Benton Community/Iowa State 2021 IATC Hall of Fame
I think everyone in this room today, knows that Track and Field is a numbers game.
From coaches concerned about quantity when it comes to team members and team scores……to student athletes concerned about times and distances and measuring improvement.
So many Iowa high school student athletes have recorded numbers in Track and Field over the years that we often wonder if their efforts can be duplicated. While at Benton Community High School from 2005-2008, Callan Jacobson accumulated numbers that are about as impressive as you will find.
Keep the number 16 in mind. That is the number of times an athlete can compete in a conference, regional or state meet during their Iowa high school career. Callan Jacobson qualified to the State meet 16 times and medaled 16 times, 10 of which were gold with 4 of those gold coming in the 200 meters and 3 in the 100.
Of her 16 Regional meet performances, she was a first place finisher 14 times, including 4 times each in the 100 and 200 and was a runner-up twice. In the WAMAC Conference meet she won 13 gold medals, 4 each in the 100 and 200, and was second 3 times.
If the results of these three meets aren’t enough Jacobson qualified to the Drake Relays 12 times, was a six time finalist with 4 of those came in the 100 meters where she finished twice as the runner-up.
Before moving onto Iowa State, Callan left Benton Community holding 3A state meet records in both the 100 and 200 meter dashes and a total of 11 school records, 5 outdoor and 6 indoor, was a member of 2 state championship teams, was a 7 time IATC Elite All State selection and an 11 time Class 3A All State honoree. As a Cyclone, she had continued success earning 6 All Big 12 honors plus a spot in ISU’s Elite Letterwinners Club. In 2013 she was inducted into the I-G-H-S-A-U Hall of Fame.
Callan now calls Cedar Rapids home and is a Senior Strategic Services Account Manager at Integrated DNA Technologies in Coralville.