AP's Huttinger earns three medals, dedicates race to late father
Aplington-Parkersburg’s Kaden Huttinger returned home from this year’s State Track & Field meet as the most decorated Falcon of the weekend. The senior earned medals in the 400-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, and as a member of the shuttle hurdle relay team.
.@APFalcons @HuttingerKaden finishes in a tie for third, down to the thousandth of a second, earns a podium spot in the 2A 400 hurdles (55.923). Nick Neuroth 13th (57.49) #iahstrk pic.twitter.com/xsR5UkGQf0
Huttinger’s highest placing was a third place finish in the 400-meter hurdles, in an extremely rare tie that was measured to the one-thousandth of a second. Huttinger says especially in that race, he felt extra motivation. It was his first state meet since the passing of his father.
"I competed all year, and came down here for my dad who's watching me in heaven," Huttinger says. "He passed away from cancer. I came down here with so much motivation for my dad, and I did it for him."
Huttinger competed in honor of his father, Chris, who passed away from cancer earlier this year.
Huttinger took home an eighth place medal in the 110-meter hurdles and a fifth place medal in the shuttle hurdle relay. He was also a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that placed 13th in the prelims.
He says it was also an honor to be part of the long-standing tradition of quality shuttle hurdle teams at Aplington-Parkersburg, and was proud to represent his school and community on the biggest stage.
"I just think it's cool we could come down and get fifth. Making it to Drake was cool, breaking the school record twice is a great accomplishment. I'm just happy to be here, it's a really fun experience."
As a team, the Falcons scored 10.5 points to place 24th. Now that his time as a Falcon is done, Huttinger will shift his focus to attending Grand View University and joining the football program this fall.
