developments in the coming months and continue to deter- site, “The USATF takes the health, mine if any further measures are necessary. safety, and well-being of our sanc- Please follow on www.usatf-iowa.org for information and updates as this track and field season plays out.

USATF Iowa Officials Training………….………………..Al Geiger Sanctions (Club & Events)………....Jim Walczyk Officers Marketing……………...……………..…....Ryan Vogt Communications……...... ….Duff E. McFadden President……………...Lynn M. Lindaman MD Masters Chair…………...…………..Marek Wensel Operations Manager……...... …..Jim Walczyk Masters/Open Comms……...……..Larry Bednar Vice President…………..……..Scott Tjeerdsma Open Track/Field Co-Chr...... …..Ryan Elsbernd Treasurer………………………..….….Jim Walczyk Open Track/Field Co-Chr...Daianera Whitaker Published for Secretary….…………………...…….....Eric Pingel Long Distance Running……….…..Dan Hostager USATF Iowa Membership………..……..……….Emily Hansen Cross Country………………..Steven Bobenhouse members like Co-Youth Chair………..…...... Scott Tjeerdsma Coaching……………………….…..………...Eric Pingel Ben Lundell, Co-Youth Chair………….…….…….. Janelle Coil Rules…………………...…………………...Jeff Richards Dubuque Officials/Certification……….……...Curt Broek Law/Legislation/Rules………….....Mark A Smith

Spring 2020 USATF Iowa 2 Drake Relays name new sponsor Blake Boldon, the Franklin P. Johnson Director of the Drake Re- lays, announced a new presenting sponsor for the Drake Relays and elevation of the Drake Relays’ sta- tus on the global track & field sce- ne, during a March 11 press confer- ence in the Courtside Club. Drake University announced that Xtream powered by Mediacom will serve as the presenting sponsor of the Drake Relays. Xtream's partnership allows the Drake Relays to maintain its status as one of the world's premier track and field events, while serving as a springboard for the future growth of The baton is passed from Drake President Marty Martin, to Ed Par- the event to be known as the Drake dini, Mediacom’s SVP of Field Operations, as Xtream powered by Me- Relays presented by Xtream pow- diacom is announced as the new Drake Relays sponsor. The Franklin ered by Mediacom. P. Johnson Director of the Drake Relays Blake Boldon (left) and Brian Xtream's initial three-year invest- Hardin, Drake University Director of Athletics (right) look on. ment has already aided the Relays by securing its designation as a 'Silver Level' competition by World Starting this year, athletes who Those athletes, along with some Athletics, one of only two such do not meet the automatic stand- of the top collegiate talent in the meets in the U.S. to earn that status. ards for Olympic qualifying will nation and Iowa high school com- The Drake Relays will also be a need to accrue points at World Ath- petitors will converge on Drake stop on the World Athletics Conti- letics Gold, Silver and Bronze Lev- Stadium, April 22-25 for the 111th nental Tour according to World el events, such as the Drake Relays Drake Relays presented by Xtream Athletics, the international govern- to earn a spot in the Olympics. powered by Mediacom. ing body of track and field. "For more than a century, the world's greatest athletes have come to Des Moines to test themselves in Drake postpones 2020 Relays Drake Stadium," said Boldon. Drake University has postponed We will continue to monitor the "Today's announcement further the 2020 Drake Relays presented rapidly evolving COVID-19 situa- demonstrates the Drake Relays' na- by Xtream powered by Mediacom tion and are communicating with tional and international prominence along with the Drake Road Races local, national, and international en- in the sport of track and field. Me- and Grand Blue Mile, due to the tities to identify the dates to resched- diacom's commitment and support COVID-19 pandemic. ule and maintain our status as an puts us in a strong position to grow The 111th edition was sched- elite track and field meet. our event and elevate our sport." uled for April 22-25 at Drake Sta- Postponement of the Drake Re- To be named a Silver Level dium, while the Drake Road Races lays also postpones all events associ- event, competitions must meet es- were scheduled April 19 and the ated with the Relays, including the tablished benchmarks for the quali- Grand Blue Mile April 21. Beautiful Bulldog Contest, Down- ty of competition and prize money The health, safety, and well- town Pole Vault exhibition, Relays available to athletes. being of athletes and fans, factored Hall of Fame Banquet, plus Drake Xtream's sponsorship allows the with guidance from local and na- student and alumni programming. Drake Relays to meet achieve Sil- tional health officials, have been at Updates will be shared via email, ver status, which takes on new sig- the forefront of the decision- on Drake websites, and through so- nificance for the Olympic games. making process. cial media as they are finalized. Spring 2020 USATF Iowa 3 Iowa High School spring sports canceled Following Iowa Gov. Kim Reyn- The spread of COVID-19 has “This decision is especially old’s April 17 recommendations to caused an unfortunate end to the heartbreaking for our senior keep Iowa schools closed for the school year as students across Io- competitors, and we thank them remainder of the 2019-20 school wa and the U.S. have faced cancel- for all they have done to repre- year due to the spread of COVID- lations and suspensions of school sent their schools throughout 19, all spring activities of the Iowa and athletic competition. their careers,” said Berger. Girls High School Athletic Union “We understand the important During the 2018-19 school and the Iowa High School Athletic role that athletics and activities year, the four spring sports ac- Association are canceled. play in the lives of our students, counted for more than 45,000 Cancellation of all boys’ and schools and communities,” IGH- participants among Iowa high girls’ sports – golf, soccer, tennis, SAU executive director Jean Ber- school boys and girls. and track and field – was made by ger said. Track and field was the sec- the IGHSAU and IHSAA in cooper- “But during this time of uncer- ond most popular sport by par- ation with the Iowa Department of tainty, we must support the health ticipation for both the IHSAA Education and state officials. The and safety recommendations of our (12,012 boys) and the IGHSAU decision was also approved by the state and national leaders. (9,908 girls). IGHSAU and IHSAA boards. Previous guidance from Gov. Reynolds, the Iowa Department of Education, and the Iowa Department of Public Health had suspended spring activities through April 12, RENEW MEMBERSHIP and then through April 30. “While we are disappointed stu- NOW AND SAVE! dent-athletes will not have the op- portunity to compete this spring, we Dear Associations, remain committed to our primary Since 1979, we’ve been honored to serve as the nation’s governing goal of keeping students, coaches, body for the sport we all love. From runners, jumpers, throwers, officials and communities safe,” coaches, officials and volunteers – both young and young-at-heart – IHSAA executive director Tom USA Track & Field’s commitment to creating a safe, fun and profes- Keating said. sional environment for all has remained constant. “This cancellation comes out of Over the past 10 years, USATF has increased its membership bene- an abundance of caution for the well fits and elite athlete resources to help maintain our status as the -being of all. Conducting our spring World’s #1 Track & Field Team. Tokyo 2020 will bring even more season would involve moving opportunities with added eyes on the sport at the Olympic Games. groups of people in and out of vari- In order to continue growing and supporting the sport we love at the ous communities for competition. At highest level, we have two important announcements to make: this time we believe that is a risk we 1. USATF Individual Membership fees will increase on April 28 to: should not take.” • Youth - $25 per calendar year + transaction fee • Adult - $40 per calendar year + transaction fee. 2. In late April, we will launch the new member portal – USATF “While we are disappointed Connect. This new online member system has been designed to pro- student-athletes will not have vide an easy-to-navigate, 360-degree view of members and their rela- the opportunity to compete this tionships with USATF. spring, we remain committed to USATF Connect will be able to serve our organization in all areas, our primary goal of keeping from fans who want to be more in touch with the organization to ath- students, coaches, officials letes, coaches, and officials to association leadership and national of- and communities safe,” fice staff. Tom Keating, IHSAA executive director

