Wayland, IA- The WACO Boys’ Cross County team experienced quite the bump in attention and success this past fall season and the track and field team has been putting work in during this spring season resulting in a couple of conference champions and state hopefuls. One of those runners leading the charge is Jude Dykstra, who committed to Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa.
(L-R: Tiffany Dykstra, Justice Dykstra, Jude Dykstra, Joise Dykstra, Steve Dykstra, and Coach Caylon DeVaul)
Dykstra will join the Cross Country and Track and Field program starting in the 2026-2027 season.
Since transferring over to WACO from Mt. Pleasant for his junior season, Dykstra has been able to hit his stride in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference and beyond. Last year, the Warrior finished in the top 11 for both the 800 and 1600-meter runs before joining the distance medley team to finish in 8th place.
He brought that momentum with him into the fall cross country season and anchored a WACO boys’ team that found their stride midway through the season, leading to a top 5 ranking by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches and a conference championship for the team and an individual gold medal for Dykstra with a time of 16 minutes and 47 seconds.
Now, in the spring, Dykstra was able to bring home the individual conference championship in the 800-meter run with a time of two minutes. Coach Caylon DeVaul had this to say about Jude’s next step,
“Jude’s work ethic and competitive spirit have been the heartbeat of our distance program. His transition to the collegiate level at Northwestern is a testament to years of hard work. We are thrilled to see what he accomplishes in Orange City.”
The Warriors will be traveling to Sigourney on Thursday, May 14th, for their State Qualifying meet.