Photo Courtesy of Steve Roth

 

Not having the chance to compete on the track one final time this spring didn’t stop two Washington seniors from raking in awards, as Luke Turner and Leah Marek were recently named Academic All-State recipients by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. 

To be named to the team an individual must be a senior, have a 3.8 or higher cumulative grade point average, a score of 28 or higher on the ACT, and a state meet qualifier in at least one event. Since the 2020 season did not happen due to COVID-19, the state meet participation requirement was based off of last year’s event. 

Turner tells KCII Sports what this accomplishment means to him. “This is a great honor. I care a lot about my school work and keeping my grades up. My parents have built that into me that it is very important. To couple that with success on the oval and to be recognized for it is a big honor.”

In the 2019 state track and field meet in Des Moines, Marek competed in the girls 4x100m and 4x200m while Turner ran in the boys 4x100m and 4x400m. Marek will attend Iowa State University this fall to double major in biology and global resource systems. She explained why that was a good fit for her. “ISU is kind of a family tradition with my sisters and dad going there so it was the obvious choice. I really like the science route and want to do more of that. Hopefully biology will lead me to the field that I want.”

Turner will play baseball at Truman State University and study business.