Spring 2020 USATF Iowa 4

USATF highlights

Bolden named to coach Committee, The Tokyo 2020 Or- They also agreed on new dates for half marathon champs ganizing Committee, The Tokyo The Paralympic Games, which will

Metropolitan Government and The be celebrated from Aug. 24 until Blake Boldon has been named as Government Of Japan. Sept. 5, 2021. the Men’s Head Coach for the 2020 World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland. College track & field signings Boldon currently serves as direc- tor of the Drake Relays and acting The following Iowa high school track and field seniors have director of the Drake University signed college national letters of intent. track and field and cross country Amber Aesoph (Distance/XC), Bishop Heelan Catholic High programs. He is also an inductee of School, University of Iowa. the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Grace Beck (Distance/XC), Denver High School, University of Fame, Sioux Falls. (Editor’s Note: The World Ath- Grace and Alli Brookin-Noshbisch (Distance), Ottumwa High letics Half Marathon Champion- School, University of Iowa. ships Gdynia 2020 have been post- Emily Carlson (Sprints), Le Mars High School, University of S.D. poned until October, due to the Bradley Dennis (Distance/XC), Atlantic High School, Iowa Western Coronavirus pandemic). Community College. Laken Gardner (Hurdles/Sprints), Sioux City East High School, Hershey National Youth University of South Dakota. championships canceled Marie Hostetler (Distance), Mid-Prairie High School, Liberty Uni-

