When Ankeny Fanatic started unveiling its various all-time Ankeny athletic teams in 2020, it sparked a lot of interest in the community.
Some of the current and former girls’ track coaches even got together during the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss the greatest Ankeny athletes in their sport.
“A bunch of us did an online conference and chose what we think would be the AHS all-time track and field team,” said longtime Ankeny coach Dennis Adamson. “We used past performance lists, top-five all-time lists, conference titles and state performances to choose our candidates. We did not try to field a complete team, but we did try to have entries in field events, hurdles, short sprinters, middle distance and distance runners. We only considered candidates that completed their four years with the team and that have graduated or were seniors (in 2020). Some girls ran almost only relays so it is easy to overlook them.
“What you have been doing with all the Ankeny teams inspired us to have fun and do a track and field one,” Adamson added.
Thanks to the hard work of Adamson and his fellow coaches, I didn’t feel like I needed to make many changes to their all-time team. I did have to add some of the standouts from Ankeny Centennial, which started its own program in 2014 and has enjoyed a lot of success. I also included some athletes who, for one reason or another, did not compete in track and field for all four years of their high school career.
Here, then, are the members of Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time Ankeny girls’ track and field team:
100-200
Deena Arringdale: As a sophomore in 1986, she ran on the winning 4×200 and 4×100 relays at the Central Iowa Conference meet, helping Ankeny to a runner-up finish overall. She earned all-state honors in both the 100 and 4×200 relay as a junior, then did so again in the 100 in 1988. “She was one of the state’s best sprinters,” said Roy Crabtree, who was Ankeny’s coach from 1980-90. Arringdale posted a time of 12.08 in the 100 in 1987, which still ranks second on the school’s all-time list. Her time of 25.74 in the 200 in 1988 ranks third in school history.
Laura Aschoff: She won Class 3A state titles in both the 100 (12.44) and 200 (25.83) as a sophomore in 1996, when she became just the seventh girl to win four events at the state meet and led Ankeny to the most points ever (62) by a runner-up team. She won a photo finish against Kate Gordon of Sioux City North to win the 200 and finished the season unbeaten in both races. She also anchored the winning 4×200 relay which set a school record at the time (1:43.73) and now ranks third on the all-time list. As a junior, Aschoff placed second in both the 100 and 200 while leading the Hawkettes to another runner-up finish. She also anchored the winning 4×100 relay which set a state record of 48.69 seconds at the time. “That was quite a race to watch,” Adamson said then. “Our girls wanted to win the race, but they were also shooting for the record. They knew they had the capabilities to break it.” That victory put Ankeny into the overall lead with one event remaining, but Iowa City High then placed second in the 4×400 relay to edge the Hawkettes by four points for the title. Aschoff also won two Drake Relays titles in the 100 and was named the meet’s outstanding girls’ performer in 1996, when she set a meet record of 12.29. She also anchored the winning 4×100 relay as a junior, when Ankeny edged Ames by .01 seconds to end the Little Cyclones’ five-year title run in the event. “One of my top memories was being named the Drake Relays Outstanding High School Athlete,” Aschoff said. “It was an honor to be chosen among so many amazing athletes. Representing my school and community was something I never took lightly.” Aschoff holds the school record in both the 100 (12.00) and 200 (25.30), setting both of those marks at the Cardinal Relays in Newton in 1997. She went on to compete for the University of Illinois, where she ran on the winning 4×100 relay at the Big Ten Championships.
Lauren Cummings: As a sophomore in 2002, she placed fifth in the 100 at the Drake Relays in 13.01 seconds. She also anchored the third-place 4×100 relay. She went on to place sixth at the state meet in the 100, posting a time of 12.73. She also ran on the runner-up 4×100 relay. In 2003, she anchored the fifth-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays. At the state meet, she anchored the fourth-place 4×100 relay and also ran on the third-place 4×200 and sprint medley relays. As a senior, Cummings led the Hawkettes to a third consecutive CIML Central Conference title. She set a meet record of 16-11 in the long jump, won her third straight crown in the 100 and set a meet record of 12.32, and also captured the 200 in 26.22. She went on to place seventh in the 100 at the state meet, 10th in the 200 and ninth in the long jump. “Lauren’s main sport was volleyball, but she became one of our best sprinters and long jumpers as well as a great supporter of her teammates,” Adamson said. She went on to play volleyball at Northwest Missouri State before finishing her college career at Iowa State. She was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time volleyball team.
Christi Hogan: In her first outdoor meet as a freshman in 1993, she raced to a victory in the 100 at the Valley Relays in 12.8, beating Des Moines North standout Tashika Lewis in the process. It marked the beginning of a brilliant career. She anchored the sixth-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays, then later anchored the third-place 4×200 relay at the state meet. As a sophomore, Hogan anchored the fourth-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays. She then anchored the runner-up 4×100 and 4×200 relays in Class 3A, losing to Dubuque Hempstead by .01 seconds in the 4×100. She also anchored the third-place shuttle hurdle relay. In 1995, Hogan became the first Ankeny girl to capture a Drake Relays title when she won the 100 in 12.65. “One of my favorite moments of coaching was her Drake Relays championship,” said Adamson, who coached the Hawkettes from 1991-2018. “She got a tremendous start and led the rest of the way. I was jumping up and down in the stands yelling, ‘Hogan!, Hogan!’ She gave it her all in every race and was always looked up to by the coaches and her teammates.” She set a meet record of 12.22 in the 100 at the Hawkette Invitational, which still ranks third on the school’s all-time list. She later anchored Ankeny to a state title in the shuttle hurdle relay. She also placed fourth in the 100 and ran on the fourth-place 4×200 relay. As a senior, she ran on the winning 4×300 relay at the state indoor meet, helping the Hawkettes to tie for the overall crown. Hogan placed third in the 100 at the Drake Relays–a race that was won by teammate Laura Aschoff. She then capped off her career with another great state meet. She ran on the winning 4×200 relay, anchored the runner-up 4×100 relay and placed fifth in the 400 hurdles. She went on to compete for Drake.
Mytika Mayberry: As a freshman in 2018, she ran on Ankeny’s third-place 4×100 relay in Adamson’s final season as head coach. “Mytika showed so much potential as a freshman,” Adamson said. “When she decided to train and use the talent she had to become a much better sprinter, she started setting goals and striving to attain them.” As a sophomore, Mayberry placed fourth in the 100 at the Drake Relays, posting a time of 12.27 that is tied for fourth on the school’s all-time list. She went on to place fifth at the state meet in 12.72 before anchoring the Hawkettes to a victory in the 4×100 relay in 48.29. It was Ankeny’s first state title in a relay event since 2000. “Oh my God, it’s amazing,” Mayberry said afterwards. “This is what I’ve been praying for and working for, and this is it. It’s surreal.” Mikala Sidney, Eva van de Mortel and Eva Fulk ran the first three legs for the Hawkettes, giving them a short lead. Mayberry then held off a strong challenge from Waterloo East star Kerris Roberts down the homestretch. Roberts crossed the finish line in second place, but the Trojans were later disqualified–thus allowing Waukee to earn runner-up honors. Mayberry said she didn’t hear Roberts coming anyway. “I blacked out everything around me because my true competitor was the clock,” she said. “It was me against the clock at that point in time. And we won.” After missing her junior season due to COVID-19, Mayberry again placed fourth in the 100 at the Drake Relays–this time in 12.63. She also anchored the runner-up 4×100 relay. She went on to place fifth at the state meet in the 100 in 12.74. “I’m very happy with my place, because it’s better than what I was (seeded),” said Mayberry, who ran in Lane 1 as the No. 7 seed. “There’s a lot of variables in the race. But it’s my senior year, and I just came here to have fun.” She also took 12th in the 200 and anchored the Hawkettes to a third-place finish in the 4×100 relay. She is now a freshman on the Iowa women’s track and field team.
