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Iowa’s Kalen Walker went from unknown to Big Ten 100-meter champion

IOWA CITY — There aren’t any stoplights in Eddyville, Iowa, population of around 1,000. Eddyville is small-town, rural Iowa. Midwest countryside. Tight-knit community. Some local jobs come in the form of Cargill Corn Milling, Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition North America and Wacker Chemical Corporation, all of which have facilities in Eddyville. Born in nearby Ottumwa, Kalen […]

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IOWA CITY — There aren’t any stoplights in Eddyville, Iowa, population of around 1,000.

Eddyville is small-town, rural Iowa. Midwest countryside. Tight-knit community. Some local jobs come in the form of Cargill Corn Milling, Ajinomoto Animal Nutrition North America and Wacker Chemical Corporation, all of which have facilities in Eddyville.

Born in nearby Ottumwa, Kalen Walker grew up primarily in Eddyville. He attended high school at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, where his graduating class was in the neighborhood of 60 to 70.

This is the place that produced this year’s Big Ten Conference champion in the 100-meter dash.

On May 18, Walker’s time of 10.17 seconds edged out Southern California’s Eddie Nketia, a former college football player, who recorded a time of 10.18. Among the others that Walker beat at Oregon’s Hayward Field was former Ducks defensive back Rodrick Pleasant, who was a four-star prospect on the gridiron in high school.

Walker was nowhere near that.

He had no Division I or Division II track offers in high school and began his college career at Indian Hills Community College. That was further than either of his parents got in their athletic careers — neither one made it past the high school level. When Walker first got his opportunity with the University of Iowa’s track and field program, it was as a preferred walk-on.

But in May, Walker reached rare air, joining two-time champion George Page, Tim Dwight and Justin Austin as the select few from the Iowa men’s program to win a Big Ten title in the 100 meters. And Walker did it in the new-look Big Ten, which includes four former Pac-12 programs.

Walker has gone from obscurity — an under-recruited, nationally unknown kid from Eddyville — to taking down the Goliaths of the collegiate track and field world and making a name for himself in the sport.

The story is so improbable that it’s reasonable to wonder: How was this even possible?

“That’s kind of the neat part about the story with Kalen,” his father Ian said, “he kind of came from nowhere.”

Belief

During a youth baseball all-star game, Walker’s team was struggling, to say the least. They were getting dismantled. Their pitching situation was depleted. Walker, who took over the pitching duties, got hammered by a comebacker and went down.

Ian, who was coaching the team, looked at his son, who was teary, and pointed to his heart.

“What’s in here, son?” Ian asked.

Walker looked at his father, wiped off the tears and got up.

“Let’s go,” Walker said.

“Just the mental toughness,” Ian said. “The fact that he knew we needed him. The physical toughness. He just got drilled with a line drive. And just the mental toughness to do it. He’s a tough kid — physically and mentally tough. But also, he’s there for his team. He won’t quit on them.”

Walker was a four-sport athlete in high school, competing in football, basketball, baseball and track. There was a time when track wasn’t even his priority. He loved football and baseball. But as a junior in high school, Walker started to take track more seriously and got hooked on seeing his own improvement.

Iowa director of track and field Joey Woody was aware of the Eddyville product from camps Walker attended, but his times weren’t good enough to become a Hawkeye out of high school.

“I just remember this real tiny kid — because he’s a small dude — coming in and he just had like freakish turnover,” Woody said. “His feet would move quick and hit the ground. But he just didn’t have a lot of force output on the ground, so he wasn’t really, like, fast. He was just really quick. I was like, man, you would be a good football player.”

The potential for Walker to have a breakout high school senior season was wiped away by COVID-19. His recruitment was low-profile. He heard from Division III and NAIA programs but elected to continue his career at Indian Hills.

After one indoor and one outdoor season at Indian Hills, Walker went through the recruiting process again and got a call out of the blue from Woody. Though Iowa was the only power-conference school in contact with Walker, he received offers from smaller Division I programs this time around, including virtually a full ride to Northern Iowa. 