The 2020 USATF Hershey Na- versity. tional Youth Outdoor Champion- Camilla Jackson (Distance/XC), Ames High School, University of ships to be held in Miramar, Fla., Colorado. June 23 - 28, 2020, have been can- Landon Kooiker (High Jump), Fairfield High School, University of celed, USATF has announced. Northern Iowa. Because of the COVID-19 pan- Payton Marrs (Distance/XC), Urbandale High School, University demic, the City of Miramar and lo- of Northern Iowa. cal health authorities informed USATF it would not host the cham- Brooklyn McKee (Distance/XC), Johnston High School, University pionships. USATF is seeking alter- of Iowa. nate opportunities for youth partici- Olivia Miller (Hurdles), Tripoli High School, University of Dubu- pation for later in the summer if lo- que. cal health authorities allow. Ruben Montoya (Distance/XC), BCLUW High School, Southwest For up-to-date information on Minnesota Sate University. COVID-19 gathered by USATF’s Max Murphy (Distance), Pleasant Valley High School, University Working Group, visit USATF.org/ of Iowa. covid19. Carter Owen (Distance/XC), Valley High School, Minnesota State

University, Mankato. Olympic Games postponed Jack Pendergast (Distance/XC), Prairie High School, University of

Iowa The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games will be celebrated July 23 to Aug. 8, Will Roder (Distance/XC), Gehlen Catholic High School, Universi- 2021, following an agreement from ty of Mary. The International Olympic Commit- Lilly Teager (Distance/XC), Lawton-Bronson High School, Univer- tee, The International Paralympic sity of Sioux Falls.

Spring 2020 USATF Iowa 5 TRACK & FIELD COLLECTIBLES

Schweizer, Houlihan break U.S. 3,000m indoor record

Karissa Schweizer’s thrilling fin- ish over Shelby Houlihan at Febru- ary’s Boston University’s Last Chance track meet still has people talking. Schweizer broke the women’s U.S. indoor 3,000m record with an amazing time of 8:25.70 to shatter the previous mark of 8:33.25. The former record, also set at the Boston track, was established in 2007 by Shalane Flanagan, a former North Carolina Tar Heel running for Nike. As a matter of fact, the other top two finishers, which included Bow- erman Track Club teammates Houli- han, and Colleen Quigley, also blasted the old American record, with Houlihan the runner-up in 8:26.66 and Quigley third in Iowa athletes on cardboard - On the left, is Karissa Schweizer’s 8:28.71. March 2017 Sports Illustrated for Kids card (#596) featuring her as a The Bowerman trio were the only Missouri Tiger. Houlihan’s shows a photo shot at the Prefontaine three to complete the race. Classic. These are the only sports cards that have been produced for While Schweizer and Houlihan these Iowans. have Iowa track ties - Scweizer was a former Urbandale native who ran Leon Draisatl (Edmonton Oilers); (Chelsea Football Club); Patrick for Dowling Catholic High School Kumar Rocker (Vanderbilt Uni- Corbin (Washington Nationals); before competing at the University versity baseball); Christian Pulisic Sabrina Ionescu (University of Ore- of Missouri, and Houlihan was a gon women’s basketball); Jin Young Sioux City native running for Sioux Ko (LGPA); Nick Bosa (San Fran- City East High School - you’d be cisco 49’ers); and Joe Burrow (LSU hard pressed to find trading cards football). for either athlete. So it stands to reason that Sports Fortunately, Sports Illustrated for Illustrated for Kids would be the Kids stepped up and is the only company to feature both the company to feature a single card of Schweizer and Houlihan cards, giv- either Iowa athlete. en their strong performances in Launched in January 1989 as a women’s track and field. spin-off of Sports Illustrated, Sports Schweizer’s card (#596) presents Illustrated for Kids provides sports her in a Mizzou singlet as she’s run- coverage written exclusively for ning down the front straightaway. It today’s youth. was released in the March 2017 is- The magazine also includes sports sue. cards of up and coming athletes, on Houlihan’s card was shot just as both the professional and amateur she crossed the finish line during level. competition at the Prefontaine Clas- sic at the University of Oregon’s For example, the January/ Sports Illustrated for Kids February 2020 issue features cards Hayward Field. It was released in of the Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young; January/February 2020 issue the September 2018 issue.

Spring 2020 USATF Iowa 6 Looking forward to a quick and healthy start for our USATF Iowa track and field athletes

Winter Issue USATF—Iowa Deadline: Nov. 26, 2020 Published: Dec. 10, 2020

Publication Spring Issue Deadlines Deadline: Feb. 25, 2021 Published: March 11, 2021

Summer Issue Deadline: May 28, 2020

Published: June 11, 2020

Fall Issue Deadline: Aug. 27, 2020 Published: Sept. 10, 2020

Send all stories and photos for publication to Duff E. McFadden, USATF Iowa Communications Chair, at [email protected] . Spring 2020 USATF Iowa 7 Spring 2020 USATF Iowa 8