Lindsay McCracken: As a sophomore in 1999, she ran on the third-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays. She later ran on the fifth-place 4×100 and seventh-place 4×200 relays at the state meet. In 2000, she again ran on the third-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays and also ran on the runner-up sprint medley relay. At the state meet, she ran on the winning 4×200 relay after earlier dropping the baton in the sprint medley relay. “I was running and the person next to me hit the baton and knocked it out of my hand,” she said. “I had to go back and get it knowing we were out of the race.” The 4×200 unit set a school record of 1:43.50 that still stands today. “It’ll be something I’ll be able to tell my kids about,” she said. “I’ll be able to tell them how fast I was back then.” As a senior, McCracken ran on the fifth-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays. She later anchored the third-place 4×200 and sixth-place sprint medley relays at the state meet, where she also ran on the ninth-place 4×400 relay. She focused mostly on the relays, but could also excel in the individual events. Her time of 25.78 in the 200 in 2001 ranks fourth on the school’s all-time list. “You would like to have a team full of Lindsay McCrackens,” Adamson said. “She was an athlete who led by example and would always do what she could for the team and not personal achievement. She usually ran on relays so it was sometimes easy to overlook her contribution to the team, but she was an inspiration to all and a quality person as well as an athlete.”
Ambre Moton: She placed eighth in the 200 as a freshman at the state meet in 1997, showing a glimpse of her potential. She also ran on the third-place 4×200 and sixth-place sprint medley relays. In 1998, she ran on the fifth-place 4×200 and eighth-place 4×100 relays. As a junior, she placed seventh in the 200 and anchored the fifth-place 4×100 and seventh-place 4×200 relays. In 2000, Moton placed fifth in the 100 at the Drake Relays. She later capped off her career by anchoring the Hawkettes to a state title in the 4×200 relay, breaking the school record. “This is my favorite race, making it a really special win. It feels great,” Moton said at the time. “When I looked into the stands after the race, our folks were up there high-fiving each other.” Moton also placed fifth in the 100 and sixth in the 200. Both of those races were won by her friend, Lolo Jones of Des Moines Roosevelt–who eventually became an Olympic hurdler. “If Lolo gets off to a good start, nobody’s going to catch her,” Moton said. She was a two-time CIML National Conference champion in the 100. Her time of 12.27 in the 100 is tied for fourth on the school’s all-time list, and her time of 25.56 in the 200 ranks second in school history. “There is a great photo of Ambre anchoring the championship 4×200 relay, her arms raised in victory as a culmination of her senior year,” Adamson said. “She was a very smart, humble, solid, no-nonsense leader. She had a winning attitude, and she went on to become a sports broadcaster.”
Jasmine Rumley: She burst onto the scene as a freshman at Ankeny in 2017, when she placed sixth in the 100 and 11th in the long jump at the state meet. She also anchored the runner-up 4×100 relay that set a school record with a time of 48.62. As a sophomore, she anchored the third-place 4×100 relay that was clocked in 48.29. In the preliminaries of that event, the Hawkettes set a new school record of 48.01, which ranked 10th all-time in Iowa at the time. She recorded a personal best of 17-11.5 in the long jump as a freshman, which ranks fourth on the school’s all-time list. Rumley struggled with some injuries during her sophomore season, then elected to focus on other sports–softball and swimming–in her final two years of high school. “Jasmine was a real competitor. She was a multi-sport athlete who worked hard and prepared to do her best in each sport,” Adamson said. “Put her on the track and she was ready to perform no holds barred as she was a strong athlete built for speed. Jasmine set high goals for herself and when she achieved was humble as ever. She was another of our athletes with character and a passion for the sport.” Rumley was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time Ankeny softball team, and she was the co-captain of the all-time girls’ swimming team. She is now a sophomore on the Tennessee women’s swimming and diving team.
Mikala Sidney: As a freshman in 2016, she anchored Ankeny’s 4×100 and 4×200 relays to sixth-place finishes at the state meet. She also ran on the 10th-place shuttle hurdle and 11th-place sprint medley relays. As a sophomore, she ran on the sixth-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays. She later ran on the runner-up 4×100 and sixth-place shuttle hurdle relays in Class 4A. In 2018, she missed her junior season due to a torn ACL. But she then rebounded with a strong senior campaign in 2019. She placed eighth in the 100 at the Drake Relays, posting a time of 12.61. She earned a Drake Relays title as part of the winning 4×100 relay, and she also ran on the seventh-place 4×200 relay. “It’s insane,” Sidney said afterwards. “I’ve been running track for so long, and I’ve worked hard for (a Drake Relays flag) coming back from an injury during last season. This is all I really ever wanted. I’m so proud of my teammates.” At the state meet, she helped the Hawkettes to a victory in the 4×100 relay. “It feels great,” Sidney said. “We’ve been working for it for so long and so hard.” Sidney placed sixth in the 200, posting a time of 26.60 into a stiff headwind. “I definitely could (feel the headwind),” Sidney said. “At first in my head I was like, ‘I felt it but I didn’t think it was that bad. It was like a light breeze.’ But then I looked at the time, and it was definitely not a light breeze.” Sidney anchored Ankeny to an eighth-place finish in the 4×200 relay. “Mikala came to our team as a freshman, shy and not aware of her potential,” Adamson said. “Despite hardships like the torn ACL, she worked hard in rehab and her senior year culminated in being a member of the state championship 4×100 relay team.”
100 hurdles
Laura Aschoff: The standout sprinter and long jumper was also a talented hurdler. As a senior in 1998, she placed third in the event at the state meet with a time of 14.43 seconds. She placed fifth in both the 100 and the long jump and also anchored the eighth-place 4×100 relay in her final state meet, which capped off an injury-riddled season. “It’s just too bad that she had so many injuries this year,” Adamson said at the time. “She didn’t have the kind of season that she wanted.”
Shelly Fowler: As a junior in 1986, she anchored Ankeny to a fourth-place finish in the shuttle hurdle relay at the state meet. The Hawkettes posted a time of 1:05.22. She also took ninth in the 100 hurdles in 15.40. Her best time in the event of 14.81 came in the preliminaries at the district meet, which put her third on the school’s all-time list at that point. In 1987, she earned all-state honors in both the 100 hurdles and the 4×200 relay.
Lynette Heinauer: She was a part of three state champion shuttle hurdle relay teams in the 1990s. As a freshman in 1995, she helped Ankeny to a winning time of 1:02.58. The Hawkettes defended their title the following year in a time of 1:04.38. In 1997, Ankeny was hoping to earn a threepeat, but was disqualified in the event. However, the Hawkettes bounced back in 1998 to win their third crown in four years, posting a time of 1:02.38 that set a school record and was the third-fastest clocking ever in Iowa at the time. Rachel Dierenfield, Traci Jones and Chrissy Hendricks ran the first three legs before Heinauer anchored the relay. Heinauer was also a four-time state qualifier in the 400 hurdles, placing sixth in the event as a freshman and fifth as a senior. She also took ninth in the 100 hurdles in 1998. “She was an excellent basketball player who was also one of our best hurdlers,” Adamson said. “She was a tough athlete.”
Candee Miller: She was a valuable member of the 1981 Ankeny squad that captured the lone state title in school history. She placed fourth in the 100 hurdles in a time of 15.50 seconds. She was a part of teams that won 14 consecutive regular-season meets in 1981-82. As a senior, she helped the Hawkettes to a 10th-place finish in Class 3A. She took third in the 100 hurdles in 14.77 and placed in the 400 hurdles as well. She anchored the shuttle hurdle relay team to a runner-up finish in 1:03.23, which set a school record. She also set the school record of 14.23 in the 100 hurdles.
