Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ track team

When Tarry Cory was growing up in Ankeny, he played a variety of sports.

Like many boys, Cory enjoyed competing in the major sports of football, basketball and baseball.

But he also tried some other sports, including track and field, where something sparked his interest in the pole vault.

“During the seventh grade, we’d go over to where the football field was at Parkview Stadium, and we had a bamboo pole and we’d goof around with that pole vaulting,” Cory said.

The practice paid off.

As a junior at Ankeny High School in 1965, Cory won the outdoor state title in the event with a jump of 12 feet 6 inches. Then, as a senior, he cleared the bar at 13-2 to win the indoor crown and defended his outdoor championship with a jump of 13-0.

Cory, who set a state record in the pole vault, earned 15 varsity letters in his high school career. He was a four-year letterwinner in track, football and baseball and a three-year letterwinner in basketball.

“I liked all the sports,” Cory said. “But I really liked the pole vault.”

Cory went on to compete in the pole vault at Luther College. He held the conference pole vault record at one time.

Now 75 years old, Cory fondly remembers competing in the pole vault–an event that is no longer offered by the Iowa High School Athletic Association–more than five decades ago.

“I’ve still got the poles here in my garage,” Cory said.

In 1986, Cory was inducted into the National Flag Football Hall of Fame. Twenty years later, he was named the No. 49 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Cory was earlier selected to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team for the pre-Jerry Pezzetti era. Now, he’s a member of the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ track and field team as well.

Ankeny Fanatic started unveiling its various all-time Ankeny athletic teams in April of 2020. It turned into a massive project that took more than three years to complete.

Here, then, is the last of the all-time teams….the other members of the all-time boys’ track and field squad:

100-200

Andy Brodell: As a sophomore at Ankeny in 2002, he was overshadowed by teammate Josh Leonard and also missed about a month of action due to a hip injury, but he still showed that he was a potential star. He won the 200 at the CIML Central Conference meet in 22.53. He later placed 10th in the 100 and anchored the seventh-place 4×100 relay at the state meet. As a junior, he raced to a victory in the 100 at the Drake Relays in 10.65. He also anchored the third-place 4×400 relay. He swept the 100, 200 and 400 at the conference meet, where he set a meet record of 10.55 in the 100. He posted a time of 21.37 in the 200, breaking his own meet record and tying the school mark. He went on to win three events at the state meet, where Ankeny placed second in Class 4A, finishing one point behind Valley. He won the 100 in 10.73 and the 200 in 21.58. After placing ninth in the open 400, he anchored the Hawks to a victory in the final event of the meet, the 4×400 relay. However, Valley placed third in the event, allowing the Tigers to edge Ankeny for the team title. In 2004, Brodell placed second in the 100 at the Drake Relays in 10.74. He also anchored the winning 4×400 relay. He won the 100 in 10.34 at the district meet, where he set a school record while avenging his loss at Drake to Des Moines East’s Robert Thompson. At the conference meet, he won his third consecutive title in the 200 and defended his crown in the 100. He then went on to lead the Hawks to another runner-up finish in Class 4A, finishing five points behind Iowa City High. Brodell defended his title in the 200, posting a time of 21.62. He placed second in the 100 in 11.00. In the final race of his track career, he rallied Ankeny from fifth place on the anchor leg and dove across the finish line to edge Iowa City High’s Ryan Grenko by .06 seconds, allowing the Hawks to win the 4×400 relay for the third straight year. “Andy had just enough to get him,” coach Dave Jones said. “That was a great finish. It just showed what a competitor he is.” Brodell ended his brilliant career with three individual and two relay state titles, along with six individual conference crowns. He was also a football star who went on to play that sport at Iowa, where he used his speed to catch 94 passes for 1,369 yards in his career. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team. In 2006, before his college career had even ended, he was selected the No. 17 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Avery Gates: He won five state medals during his career at Ankeny Centennial, which ranks fourth in school history. As a junior in 2018, he helped the Jaguars to a state title in the 4×200 relay. He also ran on the runner-up 4×100 relay with his brother Jensen, which set a school record of 41.90 but lost to Cedar Rapids Jefferson by .005 seconds. Centennial had posted the fastest qualifying time of 42.04 in the preliminaries. “I think we really wanted to put up a time that kind of proved something. We’ve been working on our handoffs all year just trying to perfect that race,” Gates said at the time. As a senior, he was the lone returning runner in the 4×200 relay, but the Jaguars still managed to place sixth in a time of 1:29.06. “It’s different with three different guys on there, but we still have three guys I love to run with and that are really good runners,” Gates said. “I think we would have liked to place a little higher, but we came out here and ran our season-best (time) by a pretty good amount so we feel good about that.” He also ran on the fourth-place sprint medley and third-place 4×400 relays. The Jaguars posted a time of 3:19.59 in the 4×400 relay, which ranks second in school history. Gates was a part of four of the six fastest 4×400 units on Centennial’s all-time top-10 list. He also ran on two of the four fastest 4×200 relays, the second-fastest sprint medley relay and the third-fastest distance medley relay. In the open events, he ranks fifth in school history in the 100 (11.09) and the 200 (22.55). Gates was also a standout running back on the Centennial football team who went on to play that sport at Grand View.

Kevin Little: He was one of the top sprinters in Iowa track and field history, winning three state titles. After placing fourth in the 200 as a sophomore in 1984, he never lost another race at that distance in high school. He won his first state title as a junior in 22.30, edging Carl Jenkins of Cedar Rapids Washington at the wire. He also took sixth in the 100 in 11.31. In 1986, he anchored the winning 4×200 relay at the Drake Relays, a track that would become his future home. He then defended his state title in the 200 in 21.50 while also winning the 100 in 10.70. In the 200, he broke the meet record of 21.51 that was set by Newton’s Treye Jackson in 1981. Little posted an even faster time of 21.40 at the Hawk Relays, an all-time state best that stood for more than a decade. In the 100, he tied the school record that was set by Todd VanDevender in 1979. He was named an honorable mention all-American. Little was coached at Ankeny by Scott Osborn, who began his coaching career as an assistant under Fred Smith before taking over the program, which continued to thrive under his direction. “I will always remember hours spent together hashing over lineups for upcoming meets,” Smith said. “(Osborn) was a great strategist. I give him much credit for the successes we had in winning several championships during those days.” Little went on to become a four-time all-American at Drake, then embarked on a highly successful professional career. He won the 200 at the 1997 World Indoor Championships and was a three-time bronze indoor medalist. He finished second in the 1995 and 1997 outdoor nationals and placed sixth at the World Championships in 1999. He recorded personal bests of 20.10 in the 200, 10.13 in the 100 and 44.77 in the 400. Little, who retired from the track circuit in 2001, is a member of the Drake Relays Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was named the No. 3 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen. At the time, John Cisna–a former assistant track coach at Ankeny–said he was privileged to watch the development of what would become a world-class sprinter. “You would be very hard-pressed to find any Ankeny athlete who excelled more in their particular sport than Kevin,” Cisna said. “Above all, Kevin was, and still is, one of the nicest, appreciative and cordial persons you will ever meet, and what a great representative of our community.” Let’s make Little the captain of our all-time team.

Seth Moulton: As a freshman in 1997, he ran on the eighth-place 4×100 and 4×200 relays at the state meet. He was injured most of his sophomore season, but Ankeny coach Todd Schneiter could see Moulton’s potential–even though he wouldn’t be around to coach him. “I don’t think people realize how good he is,” Schneiter said before leaving to become the head football coach at Mason City. Schneiter was replaced by Dave Jones, who helped Moulton become one of the state’s top sprinters. Moulton ran on the seventh-place 4×100 relay at the Drake Relays in 1999, then ran on the sixth-place 4×200 and seventh-place 4×100 relays at the state meet. As a senior, he placed third in the 100 at the Drake Relays in 10.97. He also ran on the second-place medley relay and anchored the third-place 4×100 relay. He won the 100 at the Newton Relays in 10.5, which tied the school record. At the CIML National Conference meet, he won the 100 in 10.9, placed second in the 200 and long jump, and anchored the third-place 4×100 relay that set a school record, helping the Hawks to a second-place finish overall. He went on to place second at the state meet in the 100 in 10.9. He also ran on the runner-up 4×100 relay that posted a time of 42.56, setting a new school record once again. Moulton originally planned to play football at Iowa State, but changed his mind and went on to play baseball at Iowa Western, where he earned all-American honors. He later played for Southeast Missouri State before completing his college career at Northern Iowa. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny baseball team.

