Eagle Grove High School senior Ayden Feske’s track career has been decorated with multiple trips to state, a school record, and conference titles, but she’d be the first to admit that the path hasn’t always been easy.
“The hardest part of track is the mental part,” Feske acknowledged. “You have to remind yourself that your times don’t define you and that you’re a good athlete no matter what happens.”
Feske hit the ground running as an underclassman on Coach Andy Ettinger’s team. She qualified for state twice as a member of the school record-breaking 4×100 relay team and twice as an individual in the 100-meter dash.
In her junior year, Feske would continue to build on that early success, but even though she qualified for state in the 100-meter dash for the third straight year, she still wishes she could’ve done just a bit more.
“Last season was a hard season for me mentally,” said Feske. “Coming out of my sophomore year and not having the same things happen my junior year was really hard on me.”
When she was feeling down on herself, Feske found support in her teammates and coaches.
“I’d like to thank my coaches for believing in me more than I’ve believed in myself,” said the sprinter. “They’ve put in a lot of work and effort into me.”
This year, in her last lap as an Eagle, Ayden has returned to form on the oval and been a leader and positive light for her team. She won back her conference title in the 100-meter dash after finishing second last year, anchored the ultra competitive 4×100 and 4×200 relay teams, and last Thursday, she stormed to her fourth consecutive State Track meet with the fourteenth best time in all of 2A.
Through all of her accolades and medals, Feske remains humble. She confided that she “didn’t expect to run as good as I have this season.”
We’re not one bit surprised by your success, Ayden. Go get ‘em at Drake Stadium!
