The Ankeny boys’ track team topped a field that included defending Class 4A state champion Dowling Catholic to win the Fred Smith Hawk Relays on Tuesday at Northview Stadium.
The Hawks won four events and racked up 86 points, 14 more than runner-up Waukee Northwest. Dowling and Waukee tied for third place with 70 points apiece.
Ankeny earned its third title of the season despite not stacking its lineup.
“We wanted to put a couple things together but keep it pretty light on the boys,” said Ankeny coach Jordan Mullen. “With the end goal in sight, it’s getting time to start focusing mentally and make sure we’re healthy and fresh come championship season!”
Ankeny Centennial, meanwhile, placed sixth in the 12-team field. The Jaguars scored 54 points–one fewer than North Polk.
Ankeny dominated the sprinting events. Tyler Sickerson won the 100 in 11.21, finishing .31 seconds ahead of Waukee’s Santino Anzevino.
Jack Belding took the 200 in 22.32. Teammate Caden Henkes placed second in that event in 23.05.
Belding and Sickerson also teamed up with Devon Akers and Jazan Williams to win the 4×200 relay. The Hawks posted a time of 1:29.14, defeating North Polk by 1.69 seconds.
Ankeny also got a convincing victory from Carter Accola in the 110 hurdles. He was clocked in 15.00 seconds, while North Polk’s Colton Manock was second in 15.54.
The Hawks placed second in the shuttle hurdle relay. The foursome of Landon Pote, Sam Madsen, Hayden Carlson and Gavin Wise posted a time of 1:02.59.
“The shuttle hurdle was a really nice race with two freshmen and two sophomores,” Mullen said. “The team is competing really well right now, and we’re going to be ready when it all counts.”
Ankeny’s Abel Squires placed third in the 800 with a time of 2:00.33. Jamison Patton took third in the long jump with a leap of 19 feet 5.5 inches and finished just ahead of teammate Cade Pederson, who was fourth with a jump of 19-5.25.
“I also loved seeing the throwers continue to PR,” Mullen said. “We’re going to start gearing up for the May season and control what we can, which is how we perform each and every time the rest of the season! I want to continue to make sparks and most importantly we’ve got to keep having fun–that’s when we run our best!”
Centennial got a second-place finish from AJ Schermerhorn in the 3,200. He was clocked in 9:45.76.
The Jaguars also placed second in the 4×800 relay. The team of Bennett Blakeslee, Jonas Smith, Corbin Vander Weerdt and Aammin Hassan posted a time of 8:29.68.
“Coach Gettemy’s distance crew is continuing to get better each week,” said Centennial coach Nate Smith.
Centennial’s Elijah Porter placed third in the 100 in 11.54. Connor Welsch was third in the 200 in 23.14.
Drake Dittmar took third in the 400 hurdles in 57.33. Teammate Cael Woods was sixth in 57.56.
“We had a couple of big PRs from Drake and Cael,” Smith said.
The Jaguars also got a third-place finish from Sam Dietz in the shot put. He had a throw of 51-7.
Blaine Sandquist and Kael Patterson each had a PR in the discus.
“Coach Werkman has the throwers in a good spot,” Smith said.
Both Ankeny and Centennial will compete in the Waukee Relays on Thursday.
