At KCII we’re counting down the top 10 biggest stories in area high school sports for the 2024-2025 academic year. At number seven is the local track and field athletes who won medals at the Class 1A state championships in Des Moines this past May.

While well over 60 athletes helped area teams qualify for nearly 50 events at this year’s Class 1A state meet, only a select few came away with hardware from their time on the famed blue oval of Drake Stadium.

That group includes the dynamic Lone Tree girls’ relay team of sophomore Addison McCullough, junior Ava Christofferson and seniors Vivian Zaruba and Rylee Shield.

The quartet finished on the medal stand in three events, including taking fourth in the preliminary heats of the 4-by-100-meters to reach the finals and finish fourth overall. The Lions also took fifth in the sprint medley and seventh in the 4-by-200, while Shield would grab a seventh-place finish in the open 400.

WACO’s Louden Huisenga would play a role in both of the medals for the boys’ team. In addition to taking sixth in the high jump, he joined fellow senior Gage Samo, junior Jude Dykstra and sophomore Hayden Shelman to finish eighth in the distance medley.

Warriors freshman Bren Graber would wrap up an excellent debut season by grabbing the last spot on the medal stand for the girls’ high jump. Winfield-Mount Union’s Kynlee Buffington also concluded her rookie year by adding to multiple medals in the long jump with one more at state, finishing seventh.

Keep listening to KCII and check online at KCIIradio.com as the countdown continues tomorrow of the Top 10 Area High School Sports Stories of 2024-2025.