Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – As a runner Iris Wedemeyer is always cognizant of the clock.

The City High senior knows that in the sports in which she shines, cross country and track, that every second counts.

The same time-conscious mindset that makes Wedemeyer a standout on the track and cross country course allows her to excel in the classroom.

“I have practiced time more than I have practiced any one thing I have learned in school,” Wedemeyer said. “I think time management is definitely a skill that I have honed over the last few years. Since junior high I have learned to get everything done in a way that I do it well but it also doesn’t stress me out.”
Over the course of her high school career Wedemeyer has certainly become skilled at doing things well.

The City High senior captain is already a two-time state cross country qualifier with a pair of top-40 finishes at the Class 4A state meet.

Wedemeyer also owns a 4.28 GPA while carrying a challenging course load.

“I think that Iris embodies the student athlete perfectly in the sense that she is a heck of a student. She cares a lot about schools, she cares a lot about the academic side of things she is a really well-rounded person, she is a good leader,” City High coach Ryan Ahlers said. She has a really mature way of looking at that role of being a student athlete.”

As an athlete Wedemeyer has emerged as a leader for both the City High track and cross country teams.

On the track she was a member of the Little Hawks’ state title winning 4×400 relay team last spring.
This fall Wedemeyer was voted captain of the City High cross country team that is currently ranked ninth in Class 4A.

Her experiences in the class room and even outside of school including a three-month stint living in Ecuador last winter has helped make Wedemeyer a better leader in her athletic career.

“Having success in other situations outside of cross country helps me gain confidence for being a leader on the team,” Wedemeyer said. “It helps me interact with people on the team and helps me lead.”

Last year Wedemeyer posted top-10 finishes at both the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet and Class 4A state qualifier before placing 36^th at the 4A state meet.

This season she hopes to help the Little Hawks return to the state meet and improve on a 12^th place team finish.

“I think this year it’s been a little bit of a slower progression than I hoped for but I am still very optimistic and my goals are still just as high as when the season started,” Wedemeyer said. “I am excited to get into a good rhythm of having meets and practices the rest of the season.’

Wedemeyer is equally if not more impressive in the classroom.

She is in the process of applying to colleges with an eye on studying engineering or computer

Science.

Wedemeyer is in her fifth year of Spanish classes and has a passion for learning the language something she was able to accelerate during her time in Ecuador.

A stretch that also tested her time management skills.

“I learned a lot of Spanish because English was not the primary language and beyond with bettering my Spanish skills, I bettered my people skills in general. I met a lot of people from around the world which was really awesome,” Wedemeyer said. “I learned to surf and I learned to manage my time in a different situation. I was still doing school but I was also doing a lot of other things.”

For Ahlers who is in his sixth season leading the City High cross country program Wedemeyer is more than just a standout runner.

She is a perfect embodiment of a student athlete and a role model for others inside and outside of the program.

“Being a successful runner, you have to live a lifestyle that helps you be the best runner you can be, nutrition, hydration, sleep but being able to compartmentalize who you are as person is important too,” Ahlers said. “You are a runner but you are also a student, you are also a friend, you are also a daughter or son. You are so many different things and if you can blend those all together and understand that I am running happy and training happy I am going to maximize my ability.”

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