Kay (Stormo) Freund - Inducted 2007
A two-time South Dakota High School Girls Athlete of the Year, Stormo still holds the state record for the 800-meter run, a 2:07.9 she set in 1978. The time was the third fastest in the nation that year. Shortly after graduating as salutatorian, she won the 800 at the International Prep meet in Naperville, Ill., in 2:09.0.
Stormo, who grew up on a farm in Hamlin County, led Watertown to the state track title in 1978 and runner-up finishes in 1976 and '77. She earned 18 state-meet medals, including 10 golds. In track meets, she usually ran in three relays and the open mile. In 1976, Watertown won every race final that she ran.
Her performance at the 1978 state track meet was voted the outstanding athletic performance across all South Dakota prep sports in 1978 by the sportswriters for the Hertz #1 Award. At that meet Stormo anchored the two-mile and medley relays to state records, set a state record in the mile and anchored the winning mile relay. Watertown's state medley relay record lasted for more than 25 years. Each year from 1975 to 1978, she improved her 880-yard state record.
She participated in AAU Junior Olympic meets with two top five finishes at nationals.
In basketball, Stormo was a three-time all-state center and helped the Arrows win the 1976 state title. One day in her senior year, she won the ESD cross country meet in record time and had 25 points and 13 rebounds in a basketball victory over Pierre.
At the University of Iowa, Stormo competed in cross country and indoor and outdoor track for four years. She was a four-time Big Ten Conference champion: in the 600 meters (1:33) and 3,200 relay (9:10) indoors in 1979, the 800 indoors (2:11.55) in 1980 and the 880-yard run indoors (a Big Ten record 2:09.35) in 1982. She was a three-time All-American. Competing in the then AIAW Nationals, she was second in the 880 indoors, third in the 800 outdoors (2:05.79) and fourth in the distance medley indoors. She held Iowa records in the 600, 800, 1,000 and 1,500 as well as three relays, and she still holds the Hawkeye record for 800 meters outdoors, a 2:05.67 set in 1982. She graduated and received the school's Robert F. Ray Scholarship Award as the top scholar-athlete, male or female, at Iowa in 1982.
Stormo is a member of the Watertown High and University of Iowa Track halls of fame.
She continued competing for a track club in California and the IBM Corporate Running Club, winning several Corporate Cup national titles in the women's 800-meter relay and setting a record in 1989 that stood for 10 years.