Trey Porter: He focused on the relays at the state meet during his time at Centennial, but when he did compete in open events he excelled there as well. He owns times of 11.03 in the 100, 22.20 in the 200 and 50.55 in the 400 that rank third, second and second in school history. As a freshman in 2019, he qualified for state in the 4×100 and distance medley relays. After losing his sophomore season due to COVID-19, Porter ran on the runner-up 4×400 and sixth-place 4×200 relays at the Drake Relays in 2021. He then won four medals at the state meet, helping the Jaguars to a third-place finish in Class 4A. He ran the third leg on the winning sprint medley relay that was clocked in 1:31.72, the eighth-fastest time ever in Iowa. “It feels amazing,” Porter said at the time. “All the hard work we’ve done–it’s finally paid off. We came in confident, and we just soared at the end.” He anchored the runner-up 4×200 and fourth-place 4×100 relays. Following a heavy downpour, Centennial posted a time of 42.89 on a wet track in the 4×100. “We got fourth, and that was good,” teammate D’Eric Smith said. “We had to catch up a little bit, but Trey’s a great anchor in our 4×1 and 4×2. He really gains us more places when we have to catch up, so I’m glad we have him.” Porter later closed out the meet by running the fastest split on the second-place 4×400 relay. He ran the opening leg in 47.95 to put the Jaguars in the lead, but Cedar Falls eventually won the race. Still, Centennial posted a time of 3:18.55, the third school record that Porter was a part of at the meet. He likely would have added to his haul of state medals in 2022, but he did not compete in track his senior season because he graduated early and left to join the Northern Illinois football program, where the safety is now a redshirt freshman for the Huskies. Porter was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team.

Tyler Sickerson: As a freshman in 2022, he ran on Ankeny’s fifth-place 4×200 relay at the Drake Relays, showing a glimpse of the team’s bright future. That relay consisted of Sickerson and a trio of sophomores. “I wish we could have gone a little faster, considering we went a little faster earlier (that season),” Sickerson said. “But we executed the handoffs pretty well, so I’m pretty happy.” At the state meet, he ran on the winning sprint medley relay that posted a time of 1:31.46, the fifth-fastest clocking ever in Iowa. The Hawks won the sprint medley title for the first time in school history, and it was Ankeny’s first crown in any relay event since 2004. Sickerson also ran on the fifth-place 4×200 and seventh-place 4×100 relays. He anchored the 4×100 unit that picked up two crucial team points that proved to be the winning margin over Linn-Mar (Marion) for third place in Class 4A, allowing the Hawks to capture a trophy in coach Nick Nelson’s final season. “It was a heck of a three days for us,” Nelson said. Sickerson said the 4×100 team was hoping to run a little faster. “I thought my handoff was good, but I couldn’t really see the other ones,” he said. “It wasn’t as good of a finish as I was hoping for, but we’ll be back.” In 2023, Sickerson was named the Athlete of the Meet at the Marske Indoor Invitational at Brookings, S.D., after sweeping the sprint events. He took the 100 in 10.90 and the 200 in 22.40 to set a pair of personal records while leading the Hawks to the team title. His time in the 200 also set the Iowa indoor sophomore state record. Sickerson placed fourth in the 100 at the Drake Relays, where he also anchored the fourth-place 4×100 relay. He went on to place fourth in the 100 in 10.96 and seventh in the 200 in 22.10 at the state meet. “I was just tired. I had no gas left,” Sickerson said after the 100. “It’s the end of the season. There’s not much more you can ask for when you give it your all.” Sickerson anchored the third-place 4×200 relay that set a school record with a time of 1:28.12. He also anchored the third-place 4×100 relay that set another school record of 41.94, helping Ankeny to a runner-up finish overall. “It was a good race,” Sickerson said. ‘I think we executed pretty well as a team, but our main goal was to beat Johnston because that would have helped out for the team title. We did pretty much all we could. We got the school record.”

D’Eric Smith: He went out for track as a senior at Centennial in 2021 and helped the Jaguars capture a third-place trophy in Class 4A, their highest finish ever. He placed second in the 100 in 10.94 after posting the fastest qualifying time of 10.81 in the preliminaries, which was also the second-fastest clocking in school history. “I knew I was fast,” Smith said at the time. “I didn’t know I was going to be with the top runners in Iowa. I just kept working because I knew I was years behind.” Smith teamed up with Dominic Berry, Trey Porter and Thomas Collins to win the sprint medley relay in a time of 1:31.72, which set a school record and ranked eighth on the state’s all-time list. It was the third relay title in school history. “It feels so good, especially my first year coming out. There’s nothing better than this,” said Smith, whose time of 22.34 in the 200 ranks third on Centennial’s all-time list. “The last time I ran track was in seventh grade at a middle school in New Jersey. So this is pretty big for me.” Smith also ran on the second-place 4×200 relay that set a school record with a time of 1:27.49. He earned a fourth medal as the leadoff runner on the fourth-place 4×100 relay. “I just thank God that I made it here. I’m happy with how I did,” Smith said. He went on to compete for Indian Hills Community College.

Ryan VanBaale: He emerged as a potential star as a freshman at Centennial in 2015, when he placed fourth in the 100 at the Drake Relays in 11.12. He went on to place fifth in the 200 (22.53) and ninth in the 100 (11.04) at the state meet, where he also ran on the second-place 4×200 relay. The Jaguars posted a time of 1:29.14 in that relay, finishing .01 seconds behind Linn-Mar (Marion). He was named the team’s MVP. As a sophomore, VanBaale was the runner-up in the 100 at the Relays in 10.72, which set a school record. He swept both the 100 and 200 at the Central Iowa Conference Invitational, where he posted a time of 21.77 in the 200 to set another school record. Unfortunately, his season came to a disappointing end at the state meet, where he pulled up lame in the 100 and finished 23rd, then scratched out of the 200 due to his injury. In 2017, he lowered his own school mark in the 100 by posting a time of 10.67. After repeating his second-place finish in the 100 at the Relays, he also took second in the 100 at the state meet. However, he was disqualified in the 200 for running out of his lane. VanBaale also ran on the third-place 4×200 relay that set a city record of 1:27.81 at the time and was named to The Des Moines Register’s all-Iowa track team. As a senior, he placed eighth in the 100 and ran on the runner-up 4×200 relay at the Drake Relays. He later placed 10th in the 200 and 12th in the 100 at the state meet, where he also teamed up with Avery Gates, Brendan Hoy and Riley Moss to win the 4×200 relay in 1:27.99, giving him his long-awaited state title. The Jaguars raced to the victory after pre-race favorite Cedar Rapids Jefferson dropped the baton on the first exchange. “This feels amazing. It’s surreal,” VanBaale said at the time. “It’s even better because I can celebrate with my teammates. There’s nothing else like it.” The Jaguars had finished second behind Jefferson at the Relays. The J-Hawks then ran 1:27.55 at the district meet, by far the fastest qualifying time. Still, VanBaale was confident. “We had no doubt in our mind,” he said. “We ran pretty conservative at districts, and Moss didn’t run that final leg. Jon Wong was able to run that anchor leg for us and get us in that final heat, so it’s a credit to Jon as well.” In his final high school race, VanBaale ran on the runner-up 4×100 relay that was clocked in 41.899, losing to Jefferson by .005 seconds. Moss and Jefferson’s Mitchell Hall both leaned at the finish line, and it took a photo to determine the winner. The Jaguars set a school record and cracked the state’s all-time top-10 list, but had to settle for second place. “I couldn’t tell who won just by my eyes,” VanBaale said. “I just had to patiently wait while the times were processing like everyone else.” VanBaale was a part of five different 4×100 relays from 2015-18 that still appear on Centennial’s all-time top-10 list. He went on to compete for Northern Iowa.

110 hurdles

Carter Accola: As a sophomore at Ankeny in 2021, he ran on the sixth-place shuttle hurdle relay at the Drake Relays. The same group went on to place fifth at the state meet. As a junior, he placed ninth in the 110 hurdles at the Drake Relays, posting a time of 15.16. He later took fourth at the state meet in 15.03. “I never gave up on myself,” Accola said. “I hit a hurdle head on with my lead leg. I recovered well, but it is what it is.” He also ran on the fifth-place shuttle hurdle relay after the Hawks were seeded 16th in the event. “We moved up quite a bit,” Accola said. “So to come in and get fifth, you can’t be mad about that.” In 2023, Accola set a school record of 14.40 in the 110 hurdles at the Marske Indoor Invitational at Brookings, S.D. But he later missed five weeks of training–including the Drake Relays–due to a hamstring injury. “There’s nothing I could do about it,” he said. “But this adversity has prepared me for something bigger in college. I’m only getting started.” Accola returned to the lineup late in the season and placed fourth in the 110 hurdles at the state meet for the second straight year, posting a time of 14.68. “I wanted to help my team so bad, and today was just about finishing for me,” he said. “I want to help my team win a title.” He also ran on the fifth-place shuttle hurdle relay for the third year in a row, helping the Hawks to a runner-up finish in Class 4A. “It was pure grit for us in the shuttle,” Accola said. “We weren’t supposed to be there again. But we were. Because Ankeny doesn’t give up, that’s for sure.” Accola joined the Northern Iowa men’s track and field program this fall. “I realized UNI is a place where I’m going to be able to accomplish all the dreams I have for the next four years and really grow,” he said.

Jerry Heston: He was a member of Ankeny’s state champion track team in 1969, when he won the state indoor title in the 60 hurdles in 7.4 seconds. In 1970, he captured the outdoor crown in the 180 hurdles in 19.6. He also placed second at the Drake Relays. “Jerry was an outstanding hurdler and sprinter,” said Ron Lennard, his former teammate. “If I remember correctly, Jerry set the state record in the 180 lows. Heston was also a football star who went on to play that sport at Drake. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team. In 2006, he was selected the No. 19 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Gary Lamb: He was a three-time state indoor champion at Ankeny more than 50 years ago. In 1961, he tied for the long jump title in Class A with a jump of 19 feet 9.75 inches. Then, the following year, he swept the 60 yard hurdles events. He took the low hurdles in 7.5 and the high hurdles in 8.1.

