March 31, 2026
Track & Field
Earlham has been one of the top track and field programs in Class 1A for a long time. That should continue this year, though the boys’ and girls’ teams will have a different look. The girls’ team has a slew of established returners competing this year, while the boys’ team will feature less experienced athletes. Either way, the long road to Drake Stadium will be exciting this season.
Boys
Seniors graduate every year. That’s just the way it works in high school sports. In some new seasons, after a particularly talented graduating class has departed, the roster can appear to be a little thin. This year, new faces and new names abound, a situation that might make some coaches nervous. But boys’ head coach Chris Caskey has been doing this for a long time. He and his coaches know how to develop athletes and get them ready for varsity competition. The Cardinals have nearly 40 kids out this year, which is great, but it will take a little while for the coaches to figure out who, what, and where works best.
“Right now we have a lot of unknowns,” said Coach Caskey. “But we have a lot of kids—and a lot of good kids. They work really hard. We haven’t had a problem with anybody’s effort at all. We just don’t know what we have. We have this Early Bird meet (Tuesday in Earlham), so it gives us options to run more than just one event, more than one relay, , more than one kid. So we’re going to try kids in different things. We’re going to get splits and times for them. And then the next week we’ll figure out who runs best on a curve, who runs best on straightaway, who’s the best guy on the blocks. So, we’ve got a whole lot of things we’re trying to figure out. We’re trying to replace some pretty good kids from last year.”
Dotting the long roster list is an intriguing group of athletes that may not even know what their best events are yet —and that’s where Coach Caskey and his staff come in. The kids just need to be willing to try something new.
“We need to figure out where those kids go and what we can do,” he said. “We don’t want to pigeonhole a kid, and if he’s good at several things, let’s move him around and see what he’s best at. Some kids never dream of ever running an 800, and the next thing you know, they’re running 2:02, 2:05. And they find out it’s not as bad as they thought. It’s the same thing with hurdles, because some kids don’t want to run them. They’ve never seen themselves doing that. And then you give them an opportunity to figure out, ‘Hey, this is fun’ or ‘I’m pretty good at this.’ And then next thing you know, you have yourself a hurdler or 800 runner. So that’s kind of the process we’re using right now.”
The Cardinal cupboard is hardly bare. There is a good group of experienced, established athletes that have already piled up an impressive list of accomplishments. Juniors David Nichols and Dawson Braet and seniors Donovan Braet and Griffin Messer lead the middle and distance group, while seniors Cason Amsden and Josh Winey are a strong hurdle and sprint nucleus.
Nichols is a workhorse that should be brimming with confidence after a terrific cross country season. He qualified for state track last year in the 1600m and the 3200m. Dawson Braet was also a 2025 state qualifier in the 1600m. It has been difficult for Donovan Braet and Messer to make their mark in relays because of the glut of talent that was in the class ahead of them, but they will have their chance this year. Amsden has been the Cardinals’ best hurdler for the past couple of years and should be primed for an excellent senior season. Josh Winey was slowed by an injury last season, but he’s healthy now and should help the Cardinals score in the sprint and hurdle events.
Several athletes that have flashed potential in recent seasons should step up into bigger roles this season. A few of those are in field events, which haven’t been the Cardinals’ strength. Keegan Long should score consistently in both the discus and shot put. He is a big, strong kid and agile for his size. Adam Parker has steadily improved at high jump, as has Cash Eitel in the long jump.
“We really need to score in field events,” said Coach Caskey. “Normally, we come out of field events, we’re down by 30, then we have to outscore everybody the rest of the way. We kind of put ourselves in a hole early on. Now we’ve got Keegan, who can probably place in the top 3 or 4 in every meet in the shot and the disc. Parker is a kid that has kind of grown into himself a little bit. He works like crazy in the weight room. Cash Eitel—you know—it’s Cash’s time. He’s been on the verge the last few years, and he and his brother Cole have spent so much time in the weight room. They work hard at everything I think they’re going to have a pretty good year.”