Katie Petersen: The Centennial standout was a two-time state qualifier in the event who would have been one of the favorites to win a state title in 2020, but her senior season was cancelled due to COVID-19–about a week after she set the school record of 9.05 in the 60-meter indoor hurdles. As a sophomore in 2018, she placed 11th in the 100 hurdles and also ran on the fifth-place shuttle hurdle relay that set a school record in the preliminaries with a time of 1:05.02. In the final, Petersen ran the opening leg in 15.98 seconds as the Jaguars were clocked in 1:05.29. In 2019, she placed fifth in the 100 hurdles at the Drake Relays, setting a school record with a time of 14.70 seconds. She went on to place fourth at the state meet in 14.77. “I was happy with (my race), especially after (running) the sprint medley and the shuttle (hurdle earlier) this morning,” Petersen said. “I felt pretty good running that time.” Petersen ran on the fifth-place sprint medley relay that broke a school mark. She also ran on the fourth-place shuttle hurdle and sixth-place distance medley relays, becoming the first and only Centennial girl to earn four medals at the same meet. She led the Jaguars to a tie for 12th place in Class 4A, their highest finish ever. “Katie came to us as a freshman having not run in eighth grade,” said Centennial coach Andrew Kruzich. “An injury derailed her gymnastics career, but she found a second home. Turns out that body awareness, fearlessness, and ballistic strength helps a lot in hurdling. She hurt her leg early in the year, and I had to pull her off the track one workout as she tried to limp her way through. I knew right then that she would be tough.” In the summer of 2019, Petersen competed at the USATF Hershey’s National Junior Olympics Track & Field Championships at Sacramento and placed 18th overall in the Women’s 17-18 Division of the 100 hurdles, despite having her track shoes stolen 90 minutes before the race. She ran in shoes that were too big for her feet but still posted a time of 14.88 in the semifinals. Petersen is now a member of the Iowa women’s track and field team. “She had supreme focus and consistency,” Kruzich said. “She worked year-round to get better, and she really had an ability to get mentally ready to run. She got the most out of every hurdle rep in practice. I’m absolutely convinced that she was going to be a Drake and state champion (her senior year). She went to Dickinson and beat the only girl to beat her the previous year by .15 in a 60-meter race. I still think that 2020 team of ours would have been our best ever.”
Tiffany Ratzlaff: As a freshman in 1993, she ran on Ankeny’s winning shuttle hurdle relay at the Fort Dodge Invitational, where the Hawkettes posted a time of 1:05.14–the fastest clocking in the state at the time. The same relay unit was later disqualified in the preliminaries of the state meet, but Ratzlaff would have more chances to win a state title. In 1994, she placed 12th in the 100 hurdles and also ran on the third-place shuttle hurdle relay. As a junior, she placed fourth in the 100 hurdles in 15.25 seconds. She also ran on the state champion shuttle hurdle relay. She ran a strong opening leg for the Hawkettes, giving them a lead that they never relinquished. Ankeny set a school record in 1:02.58, the sixth-fastest clocking ever in Iowa at the time. The Hawkettes ended Ames’ three-year reign as champions in the event. It was a rewarding victory for longtime Ankeny assistant coach Reed Porter, who specialized in the hurdles events and had already told the team he was retiring. “Reed did a great job with those girls,” Adamson said at the time. In 1996, Ratzlaff won a state indoor title in the 50 hurdles, posting a time of 7.18. She ran on the second-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays. At the state meet, she placed third in the 100 hurdles in 15.04. She anchored the Hawkettes to a come-from-behind victory in the shuttle hurdle relay, allowing them to defend their crown. She also ran on the runner-up 4×100 relay. “She was a real gem,” Adamson said. “Tiffany had a fun personality that kept us smiling even through hard practices. However, when it was time to compete, she was all business. At the state meet in the shuttle hurdle relay we were second or third going into the last leg of the race. Tiffany shot out of the blocks, making the crowd roar as she gained on the leaders hurdle by hurdle until she broke the tape in first place.” She went on to compete for Northern Iowa.
Kellie Wong: She was a standout at both schools from 2011-14. As a freshman at Ankeny, she placed seventh at the state meet in 16.03 seconds and also ran on the 10th-place shuttle hurdle relay. In 2012, she ran on the eighth-place shuttle hurdle relay at the Drake Relays. She later helped the Hawkettes to a fourth-place finish in that event at the state meet. She also took ninth in the 100 hurdles in 15.64, just missing the finals. As a junior, Wong qualified for the Drake Relays in the 100 hurdles, placing fifth in 15.56. She also ran on the seventh-place sprint medley relay and the eighth-place shuttle hurdle relay. She won the 100 hurdles at the Ames Invitational in 15.20, setting meet and stadium records. At the regional meet, she won the event in 14.70, which set the school record. She went on to place fourth in Class 4A in 15.24. Wong also ran on the runner-up shuttle hurdle relay that was clocked in 1:02.45. Ankeny broke the school record and also eclipsed the state’s all-time mark, but the tremendous effort did not produce a victory as Waukee won the race in 1:01.87. “Kellie was another humble athlete who led by example,” Adamson said. “She was well-respected by her teammates and worked very hard to become a better hurdler and by her last year became one of our all-time best. She always gave her heart and soul for her teammates and always strived to do her best.” As a senior, Wong moved across town to Centennial and immediately posted a time of 8.45 in the 55 indoor hurdles, which still stands as the school record. “She also ran the first race in Jaguar girls’ track and field history–a 60 hurdle prelim at Wartburg,” Kruzich said. Wong placed eighth in the 100 hurdles at the Drake Relays in 15.71. She went on to place fifth in the event at the state meet, posting a time of 15.40. She also ran on the 11th-place shuttle hurdle and 4×100 relays. She placed third on the team in scoring with 119 points for the season. Her time of 15.13 in the 100 hurdles still ranks second on the school’s all-time list. “She had great success at Ankeny and some heartbreak, too–finishing ninth by .01 seconds in the 2012 prelims at state,” Kruzich said. “She should have been a four-time placewinner. Track is cruel sometimes. She pulled a muscle in her thigh her senior year and missed most of April, so it made a tough year after the school split a little tougher. But she was always a very positive presence on our team, and was our senior leader that first year. The hurdles moved up to 33 inches after her freshman season, I think. I remember being worried that it might affect her because she’s not a tall athlete. Turns out, we didn’t have to worry about her at all.” Wong went on to compete for Minnesota State-Mankato.
400-800
Christine Andresen: She burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2003, when she ran on the fifth-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays. She qualified for the state meet in three events, running legs on the fourth-place 4×100, third-place 4×200 and ninth-place 4×400 relays. As a sophomore, she ran on the seventh-place 4×800 and eighth-place 4×400 relays in Class 4A. In 2005, Andresen placed seventh in the 400 at the state meet, posting a time of 59.24 seconds. She also ran on the eighth-place 4×400 relay. As a senior, she placed fourth in the state meet in the 400 in 59.03. She also anchored the eighth-place 4×200 and 4×400 relays. “Christine ended her career with class and style,” Adamson said at the time. She won four consecutive CIML Central Conference titles in the 400. She also won the 200 and anchored the winning 4×400 relay as a senior. At the regional meet, she won the 400 in 58.43, which ranks third on the school’s all-time list. She was voted the Most Valuable Team Member by her teammates in each of her last two seasons. “I have videotapes of Christine running the 400 that I would use to instruct my 400 runners on how to run the race even through my last year as head coach in 2018,” Adamson said. “She was another athlete to build a team around. She was humble, but a leader by example for the rest of the team. She had a great smile and was a quality individual who was a privilege to coach.”
Katie Bosch: As a sophomore in 2012, she ran on Ankeny’s seventh-place 4×800 relay at the state meet. In 2013, she ran on the runner-up 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays that was clocked in 9:27.26. She later ran on the fourth-place 4×800 relay in Class 4A. As a senior, she placed 10th in the 800 at the state meet with a time of 2:18.72, which stood as a school record for eight years. She also ran on the eighth-place 4×800 and 4×400 relays. “Katie was a role model and mentor for our team who showed us how to dedicate and prepare yourself to contribute to the team,” Adamson said at the time. Bosch went on to run at Northwestern College. “Katie was a middle-distance runner that put the work in during the offseason to become the runner that she was,” said Craig Doocy, a longtime Ankeny assistant who also coached the Hawkettes’ cross country team for more than two decades. “She earned everything that she achieved throughout her career.”