Adam Lynn: As a junior at Ankeny in 2013, he ran on the sixth-place shuttle hurdle relay at the Drake Relays. He was also a qualifier in the 110 hurdles. At the state meet, he placed sixth in the 110 hurdles in 15.22. He also ran on the third-place shuttle hurdle relay. He placed third on the team in scoring with 71.25 points. Lynn then moved across town when Centennial opened and again qualified for the Drake Relays in the 110 hurdles as a senior, but he was disqualified for touching a hurdle. He helped the Jaguars to a 10th-place finish in the medley relay. He went on to place fifth in the 110 hurdles at the state meet in 14.74. He also ran on the sixth-place shuttle hurdle and 11th-place medley relays, helping Centennial to an 18th-place finish in Class 4A in its inaugural season. He placed second on the team in scoring with 122 points and earned the team’s Top Hurdler Award. “The entire season seemed like one big highlight,” said coach Nate Smith, who coached Lynn at Ankeny for one year before moving to the north side as well. “To be able to be part of the beginning of a program is special. I thought we had some outstanding performances and efforts throughout the season from all of our athletes.” Lynn went on to compete for Northern Iowa.

Riley Moss: Before becoming a football star at Iowa and embarking on his NFL career with the Denver Broncos, Moss was a standout hurdler at Centennial. As a junior in 2017, he placed third in the 110 hurdles at the Drake Relays in 14.38, setting a school record that he would break several more times. He also ran on the winning shuttle hurdle relay, teaming up with Adam Mudge, Jake Pinegar and Taylor Weil to claim the first Relays title in school history. He took second in the 110 hurdles at the state meet in 14.62 and ran on the winning shuttle hurdle relay that set a city record of 56.23 and was the first state title for Centennial in any event. It was also the first relay crown for the city since 2004, and it helped the Jaguars to a sixth-place finish in Class 4A. As a senior, he won the 110 hurdles at the Kansas Relays in 13.91, which equaled an all-time Iowa best and was the third-fastest time in the nation. A week later, he ran an all-time Iowa best of 13.85 in the preliminaries at the Drake Relays, where he went on to capture the first individual Relays title in school history in 14.04. “I just wanted to come out and run a clean race (in the prelims) and get into the finals,” Moss said at the time. “But I’m happy with my time. It’s exciting.” Moss later capped off a dominant season by winning the state title in 14.02, finishing .4 seconds ahead of runner-up Trent Davis of Linn-Mar (Marion). “I was even more nervous because in the prelims I fell and just about didn’t make it to the finals,” Moss said. “I just wanted to run a clean race and I got it done, so that’s awesome.” Moss ran that preliminary heat about 40 minutes before he anchored the winning 4×200 relay, helping the Jaguars to a fifth-place finish in 4A. “I just ran the hurdles, and I felt pretty fatigued,” Moss said. “But I told myself that it wasn’t for me. It was for the team, and I had to get going. That’s what was going through my mind, and it worked out pretty well. It was really cool to go through the finish line and know you’re a state champ.” Moss later anchored the Jaguars to a runner-up finish in the 4×100 relay, setting a school record. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team.

Mason Thompson: As a freshman at Ankeny in 2018, he ran on the fourth-place shuttle hurdle relay at the state meet. In 2019, he qualified for state in the 400 hurdles and placed 12th in 55.73. He also ran on the second-place shuttle hurdle relay that set a school record of 57.36. After losing his junior season to COVID-19, Thompson placed third in the 110 hurdles at the 2021 Drake Relays in 14.71. “My goal was to compete and get a podium finish,” Thompson said. “I ended up placing third and raced with a lot of great athletes. I like to have the mindset that there is always room for growth. You can always get better at anything you do.” He also helped the Hawks to a sixth-place finish in the shuttle hurdle relay. “I was extremely happy with the (shuttle hurdle),” Thompson said. “We did our job and competed to get a PR. My goal and our team’s goal was to PR. We ended up placing sixth with a PR as well, so overall we were very happy with the shuttle.” He won the 400 hurdles at the CIML Iowa Conference meet in 55.86. He also ran on the runner-up shuttle hurdle relay. At the state meet, Thompson nearly captured a Class 4A title in the 110 hurdles. He placed second in a time of 14.509, setting a school record but finishing four-thousandths of a second behind Adam Wright of Dowling Catholic. “It was either mine or his,” Thompson said. “I knew it was really close. I wasn’t looking to my side too much when we finished, but I just saw both our heads go down at the same time.” It took meet officials longer than usual–probably about 30 seconds–to post the final results. When the outcome was finally displayed on the scoreboard, it showed Wright winning the race by the slimmest of margins. “I felt like I really had it over those first few hurdles, and then (Wright) did catch me,” Thompson said. “We stayed neck-and-neck until the end after that.” He also ran on the fifth-place shuttle hurdle relay, helping the Hawks to a 15th-place finish in Class 4A. Thompson is now competing for Grand View.

Clete Younger: As a junior at Ankeny in 2000, he placed sixth at the Drake Relays in 15.28. He qualified for the state meet in both hurdles events, but did not place in either of them. As a senior, he again qualified for the Drake Relays and finished seventh in 15.51. At the Hawk Relays, he placed second in 14.52, which tied the school record at the time. Then, at the CIML Central Conference meet, he placed second in 14.51 to set a new mark. He also finished third in the 400 hurdles. Younger went on to win the state title in the 110 hurdles, posting a time of 14.55. “He saved his best race of the year for the most important time,” said his coach, Dave Jones. “He really ran well, and he beat a great field.” He also placed 16th in the 400 hurdles. He helped Ankeny to a third-place finish in Class 4A.

400-800

Jack Belding: As a sophomore in 2022, he emerged as a key member of Ankeny’s relay teams at the Drake Relays, where he ran on the second-place 4×100, third-place 4×400 and fifth-place 4×200 squads. He won the 100 in 11.27 at the CIML Iowa Conference meet, where he also ran on the winning 4×100 relay. Belding later qualified for state in four relays and scored points in three of them, helping the Hawks to a third-place finish in Class 4A. He ran the opening leg on the winning sprint medley relay, which was hoping to get the baton to anchor runner Tyrese Miller within striking distance of the lead and let him do the rest. But Belding, Tyler Sickerson and Tyson Miller built a short lead on the first three legs, and that allowed Tyrese Miller to pull away for a convincing victory. “It’s pretty great,” Belding said. “This is our second sprint med that we’ve run all year, so we’re pretty happy about it. We were trying to be close to the lead because we knew Tyrese would be able to take it home. But we all ran well.” Belding also ran on the fifth-place 4×200 and seventh-place 4×100 relays. As a junior, Belding put more of his focus on the individual events. At the Drake Relays, he placed fourth in the 400 in 48.90 and sixth in the 100 in 10.96. He also ran on the winning 4×400 relay that posted a time of 3:19.19. It was the Hawks’ first relay title since 2004. “It feels great,” said Belding, who ran the third leg in 48.52. “I’m just so happy with what all of us were able to do. We work together really well and we all did our part, and now we’re here.” Belding rallied Ankeny from third place, giving anchor runner Jake Bosch a lead of 1.34 seconds. “That boy right there,” Bosch said afterwards, nodding at Belding, “he’s crazy. Once he got the baton, I knew he’d do it.” Belding later won the Class 4A title in the 400, coming out of Lane 2 to cross the finish line in 47.94, just .03 off the school record. “I really liked seeing everybody ahead of me so I could hunt them down,” he said. “Being in Lane 2 I could pretty much see every competitor I had. Once I got in front of them, I knew I could close.” Belding equaled the 17th-fastest time in state history. “I was hoping for a low 48 maybe,” he said. “I ran it a lot harder than I always do. I didn’t care how I was going to feel after. I just put it all out there and got what I wanted out of it.” Belding placed third in the 200 in 21.83. He anchored Ankeny to a runner-up finish in the sprint medley relay, where the Hawks set a school record of 1:30.78 that was the second-fastest time ever recorded in Iowa. Unfortunately, Johnston ran an even faster time of 1:30.15 to win the race. “We all ran great. We ran what we needed to run,” Belding said. “It’s just that we were running against some really good competitors.” Those two squads later collided again in the final event of the meet–the 4×400 relay–with the Class 4A team title at stake. Belding lifted the Hawks from seventh place all the way into first with a 47.53 split on the third leg, but Johnston star Jashua Anglo then ran the anchor leg in 47.25 to rally his team to the victory. Ankeny finished second in a school-record 3:15.99 and placed second overall with 80 points, four points behind the Dragons. “My legs are really tired, but I just put that past me and ran as hard as I could. I knew what I had to do, so I went out and did it,” Belding said. “We can’t be mad about (the team race) at all. We’ve had a lot of hard competition this year, and to be one of those teams that hasn’t gotten much recognition this year and come into state and get second, it’s just awesome.”

