It was another banner night for the jumpers on the Ankeny Centennial girls’ track team.
Jaeden Pratt set a school record in the long jump while teammate Kambria Leazer scored points in both jumping events as the Jaguars earned a runner-up finish in the Waukee Northwest Relays on Thursday.
Northwest, the defending Class 4A state champion, easily won its own meet with 182.5 points. Centennial finished with 89 points in the eight-team field.
“We kept many of our varsity athletes back to get a workout in, and it was great to get a lot of the JV athletes out to compete,” said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. “Those kids work hard every day, and it was awesome to see them race.”
Pratt won the long jump with a leap of 18 feet 8 inches. She broke the school record of 18-6 that was set by Leazer a year ago.
“I honestly didn’t know for sure (it was a good jump),” said Pratt. “I had scratched every jump before and was just thinking to myself, ‘Get one in.’ Asbe was keeping me calm and just kept encouraging me that whole time. He’s been telling me that I could be a contender and possibly place (at the state meet). I’m just looking forward to the Drake Relays and state and just hoping to stay consistent.”
Pratt, who did not go out for track as a freshman to focus on basketball and volleyball, has been a huge addition to the Jaguars’ lineup.
“Jaeden has been working really hard and has been improving consistently,” Asbe said. “I’m really happy for her on breaking the school record and am excited to see her move toward the championship season.”
Leazer placed second behind Pratt with a jump of 17-10.5. She also tied for second in the high jump at 5 feet.
“Kam also met the Drake Relays Blue Standard for the long jump,” Asbe said. “It was a breakthrough meet for her as both jumping events went really well. Qualifying for Drake was a big goal for her coming into this season, and I’m very happy for her on reaching that goal.”
Sprinters Julia Flick and Mya Crawford also had a big night for Centennial. They went 1-2 in the 400 and 2-3 in the 200.
Flick won the 400 in a time of 1:00.14, while Crawford took second in 1:01.46. In the 200, Flick was the runner-up in 27.44 and Crawford finished third in 28.48.
The Jaguars’ other victory came in the distance medley relay. The foursome of Kylie Lincoln, McKenna Overton, Cassidy Griggs and Dana Cleveland posted a time of 4:42.41.
Centennial will compete in the Jim Duncan Invitational on Saturday at Drake Stadium.