Pekin Track & Field: Sustaining Its Success

5-8 SEISC North Track & Field Championships @ Mediapolis

The history of the Pekin boys’ track and field program is filled with prestige. The Panthers added to that prestige on Thursday in Mediapolis at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference North Division Championships. Davis Eidahl’s Panthers finished second as a team, continuing Pekin’s astonishing streak of finishing second or better as a team.

According to Eidahl, since 1967 his Pekin teams have finished no lower than second at a conference meet and have won the conference 35 times. That’s 35 titles in 47 seasons; it’s hard to fathom and equally hard to explain. Actually, explaining the program’s success isn’t really that complicated.

“You have to get the kids out by working hard and having fun,” said Eidahl. “I think a lot of it is making them work hard away from the track; we do a lot of running on trails and things. That helps us get most of the kids out (for track) who should be out. ”

Read the full article in the May 14 edition of the News-Review.