Ryan Blahauvietz: As a sophomore at Ankeny in 1995, he ran on the fourth-place 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays. He also ran on the winning 4×800 unit that set a meet record at the CIML National Conference meet. He then ran on the 10th-place 4×800 relay at the state meet. As a junior, he ran on the runner-up 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays. At the conference meet, he posted a time of 1:58.03 to break the meet record in the 800, even though he placed second. He also ran on the winning 4×800 relay. At the state meet, Blahauvietz ran the opening leg for the 4×800 squad that won the Class 4A title in 7:52.16, setting a school record. He was also a qualifier in the 800. In 1997, he again ran on the runner-up 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays. He placed second in the 800 at the Newton Relays in 1:56.9, which set a school record at the time. He also won the 1,600 and ran on the winning 4×400 relay at that meet. He anchored the winning 4×800 and medley relays at the conference meet, setting a pair of meet records. He went on to place fifth in the 800 at the state meet in a time of 1:57.64. He anchored the Hawks to a second-place finish in the medley relay, setting a school record of 3:29.67. He also anchored the runner-up 4×800 relay.

Ray Brown: He anchored Ankeny to a Class A state title in the medley relay in 1962, teaming up with Mike Justice, Mike Cherry and Dennis DenAdel to post a time of 3:42.8. He was an outstanding all-around athlete who also excelled in basketball and on the football field, where he became the first end in school history to earn all-state honors at that position. He also competed in the football throw, which was a part of track and field at the time. “I remember that he set a record, and I’m just guessing that it was around 65 yards,” Cory said. “And I was a sophomore, and I was about 2 or 3 yards behind him. Then (the state) did away with the event, and I was like, ‘Doggone it. I was going to get him next year or my senior year.’ But I never got the chance.” Brown was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team for the pre-Jerry Pezzetti era.

Thomas Collins: He showed a glimpse of his promising future as a sophomore at Centennial in 2019, when he posted a time of 1:57.58 in the 800 that ranks second in school history. He placed eighth in the 400 at the Drake Relays in 50.27, then went on to finish ninth in that event at the state meet in 49.68. He also ran on the third-place 4×400 and fourth-place sprint medley relays. However, Collins then lost his entire junior season due to COVID-19, forcing him to wait another 12 months to get back on the track. “That 2020 team was going to be a great squad,” said Centennial coach Nate Smith. “I still get a little upset thinking about how much those seniors enjoyed track and missed out competing. With the junior class, we would have been solid.” In 2021, Collins placed fourth in the 400 at the Relays in 49.28 and also ran on the runner-up 4×400 relay. Collins won the 400 at the CIML Iowa Conference meet and also anchored the winning 4×400 relay, helping the Jaguars to the first league crown in school history. At the state meet, he overcame the rainy conditions to place second in the 400 in 48.70, which broke his own school record. No other Centennial runner has ever eclipsed the 50-second barrier. “We all had to run in (the rain). It wasn’t just me,” Collins said at the time. “I think everybody was just excited to run fast, and that’s what we did.” TJ Tomlyanovich of Cedar Falls won the race in 47.54. “I came in knowing that TJ was probably going to smoke me. I kind of accepted that,” Collins said. “I really wanted to get him, but I was happy with my time. I PR’d by almost a second. It was fun.” Collins anchored the Jaguars to a state title in the sprint medley relay. Centennial was in third place when Trey Porter got the baton to Collins on the final exchange. He then passed two other runners down the stretch. “That felt awesome. That was everything to me,” Collins said. “Crossing that finish line, that’s a moment I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.” The Jaguars set five school records at the meet, and Collins was a part of four of them. He also ran on the runner-up 4×200 and 4×400 relays. Centennial placed third overall with 61 points, the school’s highest finish ever. “I’m just so proud of the team. It was one heck of a run,” Collins said. “It really means everything to be a part of this team and all the relationships I’ve made. Our program is in a really good spot right now.” Collins earned six state medals in his career, despite missing his junior season. He is tied with Moss and VanBaale for the most in school history.

Chris Gardner: As a junior at Ankeny in 2002, he placed second in the 400 at the CIML Central Conference meet in 53.47. He also ran on the winning 4×400 relay. At the state meet, he ran the second leg on the winning 4×400 relay as Ankeny claimed the title in a time of 3:22.00. He also ran on the eighth-place medley relay. As a senior, Gardner ran on the winning 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays. He also ran on the third-place 4×400 relay. At the conference meet, he ran on the winning 4×800 relay that set a meet record in 8:09.82. He also anchored the winning 4×400 relay as the Hawks captured a third consecutive team crown. Gardner went on to win two more state titles in the relay events. He ran the opening leg for the 4×800 unit that posted a time of 7:55.88, the third-fastest clocking in school history. He also ran the opening leg for the 4×400 squad that defended its crown in 3:22.24. Gardner also finished 11th in the 400 in 50.98. “We stretched him out to the 800 this year, and it really paid off for us,” Jones said at the time. “He had a great year.”

Bryce Good: As a sophomore in 1996, he ran on the runner-up 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays, where Ankeny lost to Indianola. The foursome of Ryan Blahauvietz, Shawn Hamersley, Good and Ryan Sears then avenged that loss at the state meet, where the Hawks won the Class 4A title with a time of 7:52.16 that set a school record. Three of the four runners turned in their fastest splits ever, including Hamersley–who ran the second leg in a sizzling 1:55.9 to put Ankeny in front at the midway point of the race. It was the fifth relay victory in school history and the first in 24 years. “Those guys all had something to prove, and they all came through for us,” Schneiter said at the time. “I was really happy for them.” As a junior, Good placed seventh in the 1,600 at the Drake Relays with a time of 4:27.38. He also ran on the second-place 4×800 relay for the second straight year. At the CIML National Conference meet, he scored points in all three distance events, placing second in the 1,600, third in the 3,200 and fourth in the 800. He later took eighth at the state meet in the 800 in 1:59.05. He also ran on the runner-up 4×800 relay, helping Ankeny to a second-place finish overall. In 1998, he placed fifth in the 1,600 at the Drake Relays in 4:24.95 and anchored the fourth-place medley relay. He won the 800 at the Newton Relays in 1:56.9, which tied the AHS mark at the time, and was the conference champion in the 1,600. At the state meet, he anchored the Hawks to an apparent victory in the medley relay in a time of 3:28.50, which set a school record. But Ankeny was stripped of its title because Good tossed the baton after the race. “He raised his hands after crossing the finish line and ‘dropped’ the baton, but it was more like a slip,” Schneiter said. “The rule states that you can’t throw the baton in disgust or celebration. I had numerous coaches tell me that the disqualification was the most bogus one they ever saw.” However, Good bounced back the following day to set a pair of school records, placing third in the 1,600 in 4:21.27 (a mark that stood for 25 years) and fourth in the 800 in 1:56.77. The Hawks placed sixth overall, three spots lower than they would have without the disqualification in the medley. “Bryce felt terrible about it,” Schneiter said at the time. “It was a minor thing, but it was a violation. To Bryce’s credit, though, he came back and set two school records. I was really proud of him.” Good, who went on to run track at Northwest Missouri State, was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team.

Dan Marquardt: He helped lead Ankeny to the state indoor title in 1971 by winning a pair of events. He took the 600-yard run in 1:19.7 and the 1,000 in 2:26.3. “Dan was a great runner,” said Ron Lennard, his former teammate. He was also a standout in cross country who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team.

Josh Leonard: He led Ankeny to back-to-back CIML Central Conference crowns and a pair of third-place finishes in Class 4A in 2001-02. As a junior, he anchored the fourth-place medley, 4×400 and 4×800 relays at the Drake Relays. He won the 400 at the Newton Relays in 48.71 to set a school record. Leonard won conference titles in both the 200 and 400, placed second in the long jump and anchored the winning 4×400 relay. At the state meet, he was the runner-up in the 400 in 49.11. He also anchored the second-place medley and third-place 4×400 relays. In 2002, Leonard surged past Iowa City High star Calvin Davis on the anchor leg of the 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays, giving the Hawks their first Relays victory since 1989. He also anchored the third-place 4×200 and 4×800 relays. “I think we opened some eyes at Drake,” Ankeny coach Dave Jones said. “We showed that we could compete with the best team in the state (City High).” Leonard won the 400 at the Last Chance Invitational in 47.96, breaking the school record once again. He won the 800 at the conference meet, where he also anchored the winning 4×400 relay. He went on to win the state title in the 400 in 48.30. He placed fourth in the 200 in 22.12 and finished ninth in the long jump. Leonard ended his high school career by rallying the Hawks from sixth place to first on the anchor leg of the 4×400 relay, posting a winning time of 3:22.00. “Josh had a great meet,” Jones said. “His versatility is what separated him from a lot of kids.” He went on to compete for Nebraska.