Even though Iowa presented only a preferred walk-on spot, it was a no-brainer for Walker. Both of his parents, Ian and Christina, attended Iowa. Walker grew up rooting for the Hawkeyes. As a kid, he waited in line at a mall in Oskaloosa to get an autograph from football star Tyler Sash. Another time, Walker went to Kids’ Day at Kinnick and got a football signed.

“It was really just betting on myself and believing in myself,” Walker said of his decision to take the preferred walk-on spot at Iowa over other opportunities. “Because financially, it made no sense to come here… I feel like I just needed the platform. I just believed that I could do it.” 

Speed

As Walker fidgeted on the field, a voice boomed throughout Kinnick Stadium last fall: “Kalen Walker is one of our fastest sprinters on the men’s track and field team.”

Walker had pitched this idea to Iowa: What if he ran a 40-yard dash at halftime of an Iowa football game? On Oct. 26, 2024, it came to fruition. The recorded attendance for Iowa football’s game against Northwestern was more than 69,000, roughly 69 times the population of Eddyville. 

In front of an eagerly watching crowd, Walker blazed across the turf.

 He recorded a time of 4.15 seconds, topping the fastest time in NFL Combine history, which is 4.21.

Walker’s YouTube video, which provided a behind-the-scenes look at the experience, has more than 300,000 views.

“C’mon,” Walker said, pounding his chest after finding out his time. “Hey, that’s what we do.”

Woody got a glimpse of what Walker might become leading into his first season with the Hawkeyes. The Indian Hills transfer excelled in preseason physical testing.

“He was just like through the roof with all of his testing,” Woody said. “And I was like, this guy’s pretty special. He’s got some unique tools. He just hadn’t quite executed it on the track yet.”

From there, Walker has risen the ranks in the college track landscape.

Walker holds Iowa school records in 60 meters (6.51), 100 meters (10.06), and as part of 4×100-meter relay (38.64). He is a three-time All-American, earning first-team honors in 60 meters (2024), along with second-team honors in 60 meters (2022) and as part of 4×100-meter relay (2023). In 2024, Walker was a semifinalist in the U.S. Olympic Trials for the 100-meter dash.

What makes his progress even more remarkable is that he has navigated injuries at various points during his Iowa career, including a stress fracture in his foot, along with tearing in his patellar tendon, quad and hamstring.

While Walker has sizzling speed on the track, he is more deliberate when it comes to his mental fortitude.  

“He is slow at overreacting,” Ian said. “He’s kind of slow to anger. He’s slow to frustration. He’s slow towards judging other people. He’s just a really good guy. He doesn’t get bent out of shape. He stays composed. I would say he’s slow at getting stressed out.” 

Walker’s abnormal ascent can be attributed to multiple factors. His senior track season at Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont being derailed by COVID-19 didn’t help his high school recruitment. Walker is a late bloomer. But he has also put in the work to allow that growth to actually take place.

“I just don’t enjoy drinking or partying or any of that,” Walker said. “I just don’t enjoy it. I came from that small town, man. I was a country boy. I like hunting, fishing. I don’t like doing crazy stuff. I’m not a very social person, either, so I feel like that probably maybe helps a little bit too.”

Walker’s Big Ten title in the 100-meter dash precedes his upcoming appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field West first round in College Station, Texas, which begins May 28. If Walker advances past the West first round, he would earn a spot at the NCAA Championships in June.

There could still be more accomplishments on the horizon for Walker, who is now on scholarship and can still return to the Hawkeyes next year.

“I just want people to look at my journey and just feel like they can believe in themselves and keep grinding, chase their dreams, chase passions,” Walker said. “Just do their thing, find a way to be successful.”

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com



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Marshall signee Layne heads girls All Tri-State track team | High School Sports

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Vikings help area volleyball team win Global Challenge

The College Preparatory Academy Volleyball Club, which includes three players from Coeur d’Alene High, won the U17 division at the recent Global Challenge volleyball tournament in Pula, Croatia. The CPA team defeated Club Italia, from Italy, in the championship match. Gianna Callari, a rising senior at Coeur d’Alene, was named tournament MVP, and Janae Demant […]

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The College Preparatory Academy Volleyball Club, which includes three players from Coeur d’Alene High, won the U17 division at the recent Global Challenge volleyball tournament in Pula, Croatia. The CPA team defeated Club Italia, from Italy, in the championship match. Gianna Callari, a rising senior at Coeur d’Alene, was named tournament MVP, and Janae Demant of Mead was named to the all-tournament team. The CPA USA team is coached by Wade and Jill Benson, with Whitworth athletic director Tim Demant as assistant coach.



