Ankeny High School (AHS) senior Hayden Carlson holds numerous school records in track and field, has committed to run at his favorite college, and has even won the famed Drake Relays, but if you had told him this future 10 years ago, he wouldn’t have believed you. 

But how did Carlson get here in the first place? How did he become a Drake Champion and school record holder? How did he earn a Division 1 offer to the team he has cheered for his whole life? 

It turns out that Carlson’s story is not as clear-cut as it seems. 

Athletics run deep in the Carlson family, as Carlson’s older brother, Dillon, graduated from AHS in 2019. He then went to Iowa Lakes Community College, before transferring to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Drury College, and then transferring again to finish his career at National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Carlson’s father and Ankeny Hawks boys’ basketball head coach Brandt Carlson both played and coached at Northwestern College, and he was a part of the program for six national championships. Carlson’s older sister, Myra, graduated from AHS in 2022 and plays Volleyball at NAIA Dordt University. 

Like many high school athletes and his siblings, Carlson began at an early age, playing anything he could, little league, club baseball, flag football, wrestling, and even basketball, but it was not until his middle school years that he even considered track and field.

“I did Turbo Track Club with [Coach] Sickerson, and that’s when hurdling kind of started. I was never too interested in it, but I was taller, so I might just give it a try. I never really thought much of it, and then in 8th grade, I hurdled because it was familiar to me,” shared Carlson. 

Carlson’s track career truly started in his freshman year when he was given the opportunity to join the varsity shuttle hurdle team. 

“That’s where my hurdle journey really took off for me,” Carlson explained. “The hurdle group was just amazing with Gavin Wise, Landon Pote, Sam Madsen, and even Jack Romig. I really just found a family in track, and that’s what my love became,” Carlson shared.

Carlson turned heads at the 2024 CIML Conference track meet when he won the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.89, and again in 2025 at the state meet, in the Shuttle Hurdle Relay, when they won the state meet with a state record time of 56.06, and once again when he broke his own school record, running a 13.91 and placing second in that race. These merits, coupled with his Head Coach Jordan Mullen’s relation to the University of Iowa, meant that the phone did not stop ringing. Carlson received many calls and texts from college coaches, but one stood out from the crowd. 

“I’ve always been an Iowa Hawkeye fan. So getting that first call and text message was really just surreal for me. From that moment, I knew that I wanted to go there,” shared Carlson. 

Carlson realized that it may be time for a change, as his love for running developed, and the coaches started calling. After his junior year, Carlson sat down with his family to have a tough conversation.

“I really wanted to just focus on basketball. I wanted that to be my main thing,” Carlson said. “There is a lot of basketball in my family. I have always been around it, and I still love it a lot. It’s awesome. But I was always just kind of middle of the road for basketball, and when I saw my track career start to take off a little bit, that’s when I learned to love sports for myself. Not for what my family members did, I was able to make it my own,” Carlson shared.

Despite his love for basketball, Carlson and his parents decided it might be best for him to step away from the team.  

“At the end of the day, sometimes you have to be focused on what you’re good at versus what you just want to do or what you like,” said Coach Carlson. “I think it was the right thing to do, and it doesn’t mean it was easy, but I think it was the right thing to do. ” 

Quitting basketball allowed Carlson to focus on track and to lean into his passion, which some say is the reason for his success. 

“No question, his passion is what makes him successful. I know he loves hurdling. He does it all year round, and how locked in and passionate he gets about it is really impressive,” shared AHS senior and long-time friend Andrew Brandhorst. 

This extra time found in Carlson’s busy schedule as an athlete allowed for more focus on track workouts during the offseason, which certainly has paid off. This season, Carlson picked up right where he left off, leading the state in Class 4A for the 110m Hurdles event, and even piecing together multiple outstanding performances in relays to help the Shuttle Hurdle along with the 4x100m and 4x200m relays. 

With the State Meet starting Thursday, 5/21, Carlson will look to defend his Drake Relays title and help the team to a podium finish to round out his stellar high school career. Regardless of his performance at the State Meet, it is safe to say that Carlson will leave a legacy on the Ankeny Hawk Track program and his name on the AHS record boards.