Ankeny freshman Alli Macke didn’t realize how fast she was running.
The clock showed that she was having an incredible race.
Macke placed second in the Kirk Schmaltz Invitational on Thursday at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. She posted a time of 17:48 in the 5K race, smashing the previous school record by 26 seconds.
“I don’t normally start my watch when I race so I didn’t know my pace,” said Macke. “It was a really good surprise to see my time when I was done.”
Macke led the fourth-ranked Ankeny girls’ squad to a runner-up finish in the 12-team field. The Hawkettes finished with 67 points.
No. 7 Valley won the team title with 51 points. The Tigers were led by Addison Dorenkamp, who won the race in 17:33.
“This race was another great test for us early in the season,” said Ankeny coach Eric Klingensmith. “With such a young squad, every race is a learning experience and our ladies are gaining excellent race experience as a team. Alli led the way with a huge season PR and a new school record, beating Lauren McMahon’s 18:14 time from last season. Her intense focus during these first two races has been contagious for the rest of the team.”
No. 10 Ankeny Centennial placed third with 73 points, edging Ames by three points. The Jaguars were led by Rondi Quass, who placed fifth in a time of 18:43 that broke her own school record.
“It was a beautiful night to compete and our girls put to action a lot of experience they picked up in their first race last weekend,” said Centennial coach Eric Cogdill. “That experience paired with a focal point for us at this meet of working as a group paid off. We talked that it might mean a couple girls run a little slower early in the race to form that pack, but that the payoff would be having support late in the race when things get tough.”
Macke battled for the early lead before Dorenkamp eventually pulled away. The Valley sophomore is ranked fourth in Class 4A, one spot ahead of Macke.
Still, Macke has quickly developed into one of the state’s top runners.
“I was really surprised how quickly it was to switch over to the varsity level, but our summer training definitely helped a lot and my coaches and teammates all helped a bunch just pushing each other each day,” Macke said.
The Hawkettes placed three other runners in the top 15. Drew Beason took 10th in 19:20, Talia Dosh was 12th in 19:27, and Paige Beason finished 15th in 19:51.
“Talia, Drew and Paige all fought hard to gain and hold positions putting us in a great situation for earning our second-place finish,” Klingensmith said.
Ankeny’s Savannah Gage placed 28th in 20:08. Lauren Jackson was 30th in 20:16, and Gwen Briggs finished 37th in 21:03.
“Savannah, as our No. 5 runner, was integral in that team placement as well, showing her toughness at the end of the race,” Klingensmith said. “We realize that teams are aiming for us, but our sights are simply set on improving each race in some aspect. We are looking forward to continuing our progression throughout the season.”
Quass, who is ranked ninth, lowered her own school record by 9 seconds. She ran a time of 18:52 at last year’s CIML Iowa Conference meet, which was also held at the ISU course.
Centennial’s next four runners were separated by just 8 seconds. Tillie Smith placed 14th in 19:50, Bella Hodges was 17th in 19:55, Kendall Jorgensen took 18th in 19:57, and Anja Peck finished 19th in 19:58.
“Our group running really paid off starting in the 9/10 race where we had three of the top four finishers and Liz Hyland picked up the win,” Cogdill said. “And then Maddy LaVoi won the JV race in a triumphant return to action. Finally, the snowball kept growing as the varsity fully believed they were headed for a great night as well. We ended up with six lifetime bests and the fifth-fastest varsity seven in school history.”
Anika Mohrhauser and Cam Hershberger rounded out the Jaguars’ lineup. Mohrhauser placed 24th in 20:02, and Hershberger finished 35th in 20:57.
“On the night we had the fastest No. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 runners,” Cogdill said. “That depth will come in handy next week at the 20-plus team Bobcat Invite in Marshalltown.”