Christy Carle: She ran on the first Ankeny relay team to win a state title as a junior in 1980, joining Amy Schreiner, Cindy Luke and Karlin Hayes on the 4×400 unit that captured the Class 3A crown in a time of 3:55.19. The relay squad earned Coaches All-American honorable mention recognition. “Now that my daughter is running high school track, all the feelings of being on that oval track come rushing back,” Carle said. “It was a long time ago and my memory is not good, but I remember running at the Drake Relays my junior year in the 4×400–my favorite race!. It was such a good group of girls that I ran with! Karlin, Amy, Kim and Robin Shaw, and Cindy! They were all so fast and we worked so hard in practice. But we ran against some great competition as well, like Indianola’s Christy Dickerson and Sue Nelson. I think they may have barely edged us in that 4×400 Drake Relays race in 1980 that held the record for almost 20 years! I can’t remember who won for sure, but I remember receiving a nice award from the Drake Relays and I know we beat them at the state meet in 1980 as I still have my medal to prove it (see above)! We were always trying to cut corners on our long runs that coach Crabtree would send us on and try to avoid getting caught. Kim Shaw was our ring leader, and we did whatever she said (haha)! But on the track, she always pushed us to be better and again, we followed her lead. Hard work pays off, and we used to think we weren’t going to make it through all of the interval training on the track, but we did and it made us better! I have such great memories from back then, and those girls will always hold a special place in my heart!” Carle went on to run for Central College, where the Dutch placed second in the NCAA Division III meet her junior year. “I had to walk on since I wasn’t really recruited due to not having much of a senior year in track,” Carle said. “I tore ligaments in my knee during the state tournament for basketball and really never recovered enough for track season when we won state in 1981. One of my most sad memories is not being able to play in the state championship basketball game against Norwalk in 1981 and not being able to run much my senior year when we were at our prime due to this injury! But I rebounded at Central and ran all four years with some greats like Marcie Thurn, Lisa Broek and Nancy Cisar-Wright.”
Megan Gray: As a sophomore, she anchored Centennial to the lone state title in school history in 2016, bringing the Jaguars from behind to win the Class 4A distance medley relay in dramatic fashion. Sydney Reysack, Katie Saddoris and Hannah Draayer ran the first three legs for Centennial, which sat in fourth place as Gray crossed the finish line for the first time on her 800-meter leg. Linn-Mar (Marion) held a commanding lead at the top of the stretch before anchor runner Amber Decker collapsed and struggled to finish the race. Waukee’s Logan Akason moved into the lead, but Gray then surged past her in the final strides to win the race in a time of 4:05.21, which set a school record. The Warriors were clocked in 4:05.25. “That was definitely one of the most memorable moments of my athletic career,” said Gray. “It was so special to be able to win the first state championship for Centennial, and I will forever cherish that moment with the girls on that relay!” Gray also placed 11th in the 800 at the Drake Relays. As a freshman in 2015, she took fourth at the state meet in the 800 in 2:17.42, which set a school record and now ranks second on the school’s all-time list. She also ran on the third-place distance medley and 10th-place 4×400 relays. After missing her junior season due to an ACL injury that she suffered while playing club soccer, Gray split her time as a senior between the track and soccer teams, helping the Jaguars to a state soccer title. She showed her versatility by running a leg on the 10th-place 4×200 relay at the state meet. “Meg was a real trailblazer for us–the first successful track/soccer girl we had at Centennial,” Kruzich said. “She was another developmental story–she ran a 2:42 800 in eighth grade, and a 2:14.7 to anchor the distance medley her sophomore year. She was tired a lot of the season doing both sports, but had an ability to really turn on the juice when it mattered most. That medley anchor in 2016 is still one of the best finishes I’ve ever seen. Her senior year she never got the endurance training in the offseason that she needed to run 800s like she used to. But in true Meg fashion, we were able to use her in the 4×400 and 4×200, and she ran with a soft cast from yet another soccer injury. She was a really gritty competitor.” Gray was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time Ankeny girls’ cross country and girls’ soccer teams. She is now a senior on the Minnesota women’s soccer team.
Cindy Luke: As a sophomore in 1979, she placed third in the 400 at the state meet. In 1980, she posted a time of 56.90 in the 400, which still ranks second on the school’s all-time list. She later ran on the winning 4×400 relay in Class 3A. As a senior, she placed second at the state meet in the 400 in 57.72, finishing one-hundredth of a second behind Mari Sather of Cedar Rapids Kennedy. She was part of a 4×400 relay team that never lost a race all season, capturing a Drake Relays crown before defending its title at the state meet, where the Hawkettes also claimed the team championship. Luke had 22 firsts and six seconds during the course of the regular season and was part of one new school record. “Cindy was a great leader,” Adamson said.
Alli Macke: The youngest member of our team is currently a freshman at Ankeny High School. On Thursday at the Jaguar Invitational, she won the 800 in a time of 2:17.56, which broke the school record. “I think the weather really helped just being able to run without the bad conditions we have been running in,” Macke said. “It was a perfect night, and I was super excited.” Macke wasn’t even rested when she eclipsed the mark. Earlier in the meet, she won the 400 in 59.55. She also anchored the winning sprint medley relay. “For Alli to run multiple 400s and come back and win that 800 is special stuff,” said Ankeny coach Thomas Cotter. “She loves to compete and refuses to lose.” Macke is also a talented distance runner. Last fall, she established herself as one of the state’s top cross country competitors. She’s got a bright future as a runner, but track or cross country may not even be her best sport. She’s also a starting midfielder for the second-ranked Ankeny girls’ soccer team, which is off to an 8-0 start and has yet to allow a goal this season. “That’s so crazy to be a part of some of the best runners in Ankeny,” Macke said. “I never even thought about how I would compare to some other runners from the past. As for any other records I don’t know of them, but it would be super cool to break another record in one of our relays this year.”
Emily Roberts: As a sophomore in 2008, she placed seventh in the 400 at the state meet in 59.33. She also anchored Ankeny to a seventh-place finish in the 4×400 relay. In 2009, she placed 12th in the 800 at the Drake Relays, where she also anchored the Hawkettes’ seventh-place 4×400 relay. She went on to place fifth at the state meet in the 400, posting a time of 57.36. She also anchored the runner-up sprint medley relay that was clocked in 1:46.98, breaking the school record by more than 2 seconds. She led Ankeny to a ninth-place finish in Class 4A–its highest finish since 2003. As a senior, Roberts rallied from behind to win a state title in the 400 in 56.03, breaking a 30-year-old school record. At the time, it was the 14th-fastest clocking ever in Iowa. “She had to defeat Ellen Dougherty of Sioux City East to win the race the year after Ellen set the 4A state meet record, and she did,” recalled Kruzich, who was an Ankeny assistant at the time. “She paced herself better than Ellen and ran her down from behind.” She again anchored the sprint medley relay to a runner-up finish from the slow heat. In the final race of her high school career, she anchored the Hawkettes to a third-place finish in the 4×400 relay. She was joined on that relay by her sister, Jenny. Ankeny placed seventh overall, its highest finish since 1998. “Emily is the oldest of the Roberts sisters who I had the pleasure to coach,” Adamson said. “She was one of the most successful AHS track and field athletes. She was a quality athlete and individual who was an inspiration and role model for her fellow teammates. She was another individual that you want to build a team around.” Roberts ranks fourth on Ankeny’s all-time list in the 800 with a time of 2:21.28. She was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team.
Jenny Roberts: She ran on the fourth-place 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays as a freshman in 2010. She later ran on the third-place 4×400 and ninth-place 4×800 relays at the state meet. In 2011, she placed ninth in the 400 at the state meet. She also ran on the ninth-place 4×400 relay. As a junior, she anchored three relays that placed in the top eight at the Drake Relays. In 2013, she placed seventh in the 400 at the state meet in 58.46 seconds, which ranks fourth on the school’s all-time list. “Jenny was up for trying about anything,” Adamson said. “She ran the 100 hurdles, the 400 hurdles, 200s and 400s as well as being in the top five of all-time long jumpers. She was a very hard worker and team leader, and she was a major point scorer in our meets during the season and the state meets. Jenny had a true love of track and field and continued her successful track career at Northern Iowa.” According to Kruzich, Roberts was all energy and positivity. “Nobody looked forward to practice like she did,” he said. “If I would have told her to run through a brick wall, she would have tried to, and she would have been mad if she hadn’t busted through. I don’t know if I’ve ever had an easier athlete to coach. She was a great anchor, just like Emlly, in that she just loved to hunt down those girls ahead of her. I coach every 400 runner to get out fast, and so many of them are hesitant to do so. Not Jenny. She was shot out of a cannon.”
