Geoffry Ronoh and Tate Joens swept this season's Track Athlete and Field Athlete award honors after winning both the Indoor and Outdoor honors in 2023-24.

 

Iowa Western's Ronoh, the Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, is one of the top distance runners in the country and has been all season. Ronoh, for the Outdoor season, is top 10 in four different events -- the 1,500 Meters, 5,000 Meters, 10,000 Meters and 3000 Meter Steeplechase. He has the nation's best time in the 10,000 Meters this season with a 29:17.64 posted on March 29 at the Wash U Distance Carnival. 

 

Ronoh's 5,000 time is second-best right now and his Steeplechase time is sixth-best in the country. All-time, he is #7 on the NJCAA list in the 10k, and is #18 in the 5k. He has the Iowa Western school records in the 10k and Steeplechase as well.

 

For Joens, the Indian Hills' thrower is the best Hammer thrower in the country. He holds the No. 1 spot by over 2.5 meters -- was the Region 11 Champion and is the school record holder for the event with a toss of 58.72 meters.

 

In the Shot Put and Discus, Joens is top 10 in the country to date, coming in at No. 8 in the nation in both. Joens has a chance to be a three-event All-American depending on his production at the Outdoor Championships.

 

David Burnett was named the Coach of the Year for Men's Outdoor Track & Field after leading the Reivers to the Outdoor team title. The Reivers dominated the meet, beating out second place by 148 team points, the largest gap since 2019 when Iowa Central won by 162 points.

 

The win gave Iowa Western their third-straight Region 11 Championship. The Reivers have won in 2022, 23 and 24 -- but before that hadn't won since 2008. This year, the Reivers took home first in 11 events and had 28 All-Region performances.

 

There were four meet records broken at this year's championships, two of them by Reivers. Mohammed Kowa won the 1,500 Meters in record time (3:44.50). Then in the Javelin, Alex Del Popolo threw the spear a record 61.69 meters.

 

Denzs Simmonds launched the Shot Put 16.99 meters and also took third in the discus in which teammate and fellow thrower Yekini Bowen won the event. Bowen also had a second place finish in the Shot Put.

 

Other Reivers to win events and earn First Team were Nikkolia Kennedy in the 110 Meter Hurdles, Marenono Opiew in the 400 Meter Hurdles, Barnabas Ndiwa in the 5,000 Meter, Paul Rowden in the High Jump and Isaiah Cowley in the Decathlon. Iowa Western also won the 4x800 Meter Relay.

 

Indian Hills' sprinter Traunard Folson had a great meet and a great season. Folson won both the 100 Meter and 200 Meter races  --- and ranks second in the country in each event. The Warriors also have the second best time in the 4x100 Meter Relay -- which Folson runs a leg of.

 

Folson ran a Region 11 Meet record in the 200 Meter Dash -- in 20.29 seconds.

 

Known for their sprinters in recent memory, Indian Hills had the 400 Meter Champion in Chris Johnson and the 800 Meter champion in Tyrice Taylor.

 

Capping off the Warriors event winners was Anthony Ward who won the Triple Jump.

 

Iowa Central had two First Team performers in Canyon Jones in the Pole Vault and the 4x100 Meter Relay team. 

 

NIACC and Southwestern each had one region champion. Terrence Thomas won the Long Jump for NIACC while Chase Oates took the Steeplechase for Southwestern.

 

Men's 100 Meter Dash

1. Traunard Folson, Indian Hills - 10.18

2. Wallace Aflamah, Iowa Western - 10.41

HM. Youssef Hamed, Iowa Central - 10.46

 

 Men's 110 Meter Hurdles

1. Nikkolia Kennedy, Iowa Western - 14.00

2. Cyrus Ways, Indian Hills - 14.28

HM. Kamdyn Swartz, Iowa Western - 14.64

 

Men's 200 Meter Dash

1. Traunard Folson, Indian Hills - 20.29 (Region 11 Meet Record)

2. Wallace Aflamah, Iowa Western - 20.77

HM. Bongumusa Nkosi, Iowa Central - 20.79

 

Men's 400 Meter Run

1. Chris Johnson, Indian Hills - 46.97

2. Bongumusa Nkosi, Iowa Central - 47.28

HM. Quinton Ellis, NIACC - 48.45

 

Men's 400 Meter Hurdles

1. Marenono Opiew, Iowa Western - 54.30

2. Nikkolia Kennedy, Iowa Western - 54.60

HM. Anthony Duncan, Indian Hills - 54.91

 

