SOLON - The Solon Beef Days Hay Bale Toss has a new name at the top, and this one came down to a tense finish on a hot July 17 evening.
After Iowa offensive lineman Kade Pieper won the event in both 2024 and 2025, he sat this year out. That left the door open, and Cael Winter walked right through it.
Winter, an in-state product from Waukee Northwest High School, cleared 13 feet and six inches to beat Iowa teammate Lucas Allgeyer and claim the title. Pieper’s winning mark last year was 13 feet.
The result fit a prediction Jeremy Hecklinski had already made two days earlier. When asked if he had a favorite, the Iowa quarterback said, “I think Cael Winter might win it this year.”
Hecklinski was right.
Winter is entering his fourth season in the Hawkeyes’ program and saw limited action on Iowa’s offensive line last season. He also drew praise from head coach Kirk Ferentz after Iowa’s spring open practice in April.
“Cael Winter has really done a good job,” Ferentz said. “He’s stayed on the field and he’s really taken advantage of his opportunity.
He’s an interesting guy because he’s been a good player, a little bit inconsistent. But I think this block of 15 practices, he’s really shown the kind of consistency maybe that we felt he was capable of.
So, he’s certainly in the mix, and he plays center, as well.”
Iowa had plenty of representation in the event, with contestants in the double digits and most of them offensive linemen. Winter, Allgeyer, Trevor Lauck, Michael Myslinski and Leighton Jones were among the Hawkeyes in the field.
By the end, the final four had been trimmed to three Hawkeyes and one defensive lineman, Luke Gaffney. Winter and Allgeyer then separated themselves from the pack and turned the competition into a back-and-forth duel.
At 13 feet and six inches, both men missed twice, forcing the bar back down to 13 feet, a height each had already cleared. In the sudden-death round, both missed their first attempts before each cleared the bar on the second try, pushing the contest back to 13 feet and six inches.
That’s where Winter finally broke through. He sent the hay bale over the bar to bring the crowd to life, and Allgeyer then missed again at 13 feet and six inches, sealing Winter’s victory and passing the Hay Bale Toss crown from Pieper to Winter.
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