Katie Roberts: As a freshman in 2010, she anchored the 13th-place distance medley relay at the state meet. In 2012, she joined her twin sister Jenny on the fourth-place 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays that posted a time of 3:58.88, the third-fastest time in school history. She also anchored the sixth-place 4×800 relay that set a school record. She anchored the ninth-place distance medley relay at the state meet that posted a time of 4:12.70, which ranks second in school history. She also anchored the seventh-place 4×800 relay. Her time of 2:20.01 in the 800, which she set as a junior, ranks third on the school’s all-time list. As a senior, she anchored the runner-up 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays. She anchored the Hawkettes to a fourth-place finish in that event at the state meet. “When it was time for a big race, Katie ran a big race,” Doocy said. “She was always a team runner when representing the Hawkettes. She had a love of running and a love for her teammates which showed by preferring to run relays over the individual races. She ran numerous sub-59s in the 400 and sub-2:20s in the 800 for her relays.” Roberts continued her running career at Grand View University, where she also played volleyball for the Vikings.
Amy Schreiner: She was another key member of the 1981 state championship squad. She ran the opening leg on both the winning 4×200 and 4×400 relays. The 4×400 unit–which also included Robin Shaw, Luke and Hayes–also won a Drake Relays title and never lost a race all season. They posted a time of 3:54.61 that has stood as the school record for 41 years. “These four athletes were my first introduction to the quality, character and poise of Ankeny athletes,” Adamson said. “This was a time of no school weight rooms or strength programs for female track athletes. Born of natural talent and the desire to work hard and be leaders of their teammates, they set the standards for the word ‘tradition’ that we began wearing on our AHS track uniforms.” Schreiner had 22 firsts and four seconds during the course of the regular season and was a part of three school records. She anchored the fifth-place sprint medley relay that posted a time of 1:49.49, setting a school record at the time. That mark was eventually broken in 2009 by an Ankeny team that included her daughter Rachel Purdy, who went on to become a standout at Central College. Schreiner won three relay crowns in her career. She also ran the opening leg on the winning 4×400 relay as a junior in 1980. “I don’t think we were ever behind anyone after her leg in the 4×400,” Crabtree said. Schreiner set a school record of 12.85 in the 100 as a freshman in 1978. She was honored in 2000 at the state meet along with the rest of the 1981 championship team. “I learned about determination and what it takes to win,” Schreiner said at the time. “It did a lot to build my self-esteem and confidence. I also remember the friendships. We were really good friends.”
Robin Shaw: As a junior in 1981, she played a key role on Ankeny’s state championship team. She placed fourth in the 400 at the state meet in 58.95 seconds. She also ran on the winning 4×400 relay team that defended its title, replacing an injured Christy Carle on a unit that returned all four members from the previous year. “Most of my track memories have to do with the friendships that evolved during the season,” Shaw said. “Long bus rides, hanging out under the bleachers with the team camp and lots of singing to old 80s music. My best racing memories are my junior year when our 4×400 went undefeated, and the team also took the state title…disappointing Indianola! It was so fun! We got a pep rally just for us and got to ride in a parade on the firetruck!” Shaw fondly recalls joining the team as a freshman, when she got a chance to run with her older sister Kim. “That was cool because I wanted to try to beat her,” Shaw said. “I had no idea how competitive I was, until it came to racing Kim! She developed an injury (separated shoulder) and became my biggest cheerleader. This is when I realized my sister was a decent human being…until this time, all I wanted to do was to prove I was better than her at something. A few years later, I realized this was ‘middle child syndrome’ and I got a handle on it.” As a senior, Shaw overcame the disappointment of dropping the baton in the 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays. “I will never forget that feeling of disappointment and that I somehow had let down my teammates,” she said. “Still gives me a pit in my stomach after 40 years!” Shaw has better memories of her final state meet in 1982. “The finals were the same day as our graduation and since I ran the last event (4×400), I had to rush back to Ankeny, changing in the car, while Mr. Kissinger held my spot in the graduation line. My poor walking partner (Matt Wicks) was probably a little nervous that he was going to go it alone! Kissinger smiled when he saw me and said, ‘Good thing you are fast, Shaw!'” Shaw is now the head girls’ cross country and track coach at Highland High School in Arizona. “While track definitely did not define me, it certainly helped shape me into who I am,” she said. “It gave me friends from all different groups, whom I still cherish and keep in touch with after 40-plus years. It taught me healthy habits, exposed me to competition, forced me to learn time management and gave me balance in my life. I often share these stories and life lessons with my current athletes and hope that they will look back in 40 years and smile at their memories as I do!”
Kathryn Vortherms: One of the most versatile runners in Centennial’s history, Vortherms excelled at every distance from 200 to 800 meters. As a senior in 2021, she placed third in the 800 at the state meet in a time of 2:14.27, which set a school record. “Honestly, it was probably a faster race than I thought it would be,” Vortherms said afterwards. “But it worked out.” Vortherms also ran on the Jaguars’ third-place 4×800 relay that set a school record in 9:27.18. She ran the third leg in 2:17.58, the fastest leg among the 96 competitors in the event. She put her team into the lead before Southeast Polk rallied for the win. “I didn’t think we were going to drop that much time,” Vortherms said. “I wasn’t going to pass the two runners ahead of me right away, and (assistant coach Eric) Cog(dill) told me not to go after them right away. But I knew I was going to get them by the second lap.” She also anchored the sixth-place 4×400 relay as Centennial placed 14th in Class 4A with 24 points, the highest total in school history. Vortherms took second in the 800 at the Drake Relays one month earlier. She also anchored the fourth-place 4×800 relay. Earlier last spring, she set the school record of 59.01 in the 400 while placing second in the Sherwood Relays at Iowa City High. “We didn’t have very good COVID protocols in place for school lunches in 2021, so Kathryn used to eat her lunch in her car. Nothing was going to get in the way of her senior track season, especially after she lost 2020,” Kruzich said. “We knew we were very tired at state last year going into the 4×400 final, but we knew if we subbed Kat into the relay, she would catch everybody possible. Sure enough, she tracked down a girl from 20 yards down with less than 100 left to get us sixth by a nose. It’s those types of determined finishes I’ll remember her for. We could just give her the baton and she’d go get whoever she needed to.” Vortherms was a seven-time state placewinner in her high school career, despite missing her junior season. She ran on the sixth-place distance medley and the seventh-place 4×800 relays as a freshman in 2018. As a sophomore, she again ran on the sixth-place distance medley relay and anchored the fifth-place sprint medley relay that set a school record of 1:49.46, running the final 400 meters in 58.10. She was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team. She is now a freshman on the Iowa women’s track and field team, but has yet to compete due to an injury. “Kathryn is the very best kind of student-athlete,” Kruzich said. “Freaky smart (32 on the ACT), incredibly sweet, and a warrior on the track. She is one of our very best developmental stories. In eighth grade, she split a 62.8 in the 400 and a 2:47 in the 800. For her to end up running 57 and 2:14 is a credit to her work ethic. She was also incredibly versatile. She ran on our state cross country teams all four years, I believe, but was also fast enough to run on our 4x200s at state a couple of times.”