Junior Landon Sheffield had a good cross country season and will be a valuable piece to the relay puzzle. Senior Ethan Winey, juniors Harvey Burger and Carson Winey, and sophomores Payton Dickson, Xander McNeal, and James Lineweaver will get a chance at more events this season and should be just fine.
“All of a sudden there are kids that were just on the cusp of being guys that would score points,” said Coach Caskey. “Guys you could mess around with, put them in relays, individual events. And now they’re the guys that will be scoring points.”
A strong freshman group will bolster the lineup. There are 9 of them, and some will help right away. Rashaun Donaldson should make the shuttle hurdle relay lineup. The sky’s the limit for middle/distance runner Andrew Van Zee. Layton Black is a fine high jumper and can run anything from the shuttle hurdle relay to the 800m.
Girls
Head coach Jon Peterson is a hard-working guy, but with 11 seniors on his roster this year, he won’t necessarily mind when there’s a task or two when he’s not required. Like at the indoor meet in Ames a couple weeks ago.
“I thought, ‘Oh, this is easy,’” he said. “I don’t even have to tell you guys what to do. You’ve been here before. I don’t have to show you where exchange zones are. So yeah, it’s easy to rely on them. They know what to do. They know what the coaches expect and they do things the right way. Every now and then they need to be reminded because they’re high school kids. But overall, they do a great job. And they’ve had some success. They’ve been in big meets. They’ve been in big situations in other sports.”
The Earlham senior class of girls has an above average number of good athletes that have made their mark across all the sports through the years. And they have been doing that for a long time.
“I remember this group when they were in 2nd and 3rd grade at running camp,” said Coach Peterson. “And even then, I’m like, oh, this group could be pretty good. Because there were a lot of them. They’ve always eaten up sports and enjoyed it and been very competitive kids.”
As usual, the Cardinals will have a talented group of middle and distance runners. Seniors Amanda Smith and Mackenzie Harger will lead that group.
Smith is fast at a variety of distances and is a state qualifier in the grueling 400m hurdles.
“She had an awesome winter,” said Coach Peterson. “She’s coming in in great shape. She’s going to focus a lot on 800s and 400 hurdles and she’ll run a lot of 400s.”
Harger has already set a PR in the 1500m this season (at the Ames indoor meet), so she should have a big season.
“She (Harger) feels really good right now physically, and I think mentally too,” said Coach Peterson. “She is just ready to go and she’s been impressive. She ran a really good 800 and almost a PR in the 400 (at Ames).”
Sophomores Kinsley Canoyer and Shea Rodgers were key members of the cross country team, and senior Cadence Hammen and Lilah Aubert provide distance depth.
Ava Harris, Avrie Fagan, and Keeley Keller lead a strong sprint group. Taylor Waltz and freshmen Lucy McClure, Sannia Leflore, and Savannah Tessmer provide depth.
Fagan is off to a particularly good start this season. She won the 60m dash at the indoor meet in Omaha.
“She’s looking strong,” said the coach. “She had a great meet and she’s going to run really well this year. We’re going to try to get her into more individual stuff because I think she’s ready for that challenge now.”
Running open events demands a different mental and physical approach compared to relays. Open events build solitary toughness, while relays emphasize collective energy and seamless coordination. Many athletes prefer the relays, so coach Peterson must weigh many things when he’s making out a lineup and planning for the post-season meets.
“Each one of the girls is a little different,” he said. “Some of them don’t want to have anything to do with individual events and they just want to run relays. I’m like, ‘no, you need to learn to compete individually, too. It’s good for you from a competition standpoint.’ And some of them are fine. They like running some open things, but they also enjoy the relays. So trying to find that mix of what fits their personality, but also with what the team needs is the challenge.
Kenna Harskamp, Ally Presler, and Darby Moore were members of the state qualifying shuttle hurdle relay team and they can make it back if they find a good 4th runner.
Smith and Presler are good high jumpers, but that event isn’t necessarily their ‘main thing.’ Fagan and Keller lead the long jumpers.
