Tri-Center of Neola’s Meredith Kosmacek, Cedar Falls’ Faith Burt and Brooke and Blaire Dinsdale of North Tama will be inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Track and Field Hall of Fame this Saturday at the State Track & Field Meet in Des Moines.
Kosmacek, who graduated from Tri-Center, Neola in 2004, won seven state titles. She, along with fellow inductee Faith Burt, is one of just two sprinters to win four state crowns in the 100-meter dash. Her time of 12.26 her senior season remains the Class 1A state meet record and her personal best time of 11.9 seconds is tied for 11th on Iowa’s all-time list. Koscmacek also won three 200 meter dash titles and won the 100-meter dash at the 2002 Drake Relays, defeating fellow hall of famers LeNeisha Waller and Audra Bark.
Kosmacek went to run at Northern Iowa and competed for the Panthers from 2005-to-2008.
Burt, who graduated from Cedar Falls in 2008, also enjoyed a stellar career as a sprinter. Burt won 13 state titles and was a four-time winner of the 100-meter dash. Burt won four state crowns as a freshman while winning three state crowns her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Burt established herself as the premier sprinter in Iowa by becoming just one of two athletes to win three Drake Relays 100-meter titles. In addition to her 100 meter crowns, Burt also won three state titles in the 200 meters and was a part of six state championship relay teams.
Burt went on to become a 16-time indoor and outdoor Division III all-American at Wartburg, winning three national indoor championships and two outdoor crowns. She helped the Knights win three NCAA Division III national indoor team championships and two national outdoor crowns. She is the school record holder in six events, including the indoor 55 and 60-meter dashes and the outdoor 100 meter dash.
Identical twins Brooke and Blaire Dinsdale dominated the middle distance and distance races for North Tama from 2005 to 2008. The duo helped the Redhawks win three consecutive Class 1A track & field titles and one cross country team crown championship, earning eight state championships each.
Brooke won two state titles in the 1500 and 3000 meters along with one state crown in the 800 meters. She anchored the distance medley to three state championships, won two state cross country crowns and three Drake Relays titles. She was named the 2006 Iowa High School Track and Field Gatorade Athlete of the Year. She still owns Class 1A state meet record in the 3000 (10:08.96) and the 800 (2:09.60).
Blaire was a three-time champion in the 400 hurdles, a two-time state champion in the 800 meters with one state crown in the 400 and 1500 meters. Blaire also won three Drake Relays championships and a 1A state cross country title in 2007. She was named a high school all-American by USA Today in 2006. She is the 1A state record holder in the 1500 (4:37.75) and teamed with Brooke on the 1A record-setting distance medley relay team (4:05.37)
The Dinsdale twins finished first and second in seven different state contests. Blaire’s best time of 2:07.39 ranks second on Iowa’s all-time list in the 800 meters while Brooke’s top time of 2:08.52 in the event ranks third. Brooke also owns the ninth fastest time in the 1500.
Both girls earned track scholarships to Nebraska, helping the Cornhuskers win Big 12 and Big 10 team indoor championships. The twins combined to earn seven All Big 12 honors. Both girls also earned Academic all-Conference honors.
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