Tyrese Miller: As a freshman at Ankeny in 2019, he made an impact for the Hawks, qualifying for state in both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays. After losing his sophomore season to COVID-19, Miller emerged as a star in 2021, when he qualified for the Drake Relays in three events. He placed second in the 400 in 48.44, tied for fourth in the 100 in 11.06 and anchored the third-place 4×200 relay. At the state meet, he placed third in the 400 in 49.16. He also anchored the seventh-place 4×200 relay. As a senior, he raced to a victory in the 100 at the Drake Relays in 10.88 to win a coveted white flag. “It feels awesome,” Miller said. “I’ve worked super hard for this moment all my life. I’m so happy.” Miller enjoyed it so much that he later captured another Drake Relays title in record-breaking fashion. He won the 400 in 47.91, eclipsing the previous mark by .03 seconds. “I wanted to go lower, but it’s still pretty fast so I can’t complain,” he said. Miller had a little more than two hours to prepare for the 400 final. He grabbed some food, then started focusing on the huge challenge ahead of him. He was one of only two runners among the top eight finishers in the 100 who duplicated that feat in the 400. “It’s tough (to run both of those races), but I’ve been doing it my whole track career so I’m used to it,” Miller said. He also ran on the second-place 4×100 and third-place 4×400 relays. Miller later captured a Class 4A state title in the 400. He posted a time of 48.71, finishing nearly a full second ahead of the field. “That’s definitely the race that I have the most confidence in,” he said. “Just because of the way I run the 400, nobody can beat me.” He was hoping to sweep the three sprint events, but he had to settle for a trio of top-three finishes. He placed second in the 200 in 21.58 and finished third in the 100 in 10.60. “If I’d known I was going to run 10.6, I would have thought I’d have won,” Miller said. “It was a good weekend, but it didn’t end the way I wanted it to. There was some good competition though, so I can’t be too mad.” Miller also anchored Ankeny to a state title in the sprint medley relay. The Hawks were clocked in 1:31.46, the fifth-fastest time ever in Iowa. As he rounded the curve and headed into the homestretch, the outcome of the race was already decided. Miller was now racing against the clock. “We were trying to break the state record (of 1:30.92),” he said. “I just tried to run as hard as I could.” Miller got to share the relay victory with three of his teammates, including his brother Tyson, who ran the third leg. “I feel like this one required a lot of teamwork,” he said. “We all had to work hard throughout the season.” Miller led the Hawks to a third-place finish in Class 4A. He is now beginning his second year on the Iowa men’s track and field team.

Steve Ryan: He was a key part of Ankeny’s state championship team in 1969. He won the Class A title in the 440-yard run in 50.6 seconds. “Steve was a tremendous quarter-miler,” said Ron Lennard, his former teammate.  

Lee Schreurs: He won a pair of state titles in the 880-yard run in 1969-70. He won his first crown in a time of 1:58.0, helping Ankeny to the overall title. “Our only blemish in 1969 was the Urbandale Invitational. We lost to Des Moines Hoover by a half-point!” said Ron Lennard, his former teammate. “Just a half-point away from a perfect season, including both state indoor and state outdoor.” Schreurs posted a slower time the following year (2:03.1), but still managed to defend his title. “There have been so many great track athletes from Ankeny,” Lennard said. “I was privileged to run many relays with Lee.” Schreurs was also a standout on the cross country team who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team. He became good friends with Good while following Ankeny’s standout runners over the years. “Our families are close,” Good said. “So much so that I’ve always referred to him as Uncle Lee.”

Kevin Sather: As a junior in 2004, he ran on the winning 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays. He then helped the Hawks to a third consecutive state title in that event by running a 48-second split on the second leg. He placed 10th in the 400 in 51.20 and also ran on the third-place medley relay. In 2005, he anchored Ankeny to a runner-up finish in the 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays, where he posted a split of 48.6 and lifted the Hawks from seventh place into second by passing five other runners. He also ran the opening leg on the sixth-place 4×800 relay. “Kevin was also on the 4×200 school record relay at the time,” said his coach, Dave Jones. “He may have been the most versatile relay guy I coached running anything from a 100 to an 800.” He won the 200 in 22.63 and placed second in the 400 in 50.0 at the CIML Central Conference meet, where he helped the Hawks to a fifth consecutive league crown. At the state meet, he ran on the second-place medley and seventh-place 4×800 relays. “Kevin was kind of our go-to guy,” Jones said at the time. “He just had a great senior year.”

Joey White: As a junior in 1995, he qualified for the state meet in the 400 and also anchored Ankeny to a third-place finish in the 4×400 relay. As a senior, he enjoyed a tremendous meet at the Drake Relays, where he anchored the Hawks to a trio of top-five finishes. Ankeny placed second in the 4×400 relay after setting a school record of 3:19.29 in the preliminaries, took fourth in the 4×100 in a school-record time of 43.15 and finished fifth in the 4×200. At the Last Chance Invitational, White won the 100 in 10.7, which tied Kevin Little’s school record. He won the 200 in 22.76 at the CIML National Conference meet, where he also placed second in the 400 and third in the 100 while helping the Hawks to their first league crown in five years. “That was pretty impressive!” said his coach, Todd Schneiter. White placed fourth in the 400 at the state meet in 50.09. He also anchored the third-place 4×400 and fourth-place 4×100 relays. “He had an outstanding track career once I got him to come out his junior year,” Schneiter said. “And back in those days, track athletes could only run three events at state in the years that I coached. Some of the guys like Joey would have received even more honors/awards if they could have run in four events like they are now allowed. Also, the scoring was different in that they only scored six places and not the current eight places, and relays were awarded more points than individual events.”

Jon Wignes: As a sophomore at Ankeny in 2004, he ran on the seventh-place 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays. He anchored the winning medley relay at the CIML Central Conference meet, then later ran on the third-place 4×800 relay at the state meet. In 2005, he ran on the second-place 4×400 and sixth-place 4×800 relays at the Drake Relays. He placed second in the 800 at the conference meet in 1:58.13. He went on to place fourth in that event at the state meet, posting a time of 1:56.75. He anchored Ankeny to a runner-up finish in the medley relay, running the final 800 in 1:54.7. He also anchored the seventh-place 4×800 relay. As a senior, he qualified for the Drake Relays in the 1,600. He also anchored the eighth-place medley and 4×800 relays. He later placed fourth in the 800 at the state meet for the second straight year, setting a school record with a time of 1:55.42. He also ran on the fifth-place 4×800 relay. Wignes went on to compete for Washington University in St. Louis.

400 hurdles

Kyle Bolejack: As a sophomore in 1995, he ran on Ankeny’s fourth-place 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays. He later ran on the third-place 4×400 relay at the state meet. As a junior, he again ran on the third-place 4×400 at the state meet while also finishing ninth in the 400 hurdles. He placed third in scoring with 66 points on a team that earned a third-place finish in Class 4A. In 1997, he never lost a race in the 400 hurdles. He ran on the second-place 4×800 relay at the Drake Relays, then came back less than an hour later to win the 400 hurdles in 52.91, which set a school record that still stands today. “Kyle kind of went down to the Drake Relays as an unknown,” Schneiter said. “But then when he won the hurdles, he had lots of offers from a lot of schools that have had some success. He was definitely pretty heavily recruited.” Bolejack went on to win a state title in the 400 hurdles, posting a time of 53.29. He also placed fourth in the long jump and ran on the runner-up 4×800 and medley relays. He led the Hawks to a second-place finish overall. “He had one heck of a state meet!” Schneiter said. “He ran a 47.8 split in the medley.” Bolejack, who was the team’s second-leading scorer, earned a scholarship to Iowa State. “This was a big surprise,” he said at the time. “I thought that this would be my last year for track.” Schneiter called him the best competitor and all-around athlete he’s ever coached. “His work habits were just outstanding…he really just overpowered everybody,” he said. Bolejack was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team.

Dylan DeAngelo: As a junior at Centennial in 2019, he placed fourth in the 400 hurdles at the Drake Relays in 54.10. He went on to place third in the event at the state meet in 53.35, breaking his own school record. DeAngelo led the race as he rounded the final turn, but he didn’t get over the last hurdle cleanly and was passed by two other runners, including Thai Thompson of Dowling Catholic, who posted a winning time of 53.05. “I would have liked to win it, but I guess I couldn’t get there at the end,” DeAngelo said. “I thought I had it until the last hurdle kind of slowed me down a little bit, and I saw (Thompson) pass me.” He also ran on the sixth-place 4×200 and third-place 4×400 relays. At the district meet, DeAngelo ran on the winning shuttle hurdle relay that posted a time of 58.45, which remains the school record since the hurdles were raised from 33 to 36 inches. However, that unit was disqualified at the state meet. DeAngelo was the top returning 400 hurdler in Class 4A in 2020, but his senior season was cancelled due to COVID-19. “It is super disappointing that I wasn’t able to run my senior year of track, and it kills me inside that I had the opportunity to do something special get taken away from me,” DeAngelo said at the time. “Our team knew we had the ability to do some big things, and it sucks that we didn’t get the chance to prove it.” DeAngelo went on to compete at Drake, where he is beginning his senior year. His father, Jamie, was a quarterback for Drake. His mother, Tina, was a pitcher for the Drake softball team and is currently an assistant coach for the Bulldogs. “Having my mom at Drake was a factor, because it will be cool to see her around the athletic facilities and it will be nice to have her support there on and off the track,” DeAngelo said when he picked the Bulldogs over the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “I will also be able to support her and her team and watch their games.”

