Track & Field

Track & Field was sanctioned in 1962. Each year, thousands of Iowa high school girls join their track and field team in hopes of making it to the coveted Iowa Girls High School Track and Field State Meet, held at the legendary Drake Stadium.

As the largest and one of the oldest track and field high school meets in the country, every girl hopes to represent their school and community at this event. Track and field team members also develop healthy skills, learn to push their limits and build strong friendships as they all strive for their personal bests.

Season Information

Dates & Guidelines

The following dates and guidelines are approved for the 2025-2026 school year.

First practice: Monday, February 23
First meet: Monday, March 9
Playing dates: 16 (7 for junior high)
Scrimmages: 1
State Qualifying Meets: May 14 for all classes
State Track and Field Meet: May 21-23 for all classes (Note: 1A & 4A 1st session and 2A & 3A 2nd session)
Bound reporting dates: Bound will be checked every Tuesday during the regular season
Scholarship Dates: Monday, March 9 - Eligibility Resumes March 29

Individual and Team Limitations

Junior high invitational meets are limited in size to equal that of the number of lanes on the track. Junior high students are limited to four events per meet, and no more than three may be running. All meets (indoor or outdoor) count towards the 16 meet limit.

2026 Track & Field Meet Central

Documents and Forms

Classifications

Final Classifications

Rules and Regulations

2025 Adaptive Rules

Para Entry Form

NFHS/USATF Pre Meet Notes

2026 IATO Procedures Manual

Memos

Memo 4 (05/06/26)

Memo 3 (05/04/26)

Memo 2 (04/23/26)

Memo 1 (03/31/26)

Official Informational Videos

Throwing Event How To

Long Jump How To

High Jump How To

Track Starters Informational Video

Track Meet Officials Informational Video

Order of Events

Order of Events With Preliminaries

Order of Events Without Preliminaries

Indoor Order of Events

Junior High Track & Field Guidelines

Junior High Track and Field Order of Events-Girls

State and Regional Meets

Postseason Manual

2026 State Qualifying Meet Assignments

2026 State Qualifying Meet Sites

2026 State Meet Schedule

Miscellaneous

Bound-Uploading Instructions

IATO Hurdle Placement Sheet

New Seeding for Double Waterfall Distance Races

News

State Track & Field Friday Recap

May 23rd, 2026 in Track & Field

2026 Iowa High School State Track & Field Championships Friday May 22, Drake Stadium, Des Moines, Iowa EDITOR'S . . .

State Track & Field Day 1 Recap

May 22nd, 2026 in Track & Field

Recap from an exciting day at the 2026 State Track & Field Meet

2026 Track and Field State Qualifying Meet Sites

March 26th, 2026 in Track & Field

The sites for the 2026 State Qualifying Track and Field Meets have been released.

View all Track & Field news >

Partner Organizations

The IGHSAU thanks its official partners for their continued support of the Iowa Girl. Their investments allow the IGHSAU to provide the very best championship experiencer for student-athletes across the state while continuing the vision and mission established by longtime Executive Director E. Wayne Cooley.