Men shine at early bird track meet

The men’s early bird track meet took place on Monday, April 3, and the Tigers won the meet overall with Waterloo East coming in second place. 

Sophomore Xavier Conlin scored the most points, as he won both the 100M and 200M wheelchair races.

Freshman Jaden Merrick scored the second most points, with a first place finish in the 3200m with a time of 9:27, and second place in the 800m with a time of 2:04.

Senior Derek Woods also had an amazing meet, winning the 400m open with a time of 50.44. He was followed by sophomore Jordan Townsend in second place with his time of 51.39. 

Sophomore Keegan Steege won the 800m with a time of 2:04, and he was followed by Merrick, sophomore Connor Martin, freshman Nick Clausen, and freshman Brennan Hoyer, as they went one-five.

In the 1600m, senior Gavin Denholm narrowly edged out senior Pascal Cuhat, as they went one-two with times of 4:40.46, and 4:41.60. 

“I was pretty happy with the season opener. Of course, we want to keep improving and building towards May,” Denholm said. 

Senior Morgan Hendrickson kicked off his season with a win in the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.35. Freshman Josh Grete followed close with his time of 63 seconds. 

“It was a great first outdoor meet. Being a freshman it was a new experience but the upperclassmen did an amazing job of helping us and guiding us through the meet. It was a good opportunity to compete,” Grete said. 

In the 110MH, junior Tyler Kenaga led the CF pack with his time of 15.75. Sophomore Alexander Kuehl was second with his time of 16.47, followed by sophomore Max Mills who was third with his time of 16.90. 

The highlight of the meet is the 4×400, as they ended the meet with a time of 3:24, earning them the drake blue standard, guaranteeing their spot on the Blue Oval at the end of April. 

“It was a great first meet. I am proud of the work you guys have been putting in, and the leadership you all show. Trust your coaches and the process, and even better things are yet to come. A win is a win, even if it wasn’t your best race, we still got to compete and demonstrate the team we are,” head coach Dirk Homewood said during the teams huddle after the meet. 

The men’s track and field team is now ranked first in the state of Iowa, with a rating of 1793. Waukee Northwest is close behind with a rating of 1755. The Tigers next meet will be Monday, April 10, at Waterloo Memorial Stadium.