Travis Marsh: As a sophomore at Ankeny in 2008, he came on strong at the end of the season and qualified for the state meet in the 110 hurdles. He also ran on the third-place shuttle hurdle and 11th-place 4×400 relays. In 2009, he won both the 400 and the 400 hurdles and also ran on the winning shuttle hurdle relay to help the Hawks to a runner-up finish at the CIML Central Conference meet. At the state meet, he placed eighth in the 400 in 50.09. He was seeded third in the 400 hurdles, but fell after hitting one of the hurdles and finished 23rd. He also ran on the third-place 4×400 and shuttle hurdle relays. As a senior, he set a meet record of 53.65 in the 400 hurdles at the Hi Covey Relays in Ames. He also had three other first-place finishes to lead Ankeny to the team title. He went on to defend his conference title in the 400 hurdles, posting a time of 54.00. He ran on the winning shuttle hurdle relay for the second straight year and also ran on the winning 4×400 relay. The shuttle hurdle team set a meet record of 57.64. Marsh later placed in four events at the state meet, where he led the Hawks to a 14th-place finish. He took fifth in the 400 hurdles in 54.58 and finished sixth in the 400 in 49.61. He also ran on the third-place 4×400 and fifth-place shuttle hurdle relays. “Travis is very talented,” coach Dave Jones said after the season. “He could run everything from the 100 to the 800, and he could run the hurdles.” He went on to compete at Drake.

Brad Rohlfs: As a junior in 1985, he was a state qualifier in the 400 hurdles. In 1986, he posted a time of 54.0 in that event at the Hawk Relays. Rohlfs went on to win the state title in 54.04, helping Ankeny to a seventh-place finish overall.

Kevin Stuart: Two years after Rohlfs won his title, Stuart followed in his footsteps in 1988. He won the state title in the 400 hurdles in 53.19, which is the second-fastest mark in school history. “I trained with Brad, and he would train and do workouts in his basketball high tops and only race in his spikes,” recalled Stuart. “He was a great teammate as we played football and basketball together as well. We were so deep in the 400 hurdles in 1986. I qualified for state as a sophomore, but Doug Livermore was a junior and Brad was a senior and so back in that time you could only have two athletes for each school qualify for an event.”

Tom Wierzbicki: In his only season on the track team in 1996, he ran on the second-place 4×400 relay at the Drake Relays that set a school record of 3:19.29 in the preliminaries. He went on to place second at the state meet in the 400 hurdles in 53.63. He also ran on the third-place 4×400 relay. “I finally convinced him to come out for track his senior year!” Schneiter said. “And he was outstanding. Tom finished second in the 400 lows to Dustin Avey of Ames, who ran an unheard of 50.96.” He led the team in scoring with 90 points and set a school record in the 400 hurdles at the Hawk Relays, where he was clocked in 53.20. Along with fellow senior Joey White, who scored 84 points, Wierzbicki helped lead Ankeny to a third-place finish in Class 4A, the school’s best finish since the 1972 team won a state title. “Those are two of the top scorers we’ve ever had,” Schneiter said at the time. Wierzbicki was a three-sport standout who went on to play baseball at Iowa State. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny baseball team.

1,600-3,200

Camden Cox: As a sophomore at Centennial in 2016, he qualified for the Drake Relays in three events and placed 10th in the 800 in 1:55.61, which set a school record. He again qualified for the Relays in three events as a junior, placing fifth in the 3,200 and fourth in the 1,600. His time of 9:17.86 in the 3,200 set a school record that remains today; no other Centennial runner has come within 20 seconds of that mark. He went on to place sixth in both the 800 and 3,200 at the state meet while finishing ninth in the 1,600. In 2018, he took second at the Relays in both the 3,200 and 1,600, setting a school record of 4:16.88 in the mile. The only runner to beat him in those races was Central Lyon standout Gable Sieperda, who later set a pair of state records while sweeping the Class 1A distance events. Cox, meanwhile, sat out the CIML Central Conference meet due to a foot problem, but he returned to the track for the district meet, where he placed second behind longtime rival Tim Sindt of Ankeny in both the 3,200 and 1,600. At the state meet, Cox struggled to a 19th-place finish in the 3,200, posting a time of 10:02.86 that was about 45 seconds off his personal best. He anchored the Jaguars to a sixth-place finish in the distance medley relay the following day, setting a school record with a time of 3:32.38. He then saved his best effort for his final high school race on the last day of the meet. Cox took the lead in the final 200 meters of the 1,600 and then held off Sindt to win his first individual state title in 4:18.36. “It’s so surreal,” Cox said at the time. “I didn’t feel good after the (distance medley relay) and coming into (this race). But I knew one thing–I knew I was going to leave it all out there on the blue oval for my last race.” Sindt placed second in 4:18.70. “Camden made a good move with 200 to go, and he earned the victory,” Sindt said. “I knew he wasn’t feeling great, but I was expecting some senior magic to kick in for him. There is no one else in the state I would rather get second place to, and I am very happy for Camden and very pleased with my race as well.” Cox attributed his success to his support system. “The last couple days have been rough mentally and physically and I really have to give it all to God, my parents and family, teammates and coaches for believing in me when it was hardest to believe in myself,” he said. “I didn’t feel very good the first 800 so I hung toward the back, then on the third lap I made a big move to the front next to Tim. I put it all out there the last lap and just happened to come out first. It’s amazing to finish it next to Tim and bring that attention to Ankeny.” Cox, who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team, went on to compete for Southern Utah.

Chris Lawson: As a freshman in 2000, he was a state qualifier in the 3,200. As a sophomore, he placed 10th in the 3,200 at the Drake Relays in 9:39.55. He went on to place 11th in the 3,200 and 12th in the 1,600 at the state meet. In 2002, he qualified for the Drake Relays in both distance events, earning a pair of 13th-place finishes. At the state meet, he placed third in the 3,200 in 9:33.82 and seventh in the 1,600 in 4:29.48. As a senior, he again qualified for Drake in both distance events. He placed eighth in the 3,200 in 9:43.96 and 10th in the 1,600 in 4:26.18. Lawson set a meet record of 9:43.26 to win the 3,200 at the CIML Central Conference meet, where he also won the 1,600 in 4:35.95. He closed out his career by earning a pair of top-three finishes at the state meet, where he helped the Hawks to a runner-up finish. He placed second in the 3,200 in 9:32.39 and finished third in the 1,600 in 4:24.42. Lawson went on to run at Northern Iowa, where he became an all-Missouri Valley Conference runner and was a part of nine MVC titles in cross country and track. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team.

Chris Leonard: As a junior at Ankeny in 1979, he set the school record of 9:31.08 in the 3,200. Then, as a senior, he became the first Ankeny athlete to win an event at the Drake Relays when he won the 3,200 in 9:16.98, breaking his own school mark. It was the fastest time in the state for that season. He also set a school record of 4:22.93 in the 1,600 at the Drake Relays. Led by Leonard, the Hawks captured the Central Iowa Conference indoor and outdoor titles before finishing fourth in a Class 2A district meet. He went on to place third in the 3,200 at the state meet. One hour later, he was back on the track for the 1,600 and finished 10th in that event. Leonard was also a standout on the boys’ cross country team who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time team in that sport.

Marcus Murphy: As a junior in 1999, he placed 15th in the 3,200 at the Drake Relays. He went on to finish ninth in that event at the state meet, posting a time of 9:59.00. As a senior, he placed sixth in Class 4A in 9:28.21, which ranked second on the school’s all-time list at the time. He also ran on the third-place 4×800 relay that posted the second-fastest time in school history as well, helping the Hawks to a sixth-place finish overall. “Our senior class was obviously talented,” coach Dave Jones said after the meet. “They stuck it out, and it paid off for them. Those guys scored a lot of points for us.” Murphy enjoyed his greatest success at Loras College, where he earned three all-conference honors and two all-American distinctions in the 5k. He also won four Iowa Conference championships in cross country and earned conference MVP honors in each of those seasons. He was inducted into the Loras Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. Murphy was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team.

Tim SIndt: As a sophomore at Ankeny in 2017, he placed 13th in the 3,200 and 14th in the 1,600 at the Drake Relays. He went on to place eighth in the 3,200 at the state meet in 9:34.28. He also took 16th in the 1,600. After winning a state cross country title in the fall, Sindt underwent surgery in the spring of 2018 for a heart problem. “I had something called (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome),” Sindt said at the time. “They had to fix an extra electrical circuit in my heart that was causing it to randomly start racing.” Despite missing some valuable training time, he again qualified for the Drake Relays in two events–placing eighth in the 1,600 and 14th in the 3,200. He won both distance events at the CIML Central Conference meet, then led the Hawks to a tie for 13th place in Class 4A at the state meet. He placed third in the 3,200 in 9:19.38, which ranked second in school history. He anchored the 10th-place distance medley relay, then set a school record while placing second in the 1,600 in 4:18.70. “My goal was to win, but I am very happy with my time and place considering the path I have taken to get here,” Sindt said. After defending his state cross country crown, Sindt enjoyed another tremendous track season as a senior. He won a Drake Relays title in the 3,200, posting a time of 9:14.64. He was passed on the final lap by David Holesinger of Dubuque Hempstead, but then quickly recovered and regained the lead. “For a half a second, I was like, ‘Oh no, it’s over,'” Sindt said. “And then something flipped and I was like, ‘No, I’ve waited a year to get revenge on this. I’m going back for it.’ I finished hard.” He also placed second in the 1,600 and anchored the eighth-place distance medley relay. He defended his conference title in the 1,600, then went on to lead the Hawks to a sixth-place finish in Class 4A at the state meet, where he scored 20.25 of his team’s 39 points. Sindt won his first state championship in the 3,200, posting a time of 9:28.90. After crossing the finish line, he doused himself with a cup of water on a 91-degree afternoon at Drake Stadium. He then pretended to shoot a free throw as he looked up into the crowd. “I was on the eighth grade ‘D’ team,” Sindt said afterwards. “I wasn’t good at all–you can probably tell from my form. But it’s fun. We play (basketball) as a team all the time.” He anchored the eighth-place distance medley relay, then closed out his high school career with another victory in the 1,600. He pulled away from the field early in the race, built a commanding lead and then cruised to the win in a time of 4:20.95. “It feels really good,” Sindt said at the time. “I thought I had a chance last year (to win the 1,600), and then Camden (Cox of Centennial) had a really strong finish. So I was glad there was no one there to finish like that this year. I took it out of them early, which was my goal, and it worked. It’s a great way to end (my career). I love ending on top. I told myself all day, ‘This is your last high school race and could be the last race you ever win as an individual.'” Sindt, who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team, is now competing for Iowa State. He recorded his highest career finish for the Cyclones last season by placing fourth in the 10,000 at the Big 12 Championships.