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Montana roots helped Cass Bauer-Bilodeau, Tim Hauck to Big Sky Hall of Fame

SPOKANE, Wash. — Tim Hauck and Cass Bauer-Bilodeau went from small-town Montana to sports’ biggest stages. On Saturday at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the two Treasure State natives crossed another stage, walking into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame. “I’m just honored to be here. I just feel really blessed growing up […]

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SPOKANE, Wash. — Tim Hauck and Cass Bauer-Bilodeau went from small-town Montana to sports’ biggest stages.

On Saturday at the Northern Quest Resort & Casino, the two Treasure State natives crossed another stage, walking into the Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame.

“I’m just honored to be here. I just feel really blessed growing up in a little tiny town and having the opportunity to go to Montana State, play Division I (basketball),” said Bauer-Bilodeau, who grew up in Hysham and then had a stellar career at Montana State from 1990 to 1994. “And I’m not going to lie to you, there were times when I was there where I was like, am I going to cut it?

“But basketball has opened so many doors for me and allowed me to get an education and go on and play all around the U.S. and then also overseas a little bit, too. So, it’s pretty amazing.”

Hear both Montanans visit about their Big Sky Conference HOF inductions:

Montana roots helped Cass Bauer-Bilodeau, Tim Hauck to Big Sky Hall of Fame

Bauer-Bilodeau and Hauck, who is from Big Timber and has had a long career playing and coaching football, were inducted in the Big Sky Conference’s fourth hall of fame class Saturday alongside eight of their Big Sky peers.

The other honorees were Charles “Chip” Dunn (Portland State football), David McNeill (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Ida Nilsson (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Johanna Nilsson (Northern Arizona cross country and track and field), Doug Nussmeier (Idaho football), Dan O’Brien (Idaho track and field), Naseby Rhinehart (Montana athletic trainer) and Arnie Sgalio (Big Sky Conference administrator).

“It’s a very special deal,” Hauck said. “I know the people that come through this conference — as a matter of fact, a lot of them were my teammates in the NFL — and so it makes you special to be in this group and be included in this group.”

Big Sky Hall of Fame

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Tim Hauck (right) gives a thumbs up to Big Sky Conference senior associate commissioner Jon Kasper (not pictured) during the 2025 Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame Gala at the Northern Quest Resort & Hotel in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, July 19, 2025.

Hauck starred as a player at Montana from 1987-89, was a two-time All-American and is one of the originators of the Grizzlies’ No. 37 jersey tradition. He then went on to a 13-year career in the NFL, appearing in 183 games for seven different franchises and totaling 284 career tackles with four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, 13 pass deflections and one interception.

But he’s arguably most known for his uncanny knack for blocking kicks, and he still holds the Big Sky record for blocked extra points in a single season with four in 1988.

“At Montana, I think we were down 2-0 my junior or senior year against Montana State and (I) blocked a punt, and it got returned for a touchdown,” Hauck said of one of his favorite memories as a player. “That was a turning point of the game. And obviously, growing up in a small town in central Montana, no love lost there, so anytime I could make a play against them, it was special for me.”

Hauck never lost to the Bobcats as a player, and the Grizzlies twice made the playoffs during his playing career. He now coaches alongside his brother, Bobby, at Montana after playing for his dad in high school.

“Growing up in a family where your father’s the head coach and probably the best coach you’ve been around, and having a brother like my brother, to say you’re around the two best coaches you’ve ever been around right in your household, you’re always striving to be better,” Hauck said.

“And it was really hard for people at the next level to get past the eye test, and so I had to make a couple turns here and there to get where I had to go. But my background and where I came from and the work ethic and everything that was instilled in me from Day 1 as a little kid paid off in the long run.”

Big Sky Hall of Fame

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Cass Bauer-Bilodeau (right) talks with Big Sky Conference reporter Meghan Robinson during the 2025 Big Sky Conference Hall of Fame Gala at the Northern Quest Resort & Hotel in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, July 19, 2025.

