The Hawk Eye Male Athlete of the Year resides in New London

Kade Benjamin was announced on Aug. 12 as the 2023 Hawk Eye Male Athlete of the Year … and no one deserved it more. Participating in two sports his four years of high school, his impact on both has been profound.

By May 2023, the New London High School graduate had won two Class 1A state championships in the high jump, was a two-time Drake Relays qualifier in the event. and placed ninth at the New Balance Nationals last spring.

Kade came to New London for his 8th grade year from Linn-Mar. He played a myriad sports, but by ninth grade he had settled on basketball and track and field. He earned four varsity letters in basketball, and would have earned four in track, but he lost a year to COVID.

In basketball, the 6’ 6” Benjamin earned first team All-SEI Superconference South Division honors three times and second team once. He also earned all-district honors once and earned academic all-state honors. By his senior year, he averaged 19.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals. The icing on the basketball cake for Kade and his team was the Tigers’ appearance at the state tournament for the first time since 2017 and only the second time in school history.

Then there was track and field. As a junior, breaking his own school record with a leap of 6-9, he became one of the favorites in Class 1A. After finishing fourth at the Drake Relays with a leap of 6-7, Benjamin was ready for state. He cleared 6-7 to win it all. He also ran the opening leg on the Tigers’ second-place sprint medley relay team, helping New London to the Class 1A state team title.

Benjamin came back this year to successfully defend his title. Once again, he cleared 6-7 to win. Two-time state champion!

This honor roll student also shined in the classroom. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and was the 2023 Class Valedictorian.

Kade will attend Oklahoma State and continue his high jump career as a Cowboy. He plans to major in finance and minor in computer science.

He says he can’t wait to see how high he can go, and all the people here at home will be watching and cheering him on to those new heights!