Ethan Zuber: Like Sickerson, he is only a junior at Ankeny High School, but he’s already done enough to make the all-time team. After suffering through an injury-plagued freshman year, he placed 11th in the Class 4A state cross country meet last fall, leading the Hawks to a third-place finish. He then continued to have success on the track in the spring. He placed fourth in the 3,200 at the Drake Relays with a time of 9:11.58, which set a school record. “That was a monster 16-second PR for Ethan,” Ankeny coach Jordan Mullen said. Zuber wasn’t aware of how fast he was running. “I really just wanted to push myself as much as I could and to be honest, I didn’t know the time,” he said. “I just focus on the next guy to catch.” Zuber later placed third in the 1,600 in 4:16.81. He moved from 12th place to fifth after running the second lap in 1:05.02. “It was a very fast race–there were a lot of good competitors out there,” he said. “I didn’t really worry about my time. I just saw some guys I wanted to compete with, and that’s what I went for.” Zuber won the 800 at the CIML Conference meet in 1:55.19, which broke another school record. He then went on to have an outstanding state meet, where he helped the Hawks to a runner-up finish in Class 4A. He placed third in the 3,200 in 9:14.10. “My goal was to get third. The team wanted me to get third place,” he said. “I had some great runners ahead of me, so I just ran my own race and focused on third.” He helped Ankeny to a ninth-place finish in the 4×800 relay by running the second leg in 1:58.03 after earlier competing in the 3,200. Zuber anchored the Hawks to a third-place finish in the distance medley relay. He made a strong push on his 800-meter leg and nearly caught the two runners ahead of him. “I really wanted them,” Zuber said. “I would have had to close the gap sooner, because obviously everyone kicks the last 100. They were dying…they were tired up there. But that was a big enough gap–I should have pushed myself to close that, but I couldn’t get them.” Zuber closed out the meet with another third-place finish in the 1,600. He set another school record with a time of 4:14.39, using a strong finish to edge three other runners by less than .4 seconds for third. “I wanted to do what I could to help the team,” he said. “It came down to that last 100 meters and who wants it more. I wanted it more.”

High jump

Rich Albaugh: He was a two-time state indoor champion at Ankeny in 1968-69. He won his first Class A title with a jump of 6-2, then jumped 6-2 again to defend his crown. In 1969, he helped the Hawks to the team championship. “He was very good,” said Ron Lennard, his former teammate.

Kiel Huston: He was known mostly as a swimmer, but he was also a talented high jumper. As a junior in 2001, he won the high jump at the Waukee Invitational with a personal-best leap of 6-6. A week later, he tied for 10th in the event at the Drake Relays, where he jumped 6-3. He later tied teammate Jason Brenny for first place at the CIML Central Conference meet, where they both jumped 5-10. He went on to tie for fourth place at the state meet with a jump of 6-0. In 2002, he qualified again for the Drake Relays, but did not place after he failed to clear the opening height. However, he rebounded from the disappointment to defend his title at the conference meet, where he jumped 6-2 and set a meet record. He then jumped 6-2 again to tie for third at the state meet, where he helped the Hawks to a second consecutive third-place finish overall. Huston was a five-time state champion swimmer who went on to earn all-American honors in that sport at the University of Tennessee. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ swimming team. In 2006, he was named the No. 36 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Andrew Kruzich: As a junior at Ankeny in 1990, he set a school record with a jump of 6-5 at the Hoover Invitational. He later jumped 6-2 at the state meet to place 13th, then broke his own school mark by jumping 6-6.75 while competing in the boys’ state pentathlon, where he finished eighth overall. “He just missed at 6-8.5,” said Schneiter, who was Ankeny’s coach at the time. “He really had it together that day.” Kruzich hasn’t forgotten his near-miss. “I just clipped the bar with my calf,” he said. In 1991, Kruzich placed sixth at the Drake Relays with a leap of 6-3. “It was a total downpour the entire competition,” Kruzich said. “The opening height was 6-3, and they didn’t adjust it for weather. Only six people cleared opening height, mine on my last attempt after slipping twice in my approach. The winner went 6-5 that day, and it was a deep and talented field. That was back when the high jump was at the north end of the sunken field, and we had to start our approach on grass. Yikes.” He later swept both jumping events at the Central Iowa Conference meet, where he also took sixth in the 400 while helping the Hawks to the league title. “I long jumped a little as a freshman, once as a sophomore, then none as a junior,” he said. “My senior year the coaches thought I could score at conference, so I jumped JV the meet before CIC. I beat out a teammate to get a varsity spot, jumped at CIC, went 21-3, won the CIC title and qualified for state. No idea what I was doing. Run fast, jump high.” He went on to tie for eighth place at the state meet in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6-2. “I went out for track in ninth grade to get faster for basketball,” Kruzich said. “They tried me in hurdling, but I didn’t have the flexibility. I was fairly springy, though, and a couple days later there were tryouts for the high jump, and I had a knack for it. I was 6-foot-4 and 155 pounds as a freshman, so I was built like the crossbar. That helped, too. By the end of the year I had the freshman record, and was long jumping and running 400s, too. The next year I was on pace to break the record, but I tore up my ankle playing basketball. So I had to wait until my junior year.” Kruzich embarked on a coaching career in 1996, spending three years as the head girls’ basketball and assistant girls’ and boys’ track coach at Louisa-Muscatine. He served as the head boys’ track coach at Council Bluffs St. Albert from 1999-2005, leading the Falcons to the Class 1A state title in 2003. He returned to his hometown to become an assistant girls’ track coach at Ankeny from 2006-13, then moved across town to become the head girls’ track coach at Centennial when it opened in the fall of 2013. He coached the Jaguars for nine years. “All told, I spent 26 years coaching track and field,” Kruzich said. “And always the high jump, even for Kelsey Arneson.” As an assistant at Ankeny, Kruzich guided Arneson to a pair of runner-up finishes at the state meet in 2012-13. As a prep, Kruzich’s high jump coach was Steve Arneson, Kelsey’s father. “I never would have predicted in 1991 that I’d be coaching his daughter someday,” Kruzich said.

Lonnie Lambertie: He became Ankeny’s first individual state champion in 1957, when he tied for the Class B title in the high jump with a leap of 5-8. He was also a standout quarterback on the Hawks’ undefeated football team later that year. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team for the pre-Jerry Pezzetti era.

Jamison Patton: After transferring from Des Moines Roosevelt to Ankeny in the spring of 2022, the junior joined the track team and went on to tie for fourth place at the state meet with a leap of 6-6. “I didn’t really come out here expecting much,” Patton said. “This is my second meet, so I was just coming out here to have fun.” He missed his first two attempts at 6-6 before he cleared the bar on his final try. “I was talking to my coach, and he was talking about using my power,” Patton said. “And I got it, so that gave me the confidence to get over.” As a senior, he qualified for the Drake Relays and tied for 17th with a jump of 6-3. He jumped 6-5 to win a district title, then went on to place seventh at the state meet. He cleared 6-3 on his first attempt, but then missed all three of his tries at 6-5. “I came up short,” Patton said. “I didn’t get the points I wanted to get for the team, but I’m satisfied with the season. I’m glad I did what I did.” He helped the Hawks to a runner-up finish in Class 4A. Patton was also a standout on the Ankeny football team who is now a freshman defensive back at Iowa State. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team.