Throwing is popular among Cardinal athletes this season, but none are dedicated throwers—they run, also.
“I think we’re going to have four shot putters giving it a go,” said Coach Peterson. “Shilynn (Terrell) has a lot of experience with that. But Sannia is trying it for the first time. Savannah Tessmer’s done it. Eden Forcht is going to try shot put. She did disc a year ago. Then we have about six girls trying discus.
Terrell is a superior athlete that should pace the Cardinals in both the shotput and discus.
Team chemistry, spirit, and hard work have been the hallmark of the Cardinal teams in recent years, and all that should be a strength for them again. Early in the season, Coach Peterson and his staff will be mixing and matching, looking for the combinations that work together best—physically and psychologically.
“Early in the season, the kids are trying to feel out, ‘where do I fit in the scheme of things,’” he said. “That’s part of our job as coaches is to try to get them in as many different things as we can so that then we can figure out what will work best. Obviously, not everyone can be in every relay because there’s limits on things. But I think we’ll be able to put some good stuff out there this year.”
Coaches Peterson and Caskey will be assisted by Dion Braet, Kate Lindholm, James Gulley, Drew Evans, Alex Teig, and Joe Jansen. Tim Harskamp will help with the girls’ shuttle hurdle relay team once a week.
Golf
The Cardinal boys went to the state tournament last year. The Cardinal girls missed making a trip to state by just 3 strokes. With most of the kids from those teams back in 2026, expectations are perhaps as high as they have ever been for Earlham golf.
The Cardinal boys are back down to Class 1A this year after proving to be one of the best teams in Class 2A last year. On paper, that should work in their favor, especially since they have 5 out of the top 7 golfers returning.
“I think they embrace the expectations,” said head coach Kaden Howard. “But you know, you have to prove it. But I think they see those expectations and they understand that, hey, if you look at our day two at state last year, we had the 3rd or 4th best score. So you look at what we can do when we’re playing at our best. They have some very lofty goals, and they’ve all been put in those pressure situations. So I think they do a pretty good job of embracing it and also understanding that, with the expectations, it’s going to be a little bit tougher.”
Many on the girls’ team roster have been out for at least a couple years now, so they have improved their games significantly and have a different mindset about the game—including expecting to play well. Their top 5 players from last year are back for 2026.
“They were three strokes away from making it to state last year,” said Coach Howard. “And I think if you were to ask every single girl, they didn’t play well at regional finals. So they definitely have the expectations this year. I’ve noticed that the score that I throw out to them is not good enough—which is great. I walk up to them and say, I want you to shoot this, and they’re like, I’m not shooting that. I’m shooting better than that. Which is really good. And I’ve been pretty impressed with the off-season work that they put in.”
The girls have improved on the ‘little things’ that affect a scorecard.
“They have a better understanding of how to get around the golf course,” said Coach Howard. “And the biggest thing with the girls is that they can hit their driver better. And, around the greens. It’s important for them to be patient and really look at their putts and look at their chips to save strokes around the greens.”
Coach Howard ‘scheduled up’ for the boys last year and has done that again. The team will take on plenty of bigger schools on some tough courses—like Bos Landen in Pella, Veenker Memorial in Ames, Majestic Hills in Denison, and, of course, Lake Panorama National.
“It’ll be a good test,” said Coach Howard. “The schedule brings in a lot of different golf courses, which is important because, when we get to state or we get to districts or sectionals, we have no idea what golf course they’re going to throw at us. So the more we can see different golf courses, different venues, different challenges, the better. And they will be playing against people that are really, really good. Ultimately, the better competition you play, it’ll push you to be a lot better.”
Sophomore boys Blaine Vanderheiden and Will Harris were 2nd and 4th on the team, respectfully, last season in combined scoring average. These guys play a lot of golf year-round, and they should be even better with a season of varsity play under their belts.
Konnar Stiles and Brodie Hamilton were key members of last year’s team and bring solid senior leadership to the ’26 Cards. At a 9-hole scrimmage in Coon Rapids last Thursday, Stiles led the Cards with 36 and Hamilton was next with 38.
Colton Nixt has a leg up at the #5 slot, and Bishop Hammen will provide depth.
Senior Savannah Charlet and junior Piper Koberg are experienced players that will lead the Cardinal girls this season. At the Coon Rapids scrimmage, Charlet carded 49 and Koberg had 50. Ava Goodrich was 3rd on the team last year in combined average. Olivia Nixt and Londyn Mapes look to be vastly improved and will round out a solid five.
Soccer
Looking to rebound from tough seasons last year, the Winterset Huskies boys’ and girls’ teams should both be improved in 2026. There are 33 boys and over 40 girls out—and there should be plenty of quality as well as quantity.
The boys started practice on March 16, which is always a tough week for spring sports coaches—because that’s Spring Break.
“We had roughly 20 kids out of 33 during spring break week,” said boys’ head coach Ryan Hobart. “And a lot of the band kids from Winterset, they ended up going to Disney. But for the most part, I can’t complain about having 20 during that week.”
The girls’ first practice was on March 23, which is only 10 days before their first game. That’s not much time to prepare. And once the season starts, the team plays 3 or 4 times in some weeks, which doesn’t leave much time for practice.
Girls’ head coach Cody Sullivan isn’t thrilled about that, but will make the best if it.
“I like playing games, but soccer is a pretty intense sport,” he said. “There’s a lot of running, a lot of activity to it. So I think we’re going to get some tired girls. It’s hard to correct something at the end of the game. You can talk about it then—or even before the next game. But if you can’t implement some sort of practice plan in between games, it’s real hard.”
Coach Hobart concurs about the lack of quality practice time.
“Sometimes I wonder if three games a week is not ideal,” he said. “It doesn’t really give us an opportunity to learn new things and it’s not a lot of coaching time.”
Both teams were young last year, and several key returners who were solid contributors will be critical to this season’s efforts.
“I believe that there will be quite a few of kids stepping up to the plate, especially in our junior class,” said Coach Hobart. “Our one senior is our goalkeeper (Moses Hochstetler). He’s been in the net for a couple years now. But our junior class is stepping in and leading pretty well.”
Coach Sullivan is equally optimistic about the girls that are coming back.
“We have a handful of returners that should carry the team,” he said. “They got some good experience last year. We try to always have some kids that are kind of on the bubble to play a little bit of JV and a little bit of varsity. We’re looking for those girls to be able to step up and contribute more on the varsity level this year.”
Even with the returning starters, both teams will still be on the young side. That inexperience is a challenge, especially early in the year. A young team isn’t going to go into the season firing on all cylinders. Coaches need to manage the kids’ expectations with reality to keep them moving forward. The Huskies play a lot of excellent teams, so tough times are inevitable.
“You try to keep the morale up and explain that ‘Hey, this team that we just played is a perennial powerhouse,’” said Coach Sullivan. “So, just reassure them and tell them to take care of our business. Whether we win or lose, there’s always learning that can happen. And we always want to keep getting better, because the goal is you to be playing your best soccer at the end of the season.”
Junior Jace Leasure is the Husky boys’ top returning scorer. He had 4 assists and netted 4 goals last season.
“He’s very, very athletic,” said Coach Hobart. “He’s a multi-sport athlete, and that helps him quite a bit in his game. I think we’re probably going to move him up to a forward position. He’s fast and is willing to make the runs that a forward needs to be able to do to put us in front of the net.”
Some Earlham kids that will have an impact on the team are Carter Frank, Alex Kosloske, and Gabe Lockner. Jakub Novak, Earlham’s exchange student from the Czech Republic, should also be in the lineup.
Goalkeeper Valerie Meyer and Camryn Sly from Earlham will be important players for the Husky girls.
There are four classes in boys’ soccer. The Huskies are the 6th biggest 2A team this year. There are three classes for the girls and Winterset will be 2A. I-35 is also sharing soccer with Winterset for the second year.
Earlham Echo 
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