400 hurdles
Emily Roberts: As a freshman in 2007, she placed ninth in the event at the state meet, posting a time of 1:07.36. She qualified for the Drake Relays as a sophomore, placing sixth in 1:06.25. She went on to place third at the state meet in 1:03.85. In 2009, she captured the first of her three individual state titles by winning the 400 hurdles in 1:00.89, which broke the school record by nearly 2 seconds and was the third-fastest clocking ever in Iowa. “Emily wandered over to the 400 group (my training group) before her junior season,” said Kruzich. “She got edged out of making the Drake 400 hurdles that season. They only took eight, and it was a year where it seemed like every small school stud moved into the 400 lows. When she ran that 60.89 at state, she was ranked third going in. But she shot out like a rocket. I remember (assistant) coach Doocy saying, ‘She’s gonna win it!’, when they were just past the 200 mark. That race featured the No. 3, No. 5 and No. 7 all-time 400 hurdle races in Iowa history. Susan Rodriguez from Pleasant Valley ran 61.12 and Ellen Dougherty from Sioux City East ran 61.25. That championship was earned.” She also anchored the 10th-place shuttle hurdle relay. As a senior, Roberts defended her 400 hurdles title in a time of 1:02.07, edging Dougherty by .08 seconds in a slight rain. “She got mono early in her senior year and didn’t make the Drake 400 lows again, and missed some training time, too. She was naturally pretty upset about it,” Kruzich said. “But she turned in another stellar performance at state, where she won the 400 the day before the 400 hurdles. I’ll never forget that she was angry she didn’t run a better time in the 400 lows as she was slower than her junior year. Talk about a competitor. She was always sweet and fun, and more introverted than her sisters. But when she was dialed in before races, she looked like she could strangle a kitten.” Roberts was also a three-time CIML Central Conference champion in both the 400 and 400 hurdles. She broke her own meet record in the 400 hurdles as a senior. She went on to compete for Northern Iowa. Now Emily O’Leary, she is in her fifth year coaching the hurdles for the Centennial girls’ team.
Jenny Roberts: As a sophomore in 2011, she placed third in the event at the state meet. She also took 13th in the long jump. As a junior, she placed third in the 400 hurdles at the Drake Relays. She went on to place second at the state meet and also anchored the fourth-place shuttle hurdle relay. In 2013, she again placed third in the 400 hurdles at the Drake Relays. Her time of 1:02.95 ranks third in school history. She later capped off her career by anchoring the runner-up shuttle hurdle relay at the state meet. That unit ran the second-fastest time ever in Iowa. “We just wanted to PR…that’s basically it,” Roberts said. “We had tunnel vision.” The previous day, Roberts was disqualified for a false start in the 400 hurdles–ending her bid for a state title. “That DQ is my No. 1 painful coaching moment in 26 years,” Kruzich said. “I had that deep-down feeling in my bones that she was going to be electric that day. She flinched a little bit, and they called her on it. At least in basketball you get five fouls before they sit you down. It was awful watching her sprint across the infield and out of the stadium in tears. I’ll always feel like I should have reminded her that the gun at state is slower and more deliberate sometimes. But mostly, I just remember laughing a lot when she was around.”
1,500-3,000
Jessica Brandhorst: As a freshman in 2000, she ran on Ankeny’s 10th-place 4×800 relay at the state meet–posting a time of 9:39.59 that set a school record at the time. In 2002, she ran on the Hawkettes’ 18th-place 4×800 relay. As a senior, Brandhorst ran on the ninth-place 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays. She later helped Ankeny to a sixth-place finish in the event in Class 3A. The Hawkettes came out of the slow section to score some points, helping the team to a ninth-place tie overall–their first top-10 finish since 2000. Brandhorst also placed 10th in the 1,500 with a time of 4:54.22, setting a school record that stood for 18 years. She was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team. “Jessica was very much a perfectionist,” said Doocy. “She was constantly working and looking for different ways to become a better runner, including how she trained and how she raced. She was one of the fortunate runners that continued to improve throughout her career. She could run any race from an 800 to 3,000 and excel at each. She also ran on many very good 4×800 relays.”
Gina Gelatti: As a sophomore in 1995, she placed eighth in the 3,000 at the Drake Relays. She went on to place fifth in the 3,000 at the state meet and later set a school record while taking seventh in the 1,500. Her time of 4:56.55 still ranks fifth on the school’s all-time list. In 1996, she again placed eighth in the 3,000 at the Drake Relays. She went on to place third in the event at the state meet, posting a time of 10:59.46. Unfortunately, Gelatti missed most of her senior season due to shin splints that she suffered after overtraining. “Gina was a true distance runner,” Doocy said. “She embraced all the work and dedication it took to thrive as a 1,500 and 3,000 runner, but injuries did shorten her running career. She was the type of runner that was not afraid to try new and more intense ways of training.” Gelatti, who was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team, went on to compete for Northern Iowa.
Rachel Johnson: She transferred to Ankeny from Ballard (Huxley) during her junior year, but was unable to compete due to shin splints. “It was really frustrating,” Johnson said at the time. “I almost wanted to quit running altogether.” As a senior in 1997, Johnson placed fifth in the 3,000 at the state meet with a time of 10:37.97, which still ranks third on the school’s all-time list. She took ninth in the 1,500. Her personal best of 4:56.67 in the 1,500 ranks fifth in school history. “Rachel joined the Hawkettes after a very successful running career at Ballard,” said Doocy. “Rachel was both a very successful runner and a leader in her short time at Ankeny. She was the type of runner that you could build a team around.” Johnson went on to compete at Northern Iowa. “I wanted to use my running to help get me into college,” she said at the time. “I enjoy it so much, and I wanted to keep running in college.”
Mackenzie Madison: She was a four-time state qualifier and a three-time Drake Relays qualifier in the 3,000 from 2001-04. After placing 22nd at the state meet as a freshman, she took 19th in the event as a sophomore in 2002. She also placed ninth in the 1,500 in a time of 4:59.62. As a junior, she placed 16th at the Drake Relays and also anchored the ninth-place 4×800 relay. She later placed 11th in the 3,000 and 18th in the 1,500 at the state meet. Her time of 10:36.84 in the 3,000 ranks third on the school’s all-time list. Earlier that season, she posted a time of 4:55.67 in the 1,500, which ranks fourth in school history. In 2004, she capped off her career with an 11th-place finish at the state meet, posting a time of 11:20.10. “There is no doubt that Mackenzie, during her time at Ankeny, trained longer and harder than any other runner,” Doocy said. “This ability has allowed her to become a very successful runner and coach of the triathlon. Mackenzie was a great runner and example for her fellow 1,500 and 3,000 distance group. There was never any question that she put in the time and effort to succeed at any level.” Madison was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team.
Lauren McMahon: As a senior, she emerged from out of nowhere to become one of the state’s top cross country runners in the fall of 2020, then joined the Ankeny track team in the spring of 2021. She placed second in the 3,000 and fourth in the 1,500 at the Drake Relays, establishing herself as one of the favorites to win a state title in the distance events. A month later, McMahon rallied on the final lap to win the 3,000 at the Class 4A state meet in a time of 9:57.17, which broke her own school record. She surged past Iowa City Liberty star Ashlyn Keeney in the final strides to become the Hawkettes’ first-ever state champion in the event, running the final 400 meters in 72 seconds. “I knew she was going to come out with a really good 400 kick,” McMahon said of Keeney. “I was just thinking in my head, ‘Lauren, what do you have left? Like, how bad do you really want it?'” McMahon also placed fifth in the 1,500 in 4:45.86, which smashed the school record. She helped the Hawkettes to tie for fourth place overall, their highest finish since 1997. She was earlier named the co-captain of Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team. She is now a member of the Iowa women’s cross country and track and field teams.
Rondi Quass. Currently a junior at Centennial, she is already one of the best distance runners in the city’s history–ranking third in both the 1,500 and 3,000. As a sophomore, she placed fifth in the 1,500 at the Drake Relays with a time of 4:46.15. She also ran on the fourth-place 4×800 relay. At the state meet, she took ninth in the 3,000, overcoming the rainy conditions to post a time of 10:18.56. “I didn’t do quite what I wanted to, but I felt good because I PR’d and sometimes that’s all you can do,” Quass said. “When I was in a big group of people, the water was splashing in my face and it was distracting. But that made it a really fun race.” Quass then returned to the track less than two hours later for the 4×800 relay. She anchored the Jaguars to a third-place finish in 9:27.18, which broke the school record by nearly 4 seconds. She is off to a great start this season, having qualified for the Drake Relays in the 4×800 relay as well as both distance events. Quass was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team.
