Dike-New Hartford, Athlete
IATC Hall of Fame, 2025
By design, Track and Field is a sport full of statistics.
Hannah Willms was special and the stats she put up in her outstanding career at Dike-New Hartford will be in the record books and serve as goals for Iowa High School Track and Field athletes for years to come.
With that said, some statistics are more eye catching than others. Like winning 14 state titles, just a fraction of a second from a record tying total of 15.
She is the only Iowa girl to win state championships in the same 4 events 3 times.
In 2008, 09 and 10 she was the first to the line in the 200-400 and Sprint Medley and cleared the highest bar in the High Jump.
She won the 200 and 400 all 4 years.
She anchored the Sprint Medley to a runner-up finish as a freshman, missing gold by .02 seconds.
She won 3 Drake titles in the High Jump and one each in the 100 and Sprint Medley.
She still holds 2A state meet records in the 200 at 24.49, and the 400 at 53.96, which is also #2 All Time.
She set the overall state meet record of 5-11 in the High Jump in 2009 and at the 2010 Drake Relays she jumped 6-1 to set the All Time best, a mark that still stands today. Then as a member of Team USA she placed 5th in the 2010 World Junior Championships.
Many of her favorite memories of this great sport aren’t just what her winning time or jump was, they likely include the people she shared those moments with. Like jumping 6-1 on her Dad’s birthday or setting a record in the Sprint Medley along with cousin Jenny or great competitors like Ellen Dougherty, Alex Gochenour, Shelby Houlihan and Taylor Twedt or her Track and Field and Volleyball teammates and coaches, all of whom played key roles in her success.
After graduating from high school as a 3-time 1st team All State selection in Volleyball, it was off to Ames to play for the Iowa State Cyclones. She redshirted her freshman season, then was asked if she might want to High Jump for the track team. She took them up on the offer, qualified to the NCAA Indoor Championships and earned 2nd team All American honors. She participated in both sports for 2 years before moving to Track and Field full time; participating mainly in the 400 and High Jump and earning All Big 12 honors.
Hannah is now a Physical Therapist and lives in San Diego with husband Novak.