Long jump

Adam Benge: After growing up in Omaha, Benge moved to Ankeny when his dad landed a new job in Des Moines prior to his sophomore year in the summer of 1995. The following spring, he ran on the fourth-place 4×100 relay at the state meet, helping the Hawks to a third-place finish in Class 4A. As a junior, he placed second in the Class 4A long jump with a leap of 22-5 on his final attempt, which still ranks fourth in school history. He ran on the runner-up medley relay that set a school record of 3:29.67. He also ran on the eighth-place 4×100 and 4×200 relays, helping Ankeny to a runner-up finish overall. He scored 121 points for the Hawks on the season. “He’s the top scorer I’ve ever had,” Schneiter said at the time. “When Adam is focused, he’s a tremendous athlete.” Then, in 1998, Benge enjoyed a tremendous senior season. He took sixth in the 100 and ran on the fourth-place medley relay at the Drake Relays. He was the CIML National Conference champion in both the long jump and the 100. He won the 100 in the Last Chance Invitational at Southeast Polk in 10.5, which set a school record and was the fastest time in the state that season. At the state meet, Benge won the long jump with a leap of 22-1, helping the Hawks to a sixth-place finish in Schneiter’s final season at the school. He placed third in the 100 and seventh in the 200, and he also ran on the winning medley relay that set a school record but was disqualified. He was again the team’s top scorer. “We just had a great senior class,” Schneiter said at the time. “They worked very hard, and they provided great leadership. They wanted to continue the success that we’ve had the last few years, and they really carried us.” Benge was also a standout running back on the Ankeny football team who helped lead the Hawks to the Class 4A state title in 1997. He went on to play for Northern Iowa and was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team. In 2006, he was named the No. 29 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history.

Aaron Jarosh: As a freshman at Ankeny in 2003, he made his initial impact on the track, qualifying for state in both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays. In 2004, he placed third in the long jump at the Drake Relays with a leap of 21-5.25. He won the CIML Central Conference long jump title and set a meet record of 22-1.75. He also anchored the winning 4×100 relay that set another meet record. He went on to place fourth with a jump of 21-4.75 at the state meet, where he also ran on the third-place medley relay. As a junior, he placed third at the Drake Relays with a jump of 21-7.75. He also ran on the runner-up 4×400 relay. Jarosh defended his conference title with a jump of 23-0, which set another meet record and also broke the school mark. He also anchored the winning 4×100 and 4×200 relays. He then won the district crown with a leap of 23-0.5, breaking the school record for the second time in a week. He won the Class 4A title with a jump of 22-7.5, edging defending champ Ben Evans of Iowa City High by 2.25 inches. He helped the Hawks to an eighth-place finish overall. “Aaron is one of the best all-around athletes we’ve had,” Jones said at the time. “He peaked at the right time, and that allowed him to become a state champion.” In 2006, he broke his own school record again with a jump of 23-3 at the Hawk Relays. He captured a Drake Relays title in the event with a leap of 21-10.5. At the conference meet, he jumped 22-5 to win his third consecutive crown. He went on to place second at the state meet with a jump of 22-1.25. He took the lead on his final jump, but Mason City junior Matt Kleven won the event with a jump of 22-4 on his final attempt. A hamstring injury prevented Jarosh from competing on the track in his final meet. He was also a football and baseball standout who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time teams in those sports. He went to Nebraska to play baseball, then transferred to Muscatine Community College before finishing his college career at Arkansas-Little Rock. In 2006, he was named the No. 23 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Jon Leverenz: As a senior at Ankeny in 1985, he jumped 22-6.5 at the Urbandale Invitational to set a school record. He was part of the winning 4×100 relay at the Central Iowa Conference meet that tied a school record with a time of 44.10 seconds, helping the Hawks to their eighth consecutive league crown. He went on to place fourth at the state meet with a leap of 21-10. He also qualified for state in the 110 hurdles, helping the Hawks to a 13th-place finish overall. Leverenz was also a football star who went on to play that sport at Minnesota, where he became an all-American linebacker. He is now the head boys’ track coach at Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minn. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team. In 2006, he was selected the No. 35 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Ted Leverenz: Jon’s older brother won the state indoor title in Class A with a jump of 21-0.5 as a sophomore in 1968. He also won the outdoor crown, even though the Iowa High School Athletic Association record book shows another jumper from Marion winning the event. “That is bogus!” Leverenz said. “I have the gold medals to prove that I won. Yes, I still have the medals.” (As you can see in the photo above of Leverenz’s medals, the event was called the broad jump in 1968 before it was changed to the long jump the following year.) Then, as a junior, he defended his indoor crown by jumping 21-8.25, helping Ankeny to the team title. Later that spring, he won the outdoor crown with a leap of 22-5.25, again helping the Hawks to the team championship. His jump of 22-5.75 that season still ranks third in school history. “Ted was a great long jumper and sprinter,” said Ron Lennard, one of his former teammates. Leverenz’s family moved to Alexandria, Va., right before his senior year, and he went on to become a star at Mount Vernon High School–where he was voted the school’s Athlete of the Year. He then went on to play football at North Carolina, where he was the starting wingback and played in two bowl games for the Tar Heels. In 2006, he was named the No. 16 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen. He was earlier selected to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team for the pre-Jerry Pezzetti era.

Van Phelps: He was the state indoor champion as a junior at Ankeny in 1972 with a jump of 20-6. Later that spring, he helped the Hawks to the outdoor state title. He battled some injuries during his high school career, but still managed to rack up 1,040 points on the basketball court and went on to play that sport at Iowa. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ basketball team.

Throwers

Greg Allen: He placed fourth in the discus at the state meet in 1990 with a toss of 155-5, finishing two spots behind teammate Eric Whitney. He earlier set the school record of 166-3 at the Lincoln Invitational, allowing him to qualify for the Drake Relays. As a junior, he recorded a throw of 156-5 to qualify for Drake. He went on to qualify for state. Allen was a three-sport standout who went on to play football at Iowa. He was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny boys’ basketball and football teams. In 2006, he was selected the No. 39 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Andrew Foley: He was a three-time state qualifier in the shot put. As a sophomore in 2006, he placed 12th in Class 4A with a throw of 48-10. In 2007, he won the CIML Central Conference title in the event with a toss of 52-1. He went on to place fifth at the state meet with a throw of 52-9. As a senior, he qualified for the Drake Relays and placed 13th with a toss of 48-5.75. Foley defended his conference title in the shot put with a heave of 54-5. He also placed second in the discus while helping Ankeny to the team crown. At the district meet, he uncorked a throw of 56-3.5 to win the shot put as the Hawks captured the overall title. It remains the third-longest throw in school history. He ended his high school career with a runner-up finish in the shot put at the state meet, where he recorded a toss of 52.11.5 to help Ankeny to a 13th-place finish in Class 4A. “We felt really good about the way we finished the season, especially for the seniors,” coach Dave Jones said at the time. “I think our depth was the difference at the district meet.” Foley was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team.

Nate Miltenberger: As a junior at Ankeny in 1997, he placed sixth at the state meet in the discus with a throw of 151-8. Then, in 1998, he won a Drake Relays title in the event with a toss of 166-0. He took fifth in the shot put with a heave of 54-10.25. He also demonstrated his ability on the track by anchoring the Hawks to a ninth-place finish in the 4×200 relay. Miltenberger placed second in the discus at the Newton Relays with a throw of 173-5, which set a school record that still stands 25 years later. Four days after that meet, he led Ankeny to a runner-up finish at the Hawk Relays, where he won both throwing events at the same meet for the first time. He went on to win the CIML National Conference discus title with a throw of 169-4, which set a meet record. Miltenberger placed second in the discus at the state meet with a throw of 163-5. He also finished third in the shot put with a toss of 57-7.5, which set another school record that still stands. Along with fellow seniors Adam Benge and Bryce Good, he led the Hawks to a sixth-place finish in Class 4A. “It’s so hard to score points at the state meet, but those three guys are as good as anybody we’ve ever had in those events,” Schneiter said at the time. “They just loved to compete, and they performed really well when it counted the most.”

Shane Spooner: As a junior at Ankeny in 2004, he placed 12th at the Drake Relays in the shot put with a throw of 51-3.5. He won the event at the CIML Central Conference meet with a toss of 57-0, which set a meet record. He went on to place third at the state meet with a heave of 54-8.5. As a senior, he again qualified for the Drake Relays, where he took ninth with a throw of 52-0.5. He defended his title at the conference meet, winning the event with a toss of 55-4 and helping Ankeny to a fifth straight crown. He then placed fourth at the state meet with a throw of 53-8.75. Spooner was a four-sport athlete who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football and wrestling teams. In 2006, he was selected the No. 43 greatest athlete in Ankeny High School history by the Ankeny Register & Press Citizen.

Jeremy Stober: He was a three-time top-eight finisher in the discus at the state meet from 1993-95. As a sophomore, he placed eighth with a throw of 141-9. In 1994, he uncorked a toss of 161-4.5 to win the event at the Fort Dodge Invitational. At the time, it was the second-best throw in Class 4A that season and the second-best toss in school history. He went on to win the CIML National Conference title, then took fourth in Class 4A with a throw of 153-0. Stober won the discus at nine different meets and led the Hawks in points scored. As a senior, he qualified for the Drake Relays for the first time, but did not place after all three of his attempts went out of bounds. However, he later defended his league crown with a toss of 139-0. Stober then closed out his high school career with an eighth-place finish at the state meet, where he recorded a throw of 141-5.

Eric Whitney: He placed second in the discus at the state meet in 1990 with a throw of 160-11, losing a title on the last throw of the competition. He also finished ninth in the shot put with a heave of 50-5. Earlier that season, he set a school record in the shot put of 55-10.5 at the Lincoln Invitational. He was also a football standout who was earlier named to the Ankeny Fanatic all-time Ankeny football team.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The Ankeny Fanatic team was selected by publisher Dan Holm, who consulted with former and current coaches before making his picks.)