Bauer-Bilodeau faced similar challenges — and similarly overcame them — during her career. Though she was a high school standout, the adjustment from Class C Hysham to Division I Montana State didn’t come without its lumps, thanks, particularly, to her older sister.

“Of course it’s intimidating. I mean, you’re coming in against the upperclassmen, and they’ve been there, they know what to do, they’re a lot stronger,” Bauer-Bilodeau said. “I mean, my sister put me on my butt. When I went to Montana State, she was a redshirt senior. She’s four years older than me, and every day she put me on my butt.

“She was going to show me who’s boss, and I was either going to get up or I was gonna stay down. And of course I was gonna fight through it, so it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Bauer-Bilodeau was instrumental in sending the Bobcats to the NCAA tournament in 1993, when they beat Montana twice in eight days to win the Big Sky for the first time. She was the Big Sky player of the year in 1993 and was a two-time honorable mention All-American.

After wrapping up her MSU career, Bauer-Bilodeau won an American Basketball League championship and played in the WNBA.

“I was really the only girl that was coming from a smaller Division I school (to the WNBA),” Bauer-Bilodeau said. “Everyone else was coming from really big schools, and some of them would say, ‘Where’s Montana?’ They weren’t even sure where it was.

“But I think all the things that you go through and time kind of prepare you for that next step, and it’s pretty amazing kind of being the pioneer of the WNBA. And we wanted to have a little girls dream about something, too, so that was cool to be kind of one of the pioneers early on. Now look at it now.”





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Marion County athletics go digital with help new sports app | Local Sports

FAIRMONT — Amidst all of the current changes in the sports landscape at both the high school and collegiate level, athletic departments in Marion County and across the state of West Virginia are attempting to adapt to the new reality. As of July 1, both middle school and high school athletic programs in Marion County […]

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FAIRMONT — Amidst all of the current changes in the sports landscape at both the high school and collegiate level, athletic departments in Marion County and across the state of West Virginia are attempting to adapt to the new reality.

As of July 1, both middle school and high school athletic programs in Marion County have now officially converted to SportsYou, an application that allows athletic directors, coaches, parents and players to communicate freely in-app and share content that pertains to their respective sport seasons.

The app, founded by CEO Brad Matthews in 2016, is one that not only makes sharing content such as schedules, team documents, and medical forms more user-friendly and accessible for users, it also gives athletic departments a more secure way to privately and appropriately communicate with the necessary parties.

According to East Fairmont Athletic Director and girls head basketball coach James Beckman, the switch to SportsYou ultimately sprang from a meeting where a vendor from the app was present and attempted to persuade Marion County Athletic Departments to consider the product.

Beckman says that Marion County School Superintendent Donna Heston was searching for a platform that would guarantee “protection and security” for coaches, parents and athletes.

Despite being in the experimental phase, Beckman says that so far, he’s received nothing but positive feedback from all parties regarding the application.

“The app stores messages for nine years, it has calendars for our coaches, parents, and administration to use, and there’s a feed where we can send messages back and forth which is nice,” Beckman said. “I ran this idea to our Assistant Superintendent, Mr. [Chad] Norman, and gave him all the information, and he and Dr. Heston got on board.”

“So far, I’ve received nothing but positive feedback and no complaints with the way things are working.”

Beckman said that as a coach, the app is one that he finds extremely useful for situations where he needs to remain in contact with both players and parents, but also finds it helpful when considering the current sports landscape and navigating the pros and cons of social media use.

“Any posts our players and parents make, they have to be approved first by the administration,” Beckman said. “We get to see messages coming through first, and we have the option to approve or decline them. We can control pictures, polls, and host as many groups as we want as far as communication.”

“Our girls basketball program has been using this since May, but things went into effect and were made mandatory for Marion County Athletics July 1st. I wanted to have a heads up on it, so I introduced it to my players before introducing it to other coaches at the end of May.”

While SportsYou was ultimately the chosen platform based on multiple factors including accessibility, privacy and features within the app, Beckman said there are other applications being considered by athletic departments across the state. He does believe, however, that the use of these apps is gaining more traction in order to adjust to new realities, especially in high school sports.

