The Norwalk boys track and field team enters the 2025 season with 84 total athletes on the roster, 13 seniors and an accomplished leader in University of Kentucky signee Tony Anania.

Anania had an unforgettable junior season last spring, winning both a Drake Relays’ championship and a Class 4A state title in the mile. His 1,600-meter time of 4:06.54 at Drake was one of the fastest prep mile times in state history. Anania also earned top-five medals in the 800 and 3,200-meter races at the Drake Relays and State Meet. He had a hand in all 27 of the Warriors’ state meet points and finished the year with five outdoor and three indoor school records.

Needless to say, Norwalk coach Matt Ramthun is happy to have Anania back in the fold. “Having that back is pretty awesome,” he said. “Not only what he can do on the track, but also what he can do as far as being a good teammate and helping the other guys… just kind of talking to the guys about strategy and leading by example, showing guys how to prepare and get ready the right way.”

Anania won’t be the only Norwalk standout on the track or in the field this season. The Warriors return about 10 athletes who competed at state last year, and they set eight indoor school records earlier this month in meets at Cedar Falls and Ames. Kaiden Kunze set records in the 60-meter dash, 200 and long jump, notching a Drake Relays Blue Standard of 23 feet, 6.75 inches in the long jump. Additional indoor school records were set by Anania in the 800 and 1,600, Logan Atherton in the high jump, Daniel Roche in the 400, and the 4×200 relay of Kadan Borcherding-Johnson, Roche, Kunze and Gavin Dehmer.

Norwalk will also welcome back a pair of talented athletes in sprinter Eli Robbins and thrower Kolton Borcherding-Johnson, who missed last season while recovering from surgeries.

The Warriors will open the outdoor track season on Tuesday, competing in a meet at Simpson College in Indianola.