Kate Smith: She was another standout who competed for both Ankeny schools. As a freshman at Ankeny in 2012, she ran on the sixth-place 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays that set a school record of 9:26.34. She later ran on the seventh-place 4×800 relay at the state meet. In 2013, she ran on the runner-up 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays before earning a fourth-place medal in that event in Class 4A. After moving across town to Centennial, she placed eighth at the state meet in both the 1,500 and 3,000 as a junior. Her time of 10:13.38 in the 3,000 was designated “National Elite” by Dyestat.com. “When she came to Centennial, she really took off,” Kruzich said. “She had run 4:55 in the 1,500 as a Hawkette, but would never run slower than 4:54 in her 14 races as a Jag. In her first indoor meet as a Jaguar, she set the city record in both the 1,500 and 800 at the 2014 Wartburg Indoor. Kate was tracking to be elite. At that Wartburg meet, she was only a few yards off of Karissa Schweizer, who has since become an Olympian.” In 2015, she placed second in the 3,000 at the Drake Relays, setting the school record of 10:04.67. She lost only to the all-time state record holder. Smith went on to place fourth in the 3,000 and sixth in the 1,500 at the state meet. She took ninth in the 800 in 2:18.94, which ranks third on the school’s all-time list. She also anchored the third-place distance medley relay to a time of 4:07.69, which ranked 15th nationally at the time. Smith, who also holds the school record in the 1,500 (4:43.22), was earlier named the co-captain of Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team. She went on to compete for Missouri. “By Kate’s senior year, she had a variety of health issues that really prevented her from training like she wanted to,” Kruzich said. “Coach Cogdill and Kate did a lot of cross training for most of the season. That Drake Relays 3,000 was a very special race given what she had to overcome to run it. That was Centennial’s first Drake Relays medal. She ran well at state that year, but not what she could have done had she stayed healthy. She really loved the sport and was totally dedicated to being her best. But I don’t think we quite got to see what that was, and neither did Mizzou.”
Tammy Stordahl: She was one of the best distance runners in Ankeny’s history, holding school records in both the 1,500 and 3,000 at one time. As a sophomore in 1982, she set school marks in both events with times of 4:59.10 and 10:54.94. She was an AAU Nationals Qualifier along with her Ankeny teammate, Mary Bellizzi. As a junior, she lowered her school record in the 3,000 to a time of 10:34.77. That mark stood for nearly 40 years. She was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time girls’ cross country team.
High jump
Kelsey Arneson: She was a four-time state qualifier in the event from 2010-13, placing in the top 10 all four years. As a freshman, she tied for ninth with a jump of 5 feet. In 2011, she jumped 5-3 to earn a tie for seventh place. As a junior, she recorded a personal best of 5-5 to win the event at the Waukee Invitational, tying for the second-best jump in school history. She went on to place second at the state meet with a jump of 5-4. “It was amazing,” Arneson said at the time. “I’m so happy about it. It doesn’t even feel real yet. It’s awesome.” In 2013, she again jumped 5-4 to earn another silver medal at the state meet. Arneson also excelled on the track, running on the fourth- and second-place shuttle hurdle relays in her last two seasons. She was a two-time Drake Relays qualifier in the high jump, earning a pair of 14th-place finishes against the state’s best jumpers. “Sometimes Kelsey made things look easy,” Adamson said. “However, her had work and attention to learning the skills of track and field helped her develop into a quality high jumper and hurdler. An example of her dedication to her teammates was at the Drake Relays. Her shuttle hurdle relay team was scheduled to run the prelims on the same day as her swing choir was performing in Chicago. With makeup and big hair she completed her leg of the relay, jumped into a waiting car, and her family drove her to Chicago for that night’s performance. We always tell the girls that there are some things greater than yourself.” Arneson’s father, Steve, was a longtime cross country and track coach at Ankeny. One of his pupils was Kruzich, who eventually coached Kelsey in the high jump. “To end up being the high jump coach for the Hawkettes, and coaching the daughter of my high jump coach in that event was something pretty special,” Kruzich said. “Steve and his daughters all had very close, special bonds around track and field, and it was pretty cool to be adjacent to that.” Kruzich said Arneson’s jumping career got off to a rocky start. “Her freshman year at our conference meet, she had a complete meltdown,” he said. “She wasn’t jumping well and spiraled down from there, ending up in tears and frustration. I don’t remember how we processed that meet afterwards, but she never had that reaction again. The next week, she came back and nailed the state qualifying meet, went to state and got ninth. She was nails from then on, always coming through when she needed a big jump. She had a third attempt at 5-5 to win the state meet in 2013, and just barely missed. So close. She was also almost always the shortest high jumper in the competitions. I joked her freshman year at state as she was standing in the huddle of all the high jumpers next to Maddie Manning that it looked like it was ‘Take Your Daughter To Work Day’. She could almost jump her own height.”
Cindy Luke: She was a key member of the 1981 state championship team on the track, but also provided some big points with a third-place finish in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5 feet 4 inches. “I expected us to end up with about 53 points,” said Crabtree, whose team finished with 62. “But we got some unexpected points from Connie Yori (in the discus) and Cindy Luke (in the high jump).” She jumped 5-2 as a freshman before an injury forced her to abandon jumping until she returned to the event as a junior. “I was jumping in a meet my freshman year on a hard mat,” Luke said. “I ended up hurting my back and the doctor told me not to jump for a while.” She recorded a personal best of 5-5 in 1980, which is tied for second on the school’s all-time list. “I learned to high jump mostly at home, attaching a rope to a couple of trees with a clothes pin. The reason I used the clothes pin was because I didn’t want to strangle myself when I missed. If I hit the rope, the clothes pin would fall off and the rope wouldn’t kill me.”
Maddie Manning: As a freshman in 2009, she placed sixth in the event at the state meet with a jump of 5 feet 2 inches. Then, as a sophomore, she jumped 5-5.5 to set a school record at the regional meet. She went on to place third in Class 4A with a leap of 5-4. Manning did not go out for track in her final two seasons due to injuries and a desire to focus on her other sports–basketball and volleyball. She went on to play basketball at Oklahoma, and she was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time Ankeny girls’ basketball team.
Long jump
Laura Aschoff: As a sophomore in 1996, she won a Drake Relays title in the event with a jump of 18 feet 1.25 inches on her final attempt. She later won a state title in the event with a jump of 18 feet, then defended her crown in 1997 by leaping 18 feet 3/4 inch. As a senior, she again captured a Drake Relays crown in dramatic fashion, jumping a career-best 18-7.5 on her final attempt. That mark still ranks second on the school’s all-time list. “Some of my favorite memories include competing at the Drake Relays,” Aschoff said. “The atmosphere is second to none, and I was able to perform among world class athletes.” Aschoff finished her high school career as a six-time state champion and a 10-time state placewinner. She twice won four events at the CIML National Conference meet. She also won two individual and two relay state indoor titles during her career. “She was a natural talent, strong, and a hard worker,” Adamson said. “A strong competitor, she was always up for a challenge to do her best.” She was recognized by the Ankeny Press Citizen in 2006 as the No. 42 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history. In 2004, Aschoff was inducted into the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Track and Field Hall of Fame. Let’s make her the co-captain of our all-time team. “What an amazing honor,” Aschoff said. “I remember the feeling of every state and Drake title as one of intense excitement as my family and teammates were there to celebrate with me. I had so much support from the coaching staff, and I loved being a part of the Ankeny track program.”
