For Norwalk High School sports, it was a year full of outstanding team and individual accomplishments. Today, KNIA-KRLS Sports takes a look back at some of the top highlights of 2022.
In February, the Warrior wrestling team sent five individuals to the 3A State Meet. Three earned medals, led by Maddux Borcherding-Johnson’s third-place finish at heavyweight.
On the hardwood, Norwalk girls senior Jocelyn Bice surpassed 1000 career points.
The Norwalk girls track team came up big during the spring, winning a Little Hawkeye Conference Meet title and scoring 50 points at State to finish as Class 4A runner-up. Claire Farrell placed 2nd in all four of her events – the 100, 200 and 400 – as well as the sprint medley relay in which she teamed with Marin Randall, McKenzie Koerselman and Raegan Levi. Randall was state runner-up in the long jump.
Farrell would go on to compete in two national meets during the summer, capped by a gold-medal performance in her age group at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships. Farrell’s 400-meter dash time of 54.7 seconds is believed to be the 7th-fastest ever run by an Iowa HS girl.
The Norwalk girls soccer team reached the State Semifinals for the second straight year and finished 17-4. Bolstered by Jocelyn Bice’s second half hat trick, the Warriors beat Lewis Central 3-1 in the first round before losing to Waverly-Shell Rock 1-0 in the semis. Bice, who finished her prep career with 79 goals, was named Iowa’s Miss Soccer.
The Norwalk softball team placed 2nd in the rugged Little Hawkeye Conference and then used a thrilling 5-run rally in the bottom of the 7th to defeat Benton 7-6 in the regional finals and clinch the program’s first trip to state since 2014. The Warriors lost to Carlisle in the 4A quarterfinals but topped Burlington 5-0 in the consolation round for win number 30.
Moving on to the fall, the Warrior boys cross country team claimed their third consecutive conference championship and advanced to state for the fourth straight year. The team placed 4th in Class 4A – narrowly missing a trophy – and senior Donovan Card earned a 15th-place individual medal. Breelie Mauro finished 25th at state for the Norwalk girls.
The volleyball team finished 24-11, tied Indianola for the Little Hawkeye regular season crown and made it to the regional finals for a second straight year. On October 4th, the Warriors were also the first team to play in Norwalk’s brand new PE and Competition Center – a $25.7 million facility that includes new classrooms, a new gymnasium, a cardio fitness room and new weight and strength building room.
The Norwalk football team provided many thrills during a 5-4 season and girls swimmers Shae Drymon and Emma Sizemore qualified for multiple events at the State Swimming Meet competing for Des Moines Lincoln.
Norwalk girls wrestling made its official debut in November and the winter sports teams are currently building momentum to create more great memories for the year ahead.
(Additional highlights included in audio link)