“We were in limbo as far as choosing between SportsYou and ThrillShare, but after doing research we found SportsYou to be more user-friendly,” Beckman said. “For SportsYou, with where we’re going as far as athletics in the public school system, it seemed like the right fit.”

“From talking to other athletic directors across the state and especially after talking to the SportsYou representative, it does seem as if the app is gaining a lot of steam.”

Fairmont Senior High Athletic Director Jeremy Laird called the app a “major step forward” within high school athletics, ultimately echoing Beckman’s sentiments that the decision to use the platform has brought nothing but positive feedback overall in its early stages.

“The transition to the SportsYou app has been a major step forward for our athletic and band programs,” Laird said. “Coaches, the band director, parents, student-athletes, and student musicians are all getting acclimated quickly, and it’s already proving to be an invaluable tool.”

“It really serves as a one-stop shop for schedules, updates and communication, making it easier for everyone to stay informed and connected. It streamlined how we operate and strengthened the way we support our teams and performers.”

According to Beckman, SportsYou is also now the hub for student-athletes to store individual paperwork such as physical exams and medical records that are required to compete in their respective athletic activities.

If things continue trending in a positive direction, it appears that everything athletics-related, at least in Marion County, will be able to be managed by one application.

SportsYou can be downloaded on any electronic device, and prohibits the sale of any data that exists within the app.



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On Being a Better High School Track or Cross Country Coach: Learn Something New Every Day, five tips….

I am reposting this one, as many new coaches are coming into the sport. I have 5 years of American Athletics Magazines (1989-1994) and 22 years of American Track & Field (1994-2017). I have them stored in an old church. I will begin offering them in groups of five, ten and then, five year packages. […]

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I am reposting this one, as many new coaches are coming into the sport. I have 5 years of American Athletics Magazines (1989-1994) and 22 years of American Track & Field (1994-2017). I have them stored in an old church. I will begin offering them in groups of five, ten and then, five year packages. If interested, email me at runblogrun@gmail.com. Add subject line, ATF. I will throw in some copies of Coaching Athletics as well. 

I have been wanting to write this column for years now. I have been lucky to work with some of the finest coaches in our sport and developed friendships with some of the world’s best coaches. This will be an ongoing column.

Coaches change lives. My coaches at DeSmet, Bellarmine, and Santa Clara, changed my life for the better. Ralph Passarelli, S.J., Jim Marheinecke, Rich Grawer, Jesse Ochoa, Fr. Ray Devlin, Steve Pensinger, Steve Polley, and Dan Duranta all helped me see the possibilities in our sport.

I was fortunate to work with some amazing coaches, Terry Wary at Bellarmine Prep, Dan Durante at Santa Clara University, Hank Ketels Peanut Harms, and Joe Mangan at Foothill College. While I was coaching at Santa Clara, Bill Dellinger and John Chaplin always answered my naive questions very thoughtfully, as did Brooks Johnson. I am forever in their debt and believe that those relationships have shaped my responses to the sport for the past fifty years.

  1. Go to Coaching Education clinics at least once a year. Coaches that I have met, new and old, young and not so young, told me that going to a Coaches Clinic each and every year. I used to go to one in August each year in California and one in Wisconsin in January each year. It is not just listening to great coaches but interacting with coaches that help you learn.
  2. Subscribe to Coaching Journals. Track Technique, some of the old ones, Athletics Weekly Coach, old copies of American Track & Field, and American Athletics all have great pieces that can be referred to when you need them.
  3. Follow YouTube Videos on Coaching. Check out the interview with great coaches and our #SocialingtheDistance on Sean Brosnan, Danny Mackey, Julie Culley, and Lance Brauman, among others.
  4. Get a Coaching Mentor. Find a coach you trust, check with him or her a couple of times a year, and ask questions. Learn about how to manage tough athletes, get through to challenging athletes, and deal with parents who are over-enthusiastic. All those things help make you a better coach.
  5. Learn something new every day. Stay open to new things. Listen to your athletes. Ask your athletes questions. Try and check out new things. Some of the most experienced coaches have told me that they try to stay open to new things each and every day.

  • Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America’s first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: “I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself.” Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, ” I’m no Angel.”

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