Karlin Hayes: One of Ankeny’s all-time greatest athletes, Hayes was a basketball and softball standout whose athleticism shined on the track as well. As a freshman, she just missed becoming the Hawkettes’ first state champion in 1978, when she placed second in the 200 low hurdles in 28.53–losing by three-hundredths of a second. Hayes still remembers a newspaper article about her that was published that year. “It was titled, ‘Sand, Sun and Fun Send Ankeny’s Freshman Hurdling to State,'” she said. She will never forget the legendary voice of Jim Duncan describing her efforts on the track at Drake Stadium. “The way his delightful voice rang out every time I ran a race: ‘And here comes the freshman from Ankeny!’ I can still hear his voice to this day,” she said. As a sophomore, she set a state record in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet 3.5 inches, which remains one of the longest jumps in Iowa history. She won a state title with a jump of 17-11.5. In 1980, she anchored the winning 4×400 relay to help Ankeny to a runner-up finish. “It was always fun ending each meet anchoring our great 4×400 team with my classmates and best friends–Christy, Amy and Cindy,” Hayes said. She then anchored both of the winning 4×200 and 4×400 relays as a senior as the Hawkettes claimed the Class 3A crown, ending Indianola’s three-year hold on the title. She took second in the long jump with a leap of 17-11.25 and was also the runner-up in the 400 hurdles in 1:02.68, which set a school record. Her 17 points raised her four-year state meet total to 52.25 points, sixth on the all-time list at the time. She was a four-time state champion and had nine other placings. During the course of that 1981 regular season, she had 34 firsts and three seconds and was part of four new school records. “After meets there was always relief, and it was fun going out for pizza with the whole team,” Hayes said. “Another highlight for me was getting to run in a 4×100 relay with my sister, DeeDee.” Hayes went on to play both basketball and softball at Drake, and she was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time teams in both of those sports. She was also recognized by the Ankeny Press Citizen in 2006 as the No. 5 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history. In 1993, she was inducted into the IGHSAU Track and Field Hall of Fame. Let’s make her the co-captain of our all-time team along with Aschoff.
Shelby Romig: After placing sixth in the long jump at the Class 4A state meet in 2019 as a sophomore, Romig missed her junior season due to COVID-19. She then capped off her high school career in 2021 by winning a state title in the event, helping Ankeny to a fourth-place tie overall–its highest finish in 24 years. Romig took the lead with a jump of 17-4 on her first attempt in the preliminaries. She improved her mark by a quarter inch on her next attempt. Since nobody was able to surpass her, Romig had already clinched the victory when she lined up to make her last attempt in the finals. She then uncorked a personal-best leap of 18 feet 3/4 inch, which ranks third on the school’s all-time list. “I’m kind of at a loss for words right now,” Romig said afterwards. “But I knew that if I just trusted my training and stayed consistent with what I was doing all year, I’d be in a good spot.” Cotter wasn’t surprised by Romig’s victory. “In November (of 2020), I had written down a 10 for Shelby at state,” Cotter said, referring to the amount of points that Romig would earn for the win. “She put in so much work throughout the offseason and wanted the title so bad. To see her hit 18 (feet), a huge goal for her, on her last jump as a Hawkette is really special. I won’t forget that anytime soon.” Adamson also saw Romig’s potential when he coached her as a freshman. “She was one of my picks to be a great AHS competitor,” he said. “Always humble, but when on the track, she was a fierce competitor. Being able to watch her championship long jump at the 2021 state meet was a proud moment for me.” Romig was also a talented hurdler who anchored the Hawkettes to a pair of top-eight finishes in the shuttle hurdle relay. She is now competing for St. Cloud State.
Kenna Sauer: She emerged as a potential star at Centennial as a freshman in 2016, when she placed fifth in the event at the Drake Relays with a jump of 17 feet 2.5 inches. She went on to place second in the state meet with a leap of 18-4.75, setting a school record. She also ran on the fifth-place 4×100 relay that set another school mark in 48.81 seconds. As a sophomore, Sauer jumped 18-1 to place third in the event at the Drake Relays. She later took third at state as well with a jump of 17-10.75. She anchored the ninth-place 4×100 relay and also ran on the 12th-place 4×200 relay. “Kenna was such a natural athlete,” Kruzich said. “I haven’t yet worked with anyone with her combination of speed and power. She jumped around 16-6 in eighth grade, but then came out and blasted 18 feet-plus as a freshman to be the state runner-up. She made her money in the long jump, but she also regularly ran on our sprint relays. She still holds the school record in the 4×100 and held the 4×200 record for a while, too. She is a special athlete. We only had her for two years, but she was lightning in a bottle when we had her.” An injury during basketball season forced Sauer to miss her junior campaign on the track, then she elected to focus on volleyball as a senior as she prepared to play that sport in college. After taking her talents to Missouri, Sauer eventually transferred to Texas Tech and led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament last season. She was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time Ankeny volleyball team. “I’ll also remember her as really fun-loving,” Kruzich said of Sauer. “Wherever she was, she was up to something goofy. After the high intensity of volleyball and basketball back-to-back, I think she really relished the down time that track meets gave her to relax and hang out with her friends.”
Shot put
Melissa Ferguson: She set the school record of 42 feet 4 inches as a senior in 1982, when she placed fourth at the state meet with a toss of 39-1. “Melissa was a fun athlete to work with,” Adamson said. “I remember how much she enjoyed practice and was always willing to try new strategies and techniques to get better. She has held the the AHS school record in the shot put for 40 years. She continued her excellent track and field career at Central College.”
Kendra Winfrey: Currently a junior at Ankeny, she won the event at the Waukee Invitational on April 5 with a personal-best throw of 41 feet, matching the second-best effort in school history. The lefthander is unbeaten in outdoor meets this season. Winfrey came on strong at the end of her sophomore season, when she placed second at the regional meet before placing sixth at the state meet with a toss of 37-9. Now, she’s setting her sights on the school record. “That would be absolutely insane (if I could break it) and is the overarching goal right now!” said Winfrey, who is also a hard-throwing pitcher on the Ankeny softball team.
Mary Yori: She was a three-time state placewinner in the softball throw–an event that no longer exists–from 1976-78. She placed second in both 1976-77, then took third as a senior with a toss of 226 feet 5 inches. She also excelled in the shot put, placing sixth in that event as a junior, which marked the first year that Ankeny competed on the new all-weather track at what is now Northview Middle School. She was the only senior on the Hawkettes’ squad in 1978, when she recorded a personal best of 41 feet in the shot put, which is tied for second on the school’s all-time list. Yori was earlier named to Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time Ankeny girls’ basketball and softball teams. She was also recognized by the Ankeny Press Citizen in 2006 as the No. 6 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history.
Discus
Hannah Baier: Currently a junior at Ankeny, she already ranks third in school history with a throw of 129 feet 10 inches at the Jim Duncan Invitational on April 16. She won the CIML Iowa Conference title as a sophomore, then placed first at the regional meet as well before finishing eighth in Class 4A with a toss of 114-1. Baier owns the longest throw in Class 4A this season, but has set her sights on bigger goals. She’s now less than 2 feet away from the school record. “Hannah continues to climb,” said Cotter. “I spoke with her toward the end of the (Jim Duncan) meet about the number she is chasing by season’s end. It is a big number, but I have no doubt she can get it.” Baier will compete in this week’s Drake Relays. “I’m hoping to be able to PR at Drake with a throw above 132, which would break the record.”
Leah Heston: She was a two-time state placewinner who ranks second on the school’s all-time list with a throw of 131 feet 5 inches. As a junior in 1997, she placed third in Class 3A with a toss of 124-6. She was also the National Conference champion in the event. In 1998, she set a meet record of 130-8 while winning the event at the Hawkette Invitational. She went on to place seventh at the state meet with a throw of 116-4.
Connie Yori: She was a three-time state champion from 1979-81 in the softball throw. She uncorked a throw of 255 feet 10 inches to win her third title, a toss that was just 14 inches shy of the state meet record. “I remember one time she threw the ball in Drake Stadium and it landed on the track and bounced up into the stands,” Crabtree said. She won her first crown as a freshman with a throw of 243-6, then repeated the following year with a toss of 254-3. She set the school record with a throw of 260-3. As a sophomore, Yori was talked into throwing the discus as well, and she set a school record of 131-7 that still stands today. Her third-place finish at the state meet in 1981 provided four points and helped Ankeny to the overall crown. “The discus was a tremendous surprise,” Crabtree said at the time. “It was what got us started.” Yori was earlier named the captain of Ankeny Fanatic’s all-time Ankeny girls’ basketball and softball teams. She was also recognized by the Ankeny Press Citizen in 2006 as the greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Ankeny Fanatic team was selected by publisher Dan Holm, who consulted with former and current coaches before making his picks.)