Urbandale 2024 IATC Hall of Fame Athlete
I have said it up here many times before, Junior High and High School Track and Field Athletes, start their careers with hopes and dreams of being a state qualifier and maybe even a state place winner one day.
In Iowa, they also have a goal of making another trip to the Blue Oval and participating in the Drake Relays.
Well, Mary Young of Urbandale had those same dreams, and hers came true, a total of 26 times. Twelve times she qualified to Drake and 14 times to state.
While earning a medal, not to mention winning at Drake Stadium is a pipe dream for most, Young was an 11-time medalist, 4 of them gold at the Drake Relays and a 13 time medalist and 5 time champion at state…. plus she helped Urbandale win the 4A team crown in 2014.
When a friend convinced her to try track in junior high, it didn’t take long for Mary to fall in love with it and want to be a hurdler like her Mom.
She credits longtime friend, high school competitor and college teammate Destiny Welch and IATC Hall of Famer Kim Carson for being instrumental in providing the encouragement, advice and competition she needed, to get the most out of her talent and ability.
The Drake Relays and the State meet provided so many great memories for Mary that she chose Drake University as her next step in life,
She won a Missouri Valley title in the 100 hurdles for the Bulldogs and placed in the top three of the MVC 7 more times.
She holds Drake school records in the 100 Hurdles and 4×4….is in the Bulldogs All Time 10 in 4 other events.
Mary graduated from Drake in 2018 with degrees in Law and Politics and a minor in Sociology. She lives in Chicago with her boyfriend and their dog Seven and works in Human Resources at a global law firm. Mary checked a major event off of her bucket list in August, by attending the Olympics in Paris and witnessing Team USA win a few Gold medals.