The Union girls 4x800-meter relay team, including (l-r) Paige Pipho, Chloe Sadler, Finley Keegan, and Brynn Albertsen, pose for a photo with Vicki Behrens, second from right, and her son, Chris Behrens, far right, on Friday, May 1, 2026, during the REB Relays held at Union Stadium in La Porte City. The Lady Knights won the 4x8 race that evening, a favorite of the late Rich Behrens for whom the annual meet is named. Vicki and Chris were on hand to present plaques to the winners of both 4x8 races in honor of their husband and father, respectively. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

LA PORTE CITY – It was a special night at Union Stadium last Friday as the Knights girls track and field team raced their way to a gold-medal finish in the 4×800-meter relay during the annual REB Relays held for the first time since retired coach and educator, Richard “Rich” Behrens of Dysart, for whom the meet gets its moniker, passed away last October at the age of 83.

According to his family, Coach Behrens’ favorite event was the 4×8.

“[That race is] half-sprint and half-endurance. Tough, gritty distance. Nothing flashy, just hard work. [You] work hard or you go home,” Union alum Chris Behrens of rural Clutier – Coach Behrens’ only son – told the newspaper late Friday following the relays. “REB were his initials. He signed everything that way, including hall passes. I don’t know who coined it, but it wasn’t him. It just sort of [gained] traction and grew as time went on.”

After growing up on a farm in rural Cedar County and later serving in the U.S. Army, Coach Behrens earned his teaching degree from the University of Northern Iowa. He taught for more than three decades, including a combined 26 years for the Dysart-Geneseo and Union Community school districts. In tandem, he spent 35 years coaching four sports a year – high school track and field among them.

Per Union girls head track coach Mike Schmidt and former Union activities director Andy McQuillen, the district’s annual track and field meet was named REB Relays in 2008.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“I actually met Rich in the summer of 1991 before I started teaching high school science and math at Union that fall. We met at a Waterloo Diamonds baseball game – now the Waterloo Bucks. We started coaching middle school football together in the fall of 1992,” Schmidt wrote in an email. “When he gave up the high school boys track job, he joined me at the middle school boys track program where we coached several years together until he totally retired from coaching. Rich was full of energy and love for sports and for working with the young men and women he coached. He was quick witted and always had a fun story or saying. I enjoyed teaching and coaching with him!”

In interviews with the newspaper, Chris and his sister Sara (Behrens) Torres both echoed Schmidt’s comments regarding their dad’s coaching, with Torres telling the newspaper, “He was a great coach. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my dad.”

A Union alumna herself, Torres played high school softball during her dad’s years at the helm. For the last four years, she has taken up his mantle, coaching middle school softball.

“He used to drive his golf cart down to the third base line to chat with me. I’d ask him for advice. We had a lot of conversations (on that ball diamond).”

“I had no issues with Dad coaching me,” Chris said. “He was fair and tough. I look back fondly on growing up as a coach’s son – riding the bus to games and getting to be bat boy or the stat guy are great memories. Helping line the track and drag softball diamonds – that brings back a flood of (good) memories. He coached four sports for a lot of years but always included us with his love of coaching.”

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Ahead of REB Relays’ start Friday afternoon and again before the 4×8 races began, a dedication to Coach Behrens was read over the public address system.

“We will honor our 4-by-8 relay winners (tonight) with a special plaque in memory of Coach Behrens,” the announcement read, in part. “So will the winners please stick around at the finish line following the conclusion of the event. The 4-by-8 relay was noted by his children as his favorite race. His commitment to the district, community, and activities will live on forever. Two of the late Coach Behrens’ favorite sayings were: ‘Work hard or go home’ and ‘It’s fun to run’. Best of luck to all runners.”

Only two girls teams took on the grueling challenge Friday evening, including Union and Marion. Knights runners Paige Pipho (freshman), Chloe Sadler (sophomore), Finley Keegan (freshman), and anchor Brynn Albertsen (senior) earned the crown handily, finishing in 10 minutes, 19.20 seconds to Marion’s 11:40.02.