Men's 800 Meter Run

1. Tyrice Taylor, Indian Hills - 1:48.98 (Region 11 Meet Record)

2. Cole Reinders, Indian Hills - 1:51.46

HM. Tray'Quan Francis, Indian Hills - 1:51.98

 

Men's 1,500 Meter Run

1. Mohammed Kowa, Iowa Western - 3:44.50 (Region 11 Meet Record)

2. Geoffry Ronoh, Iowa Western - 3:51.64

HM. Jed Elmbarki, Iowa Central - 3:53.18

  

Men's 3,000 Meter Steeplechase

1. Chase Oates, Southwestern - 9:37.59

2. Flynn Pumpa, Iowa Western - 9:39.29

HM. Victor Kemboi, Iowa Western - 9:42.00

 

Men's 5,000 Meter Run

1. Barnabas Ndiwa, Iowa Western - 15:09.98

2. Geoffry, Ronoh, Iowa Western - 15:10.33

HM. Ryan Kelly, NIACC - 15.53.80

 

Men's 10,000 Meter Run

1. Geoffry Ronoh, Iowa Western - 30:51.52

2. Barnabas Ndiwa, Iowa Western - 32:05.16

HM. Chase Oates, Southwestern - 33:04.08

 

Men's 4x100 Meter Relay

1. Iowa Central - 40.34
(Youssef Hamed, Waukeem Walters, Miles Reed, Bongumusa Nkosi)

2. Iowa Western - 41.10
(Tatum Fox, Wallace Aflamah, Kaia Fox, Eseroghene Oguma)

HM. Hawkeye - 42.38
(Liam Carlson, Evan Kearny, Carter Even, Sean Knockel)

 

Men's 4x400 Meter Relay

1. Indian Hills - 3:13.72
(Cyrus Ways, Tyrice Taylor, Terrick Johnson, Chris Johnson)

2. NIACC - 3:20.23
(Tyreese James, Jacob Vais, Bruce Huggins, Quinton Ellis)

HM. Iowa Central - 3:20.55
(Trevon Prince, Antoine Tshimanga, Seon Booker, Jadon Boots)

 

Men's 4x800 Meter Relay

1. Iowa Western - 7:50.76
(Flynn Pumpa, Victor Kemboi, Jacinto Gaspar, Mohammed Kowa)

2. Iowa Central - 7:52.25
(Baylor Bergren, Chase Deiter, Caleb Crystal, Hamza Mohamed)

HM. NIACC - 8:09.59
(Eli Bergman, Owen Almelien, Jacob Vais, Bryson Canton)

 

Men's Discus Throw

1. Yekini Bowen, Iowa Western - 56.72m

2. Tate Joens, Indian Hills - 49.23m

HM. Denzs Simmonds, Iowa Western - 48.96m

  

Men's Hammer Throw

1. Tate Joens, Indian Hills - 58.72m (Region 11 Meet Record)

2. Donald Lamp, Iowa Western - 51.29m

HM. Tino Tamayo, Hawkeye - 49.31m

  

Men's Shot Put

1. Denzs Simmonds, Iowa Western - 16.99 (Region 11 Meet Record)

2. Yekini Bowen, Iowa Western - 15.45m

HM. Tate Joens, Indian Hills - 15.08m

 

Men's Javelin Throw

1. Alex Del Popolo, Iowa Western - 61.69m (Region 11 Meet Record)

2. Max Scheef, Iowa Western - 51.21m

HM. Brandt Williams, Hawkeye - 48.91m

 

Men's High Jump

1. Paul Rowden, Iowa Western - 2.14m

2. Otenidi Omot, Iowa Western - 1.99m

HM. Nathan McFarland, Hawkeye - 1.96m

 

Men's Long Jump

1. Terrence Thomas, NIACC - 7.46m

2. Anthony Ward, Indian Hills - 7.26m

HM. Adreian Roper, Iowa Central - 7.10m

 

Men's Triple Jump

1. Anthony Ward, Indian Hills - 14.97m

2. Abagotte Opiew, Iowa Western - 14.80m

HM. Waukeem Walters, Iowa Central 14.63m

 

Men's Pole Vault

1. Canyon Jones, Iowa Central - 4.00m

2. Santiago Gonzalez, Iowa Central - 3.37m

HM. Marcus Edan, Iowa Western - 3.15m

 

Men's Decathlon

1. Isaiah Cowley, Iowa Western - 5448 

2. Jonathon Hackett, Southwestern - 5076

HM. Santiago Gonzalez, Iowa Central - 5022