Standout hurdler Hayden Carlson of Ankeny has signed a letter of intent to join the Iowa men’s track and field program next year.
Carlson will be coached by Iowa’s Joey Woody, who is a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. Woody has also run competitively on the international track circuit, earning a silver medal in the 400 hurdles at the World Championships in 2003.
“The biggest thing that stood out about Iowa was the facilities. I had never seen a place like that before, and it was incredible,” said Carlson. “Also, coach Woody and some of the athletes I was around were great people as well as athletes.”
Carlson has helped Ankeny to back-to-back Class 4A state championships. He ran on the winning shuttle hurdle relay at last year’s meet, where the Hawks set an all-time Iowa best of 56.06 seconds.
Carlson also broke his own school record in the 110 hurdles, placing second in that event in 13.91 seconds. He is a two-time CIML Conference champion in the 110 hurdles.
As a sophomore, Carlson ran on the runner-up shuttle hurdle relay at the state meet. He ran on the fifth-place unit in that event as a freshman.
Carlson said he looked at a handful of schools from a variety of levels before choosing the Hawkeyes.
“The overall decision was tough, but when it came down to it Iowa was the clear-cut best option based on my future and where I want to be in five years,” he said. “The biggest takeaways were the individual people and personalities, and the facilities at Iowa.”