The Ankeny girls’ swimming team won’t open its season until later this month, but the squad is already putting in a lot of hard work under first-year coach Dustin Rhoads.
There are 46 girls on the roster, including several returning state qualifiers.
“The practices are off to a great start!” Rhoads said. “We went right into two-a-day practices from the start as school hasn’t started yet, and I wanted them to get into a routine. We are practicing a little bit different than they have in the past, doing a lot of variety and different things to build up strength and endurance. The goal is to keep practices challenging, but also fun to keep them engaged, excited and motivated to come back every day looking to get better.”
Ankeny tied for seventh place with 108 points at last year’s state meet. It was the team’s ninth straight top-10 finish under former coaches Michelle Stout and Justin Crouch.
Seniors Anja Peck and Josie Parton are back from that squad along with juniors Gracie Lindaman and Leah Schafer. Junior Sophie Loeffler, a state placewinner as a freshman who did not compete a year ago, has also rejoined the team.
“I think our biggest strength right now is our depth in all of the freestyle events, and our experience on the roster,” Rhoads said. “Most of our girls are seniors and juniors, and we have a few very talented underclassmen.”
Peck placed sixth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:07.56. She also took seventh in the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.63.
Lindaman finished 15th in the 50 freestyle in 25.26 seconds. She was 17th in the 100 freestyle in 55.25.
Parton placed 24th in the 100 freestyle in 55.75. She finished 25th in the 200 freestyle in 2:00.60.
Schafer added a 29th-place finish in the 100 butterfly. She was clocked in 1:01.85.
Peck and Lindaman both swam on Ankeny’s sixth-place 200 medley relay. Parton joined Lindaman on the sixth-place 200 freestyle relay.
Sophomores Charlotte Huebsch and Madison Trosper are among the team’s other returnees. They competed at the state meet in the 400 freestyle relay along with Parton and Peck, but the team was disqualified in that event.
Loeffler, meanwhile, helped Ankeny to a fifth-place finish at the 2021 state meet. She placed sixth in the 200 freestyle in 1:55.68, took 11th in the 500 freestyle in 5:13.43 and also swam on the eighth-place 400 freestyle and ninth-place 200 freestyle relays.
Seniors Gracie Block and Lauren Reimer, juniors Presley Drew, Paige Spoelstra and Kyra Zinn, and freshman Alexis Hergenreter are also expected to play big roles, Rhoads said. Drew is the team’s top returning diver, while Hergenreter won the Youth Development Women’s Draft-Legal Division at the 2023 USA Triathlon National Championships earlier this month in Milwaukee, Wis.
“We have over 10 divers right now, and they are working hard every day to improve and learn all of their dives,” Rhoads said.
Ankeny will open its season on Aug. 29 with a non-conference triangular meet at Mason City, where Des Moines Roosevelt will also compete. The team is still trying to develop some more depth in the stroke events.
“We just need to continue to work and practice all of the strokes to see what we have, and continue to improve in those areas/events,” Rhoads said.
Another top-10 finish at the state meet is one of the team’s goals.
“That will always be the expectation for this program,” Rhoads said. “We have some big team goals: a top-five team finish, a regional championship, a top-three finish in the CIML, and we want to qualify someone to state in every event.”
Ankeny will host two-time defending state champion Waukee in its home opener on Sept. 5. Rhoads is hoping that his team’s challenging schedule will prepare the girls for the postseason.
“We just have to put in the work and continue to have fun and swim and dive for each other,” he said. “Having the confidence and motivation throughout the season will be key. This team has a lot of talent and potential, and I am excited to continue to work with them and help them get better every day.
“I think we are going to surprise people,” he added.