J-S track star Curnyn-Hagedorn inducted into IATC Hall of Fame

By Mike Jay
Chairman of the IATC Hall of Fame committee

As a person who won multiple state titles plus a Drake Relays title in high school; won Big XII titles, set Big XII and Iowa State records, and earned All American honors in college, what else is there really to say about your outstanding career?

Well, for Kris Curnyn-Hagedorn, a 1994 graduate of Jefferson-Scranton High School and a 1999 graduate of Iowa State, there is plenty. She was an outstanding student and a very talented four-sport athlete.
Curnyn-Hagedorn is the latest inductee into the Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame. A special ceremony was held Saturday at the Gateway Center in her honor. She dominated the track and field landscape nearly 30 years ago, capturing three consecutive state titles in the discus as a Ram (1992-94), helping power her school to the team state title in 1994. She also still holds the school record in the discus, a mark of 146 feet, five inches she set in 1994

Like many junior high kids, Curnyn-Hagedorn went out for track in seventh grade because most of her friends were, too. She knew track events weren’t going to be her specialty, so she thought she would give field events a try and joined the throws group. She not only enjoyed the camaraderie of her teammates, she loved the competition.
Qualifying to state in the discus, as a freshman and not placing, didn’t cut it for Curnyn-Hagedorn. She won as a sophomore, but that didn’t cut it either. She not only wanted to win, but also wanted to have the best throw across all classes. She did just that both her junior and senior years.

Curnyn-Hagedorn also won Drake Relays gold in the discus and silver in the shot put and she helped her team win four conference titles, four district titles and a first-ever (and only) state team title for Jefferson-Scranton while winning 31 of 34 Discus competitions along the way. The championship remains the only Jefferson-based team title in the school’s history, across any sport.
Curnyn-Hagedorn, Allison Drewry and Megan Durbin are the only three girls in Jefferson-based high school history to win individual track state titles.
At Iowa State, she immediately became a very important part of the Cyclone’s success. Curnyn-Hagedorn qualified to the NCAA championships seven times and earned All-American honors in the weight throw and the hammer throw in back-to-back seasons. Curnyn-Hagedorn was an eight-time NCAA qualifier.

Curnyn-Hagedorn was a Big XII champion and Big XII record holder in the discus, a four-time Iowa State Scholar Athlete award-winner and over 20 years since graduating, she is still on ISU’s indoor all-time top 10 lists in the shot put and weight throw indoors and the shot put, discus and hammer throw outdoors.
Several people pushed for nearly five years to get Curnyn-Hagedorn inducted into the IATC Hall of Fame. She is a two-time member of the Greene County High School hall of fame, being inducted as a member of the 1994 Jefferson-Scranton girls state championship track team as well as an individual last winter.

“From the time Kris stepped on to campus until the time she graduated, Kris was the most dedicated, most committed and the hardest working athlete that I have ever coached,” former Iowa State track coach Dan O’Mara said in his nomination. “Kris was highly competitive and never backed down from a challenge. Her competitiveness and sheer determination to be the best at ISU is shown in her accomplishments over her career.”
Curnyn-Hagedorn and her former Jefferson-Scranton throws coach Tim Buenz reconnected at the IATC hall of fame induction ceremony. Coach Buenz got her started on the right track from the very beginning and helped her to excel in the shot and discus. They started working together when Curnyn-Hagedorn was in the eighth grade. Buenz has enjoyed following her throughout her career, and they remain friends today.
Curnyn-Hagedorn works at Principal in Des Moines as a Product Manager. She and her husband Josh, also a Big XII champion and All-American thrower at Iowa State, reside in Adel. Son Joey is a college freshman at ISU and daughter Lauren is a high school freshman at ADM.

Kris is the daughter of John and Alana Curnyn who reside in Jefferson.

“Kris was a valuable member of the ISU track and field team as she scored in every throwing event at the conference level. It was an honor for me to be able to work with such a high competitive and dedicated athlete,” O’Mara said. “I cannot think of a better person who deserves the honor of being inducted into IATC Hall of Fame.”