Rebel senior hurdler Kennedy Brant, center, pictured competing alongside Janesville’s Honor Hovenga, left, and Fremont-Mills’ Carlie Nuckoll, right, in the Class 1A girls 400-meter hurdles race, Friday, May 22, 2026, during the Iowa High School Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. Brant medaled in the event with a fourth-place finish, beating both Hovenga and Nuckoll. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

DES MOINES – They went out in a blaze of blue oval glory.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck seniors Kennedy Brant and Hudson Clark signed off on their respective high school track and field careers last week during the 2026 state championships which took place Thursday through Saturday, May 21-23, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. At state, Clark placed 15th in the Class 1A boys 400-meter hurdles, while Brant scooped up a medal in each of her four individual girls events.

Brant began her fourth trip to state by competing Thursday afternoon in the Class 1A girls 400-meter dash. Seeded 12th, she ran her way to fourth with a season-best time of 58.53 seconds in a fast race in which the top nine runners either set personal records or season bests. The winner of the race, CAM junior Ada Hansen, clocked in at 56.90 followed by Mount Ayr’s Emma Reynolds in second (57.54) and Edgewood-Colesburg’s Eva Vaske in third (57.67).

On Friday morning, Brant competed in two Class 1A girls events, including the high jump where she leaped to 5 feet, 2 inches, securing a second state medal with an eighth-place finish.

After hitting her first attempt at 4-10, Brant knocked out her second attempt at 5-0. With the bar set to 5-2, she missed the first two attempts before leaping successfully on the third. At 5-4, Brant missed all three. There was a three-way tie for fifth place with all three jumpers managing 5-2 on the second try. Mount Ayr’s Aubree Shields won the event with a first-try leap at 5-5.

G-R senior Kennedy Brant begins to contort her body over the bar during the Class 1A girls high jump competition at the 2026 Iowa High School Track & Field Championships on Friday, May 22 in Des Moines. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Prior to the high jump’s conclusion, Brant qualified for the 100-meter hurdle finals set for Saturday by taking sixth in the preliminaries with a personal record 15.54 seconds.

Right around lunch time on Friday, she claimed her third medal by finishing fourth in the Class 1A girls 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:04.83.

On Saturday she shaved even more time off her 100-meter hurdles personal record by racing to sixth place in the finals with a time of 15.52 for her fourth state medal plus a new school record. Fremont-Mills senior Lana Alley won the event in 14.59.

G-R’s social media feed commented on Brant’s success over the weekend, writing, “Kennedy concludes her track and field career at Gladbrook-Reinbeck as one of the program’s best! She was able to compete on the Blue Oval at Drake Stadium many times against the top athletes in the state. We’re so proud of you, Kennedy! Thank you and well done!”

After the girls 400-meter hurdles event concluded on Friday, Brant’s teammate Hudson Clark took to the Blue Oval for the Class 1A boys 400-meter hurdles where he finished in 56.17 seconds to earn 15th place. Bellevue senior Keenan Kilburg earned gold in the event with a personal record time of 52.78 seconds.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck senior Hudson Clark competes on Drake Stadium’s Blue Oval during the Class 1A boys 400-meter hurdles on Friday, May 22, as part of the 2026 Iowa High School Track & Field Championships. Clark placed 15th in the event, marking the final performance of his high school career. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

“Hudson concludes his high school track and field career as one of the best hurdlers in the class and was able to compete on the Blue Oval one final time among the best in the state!” G-R’s social media feed proclaimed following Clark and Brant’s performances. “Rebel Nation is so proud of you both and we’ve loved watching you compete and represent our communities! Well done!”

PHOTO COURTESY G-R SCHOOLS/FACEBOOK

PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Rebel track star Kennedy Brant, right, gives her mom and coach, Justina Brant, a hug while competing at the 2026 Iowa High School Track & Field Championships at Drake Stadium in Des Moines last week. In her fourth appearance at the state meet, Kennedy went 4-for-4, earning medals in all four of her entries. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Senior Kennedy Brant pictured with her four state track and field medals on Saturday, May 23, at Drake Stadium in Des Moines. PHOTO COURTESY G-R SCHOOLS/FACEBOOK