The five seniors on the Ankeny girls’ swimming team were honored during Tuesday’s dual meet against visiting Johnston at Trail Point Aquatics Center.
Lydia Boehlert, Hannah Kolars, Sydney Madetzke, Rachel Rolow and Caroline Walker were praised by Ankeny coach Justin Crouch for their efforts this season.
“Senior Night always brings a lot of reflection and gratitude for time together with athletes, coaches and teammates,” said Crouch. “The five girls that have led throughout the season have done a phenomenal job of staying positive and continuing to exhibit the habits of being a quality swimmer and teammate. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls to lead this team. They have worked extremely hard and have put themselves in a position to have a great end of the season.”
Kolars won the diving event with 244.70 points, while Walker anchored the winning 200 freestyle relay. But it wasn’t enough as sixth-ranked Johnston defeated No. 5 Ankeny, 99-87, in the CIML Conference matchup.
The Hawkettes dropped to 0-4 in the league and 1-5 overall, despite being one of the state’s top teams in the latest power rankings.
“Obviously, the wins and losses haven’t shown all the work and doesn’t tell the story of this team,” Crouch said. “These girls are doing everything they possibly can to continue the excellence that has been set forth by previous teams. I am just really proud of the effort and the continued development of this team.”
Ankeny sophomore Gracie Lindaman had three first-place finishes on Tuesday. She won the 50 freestyle in 25.48 seconds, then later took the 100 freestyle in 56.21–edging Johnston’s Gianna Stasi by .01.
Lindaman then teamed up with Josie Parton, Anja Peck and Walker to win the 200 freestyle relay. The Hawkettes were clocked in 1:42.15.
Rolow placed second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:13.06. She later took second in the 100 backstroke in 1:00.18.
Walker was also the runner-up in two events. She posted times of 26.18 in the 50 freestyle and 1:01.19 in the 100 butterfly.
Parton placed second in the 200 freestyle in 2:02.86. She added a third-place finish in the 100 freestyle, turning in a time of 56.69.
Peck was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.99. She earlier finished third in the 200 IM in 2:14.21.
Leah Schafer was third in the butterfly in 1:04.13. Madison Trosper tied for third in the 50 freestyle in 26.37.
Ankeny opened the meet with a runner-up finish in the 200 medley relay. The foursome of Rolow, Peck, Walker and Trosper was clocked in 1:53.27.
The Hawkettes closed out the meet with a second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. Parton, Lindaman and Rolow teamed up with Charlotte Huebsch to post a time of 3:50.97.
“There are a lot of moving parts, and it has been really awesome to see the small improvements starting to take shape,” Crouch said. “I still believe that these small improvements will turn into gigantic gains at the end of the season.”
Ankeny will travel to Indianola on Thursday for a non-conference dual meet against the Indians.