Harder, Lady Vikes relays shine at State track and field meet
DES MOINES — The AHSTW girls and boys track and field teams delivered an impressive showing at the 2026 Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships, turning in strong performances across individual and relay events while earning podium finishes, personal bests, and several season-best marks against the state’s top competition.
Leading the way for the Vikings was senior standout Collin Harder, who put together an outstanding state meet on the boys side.
Harder opened his weekend with a third-place finish in the Class 1A boys 400-meter dash, crossing the line in a personal-best 49.66 seconds.
Harder was not done there. He later earned a runner-up finish in the boys 800-meter run, posting another personal best in 1:54.83.
The mark broke the previous school record time that he set earlier this season.
Harder commented on what it meant to end his Viking career on the podium in multiple events.
“Finishing on the podium at state is something I’ve dreamed of,” Harder said after his runner-up finish in the 800-meter run Saturday.
“Running a PR and breaking my previous school record is a good way to end it. I’m happy with it, and it’s all smiles for me right now.”
The AHSTW girls relay teams also made their mark throughout the meet with several strong performances and season-best times.
The girls 800-meter sprint medley relay team of Brooke Lee, Emery Brockhoff, McKenzie Behrens, and Kennedy Wyman finished in 19th place with a season-best time of 1:54.43.
Another strong finish came in the girls 1600-meter sprint medley relay, where Brooke Lee, Yana Lander, Bella Lamp, and Ava Paulsen crossed the line in 4:28.33 to finish 18th overall.
AHSTW also ran well in the girls 4x100-meter relay. The team of Brooke Lee, Kennedy Wyman, Emery Brockhoff, and McKenzie Behrens posted a season-best 51.43 and broke the school record they had previously set earlier this season.
Lee commented on what it meant to compete at the state meet alongside her teammates.
“It means the world to me,” Lee said.
“I’ve been trying to get here. I didn’t make it my freshman or sophomore years, so to make it as a junior, I’m very excited to be here.”
Wyman said the team focused heavily on handoffs heading into both the state qualifying meet and the state championships.
“We’ve really been preaching handoffs ever since we got closer to the state qualifying meet and this meet,” Wyman said.
“I usually go early out on Brooke, but this time I didn’t. I got my steps right, and it worked great.”
In the girls 4x200-meter relay, McKenzie Behrens, Emery Brockhoff, Macy Goshorn, and Kennedy Wyman turned in another strong effort, recording a season-best 1:48.21 to finish 10th overall.
The girls 4x400-meter relay team continued the momentum for AHSTW.
In the preliminaries, Macy Goshorn, Ava Paulsen, Kennedy Wyman, and Bella Lamp qualified for the finals with a time of 4:09.88.
The quartet improved in the finals, clocking a sea-son-best 4:04.85 to place fourth overall in Class 1A while breaking a school record that had stood since 1998. The previous record was 4:05.88.
Bella Lamp also competed individually in the girls 400-meter hurdles, finishing 10th overall in 1:07.69.
In the field events, junior Addison Carroll represented AHSTW in the girls discus throw, recording a throw of 109 feet even to finish 13th overall.
The AHSTW boys distance relay squad also delivered a strong performance in the 4x800-meter relay.
The team of Chase Wheatley, Ty Nelson, Evan Harder, and Collin Harder posted a season-best 8:20.42.
On the girls side of the 4x800-meter relay, Ava Paulsen, Macy Goshorn, Makenna Paulsen, and Bella Lamp combined to run 10:10.23 to earn a ninth-place finish.
The boys 4x400-meter relay team of Collin Harder, Chase Wheatley, Evan Harder, and Jackson Jensen also competed in the preliminaries, recording a time of 3:30.67 to finish 16th overall.
The AHSTW boys finished 20th overall with 14 team points, while the AHSTW girls placed 35th overall with five team points.