Making the results even more poignant, all four runners are the progeny of Union alumni who were either taught or coached (or both) by Coach Behrens back in the day.

“Finley’s parents (Neal and Katy) both would have had Coach Behrens as a teacher,” Knights girls assistant track coach Lindsay Pipho – Paige’s mom and Brynn’s aunt – told the newspaper. “My husband (Bob) and I both had him in middle school, and he was my high school softball coach and (Bob’s) track coach. Brynn’s dad (Ryan) had him. Chloe’s mom (Mary) would have had him as well. He left a lasting impact on so many! He pushed you to do better and work hard.”

Union freshman Paige Pipho runs the first leg of the girls 4x8 at REB Relays Friday night in La Porte City. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

In the boys 4×8 race, four teams took on the challenge, including Union (Sawyer Spence, Stratton Luke, Cameron Mullen, Jackson Youngblut), Benton Community, Vinton-Shellsburg, and West Branch. V-S edged out Union for the crown with a time of 8 minutes, 11.85 seconds to Union’s 8:32.21.

The boys race was everything Coach Behrens probably would have loved – 16 student-athletes giving it their everything while spectators loudly cheered from seemingly every corner of the stadium. During the race, the Vikings managed to break their school’s second-best record thanks to the recent lineup addition of senior Alex Torres – a highly-decorated distance runner and Minnesota State University-Mankato recruit in both cross country and track.

In the southwest corner of the track near the finish line immediately following both races, Chris and his mother Vicki Behrens held a short awards ceremony, handing out individual plaques inscribed along the bottom with the words “In Memory of Richard Ernest Behrens.”

After collecting their plaques, the girls lined up for a photo alongside the Behrenses.

“This is wonderful,” Coach Pipho said. “And now I’m going to cry.”

Union's Finley Keegan, right, hands off the baton to her teammate, Brynn Albertsen for the final two laps of the girls 4x800-meter race at REB Relays Friday night in La Porte City. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

REB Relays results

Friday night was certainly a great night to be a Knight as the Union girls tied for first place with Marion in the eight-team meet by earning 162 points. Vinton-Shellsburg came in second (67), followed by Independence (53) and Waterloo West (53), Columbus Catholic (48), Don Bosco Catholic (41), and East Buchanan (33).

On the boys side, West Branch took first with 148 points, followed by Vinton-Shellsburg (123), Benton Community (116), Union (113), Columbus Catholic (81), Independence (47), East Buchanan (33), and Janesville (30).

First-place finishes by Union athletes included Haylee Hegdahl (4-8) and Ethan Winnike (6-0) in the girls and boys high jump, respectively; Adeline Tudor in the girls 3,000-meter run (11:53.91); the girls 4×800-meter relay team (10:19.20); the boys distance medley relay team (Garrett Kaalberg, Luke Winkelpleck, Cameron Mullen, Sawyer Spence) with a time of 3:48.09; Brynn Albertsen in the girls 800-meter run (2:25.20); Paige Pipho in the girls 400-meter hurdles (1:10.95); Adeline Tudor in the girls 1,500-meter run (5:40.89); and the boys 4×100 relay team (Charlie Harmon, Peyton Engel, Weston Clark, Jacob Shelton) with a time of 52.60.

Albertsen set a personal record Friday evening in the 800-meter run and is now less than 1.8 seconds from tying the school record of 2:23.41 set in 2002.

Knights senior Brynn Albertsen, front right, rounds the bend in the REB Relays’ girls 800-meter run Friday, May 1, in La Porte City. Albertsen ran her way to a first-place finish, setting a personal record in the process. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“She has been working for four years to try and break the school record,” Brynn’s mom Melissa Albertsen told the newspaper. “But she only has a few meets left to do so.”

This past Monday, May 4, Knights girls ran in Aplington-Parkersburg’s home invite, while the boys competed in the Independence Invitational. Both teams then headed to Le Grand Thursday for the NICL Conference meet hosted by East Marshall.

Next week, Union will be on the road again with the girls running at Denver and the boys at Aplington-Parkersburg Monday, May 11, ahead of the Class 2A state qualifier Thursday, May 14, hosted by Hudson.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER