A year ago, the Ankeny boys’ golf team came up one stroke shy of advancing to the Class 4A state tournament.
On Monday at the Fort Dodge Country Club, the seventh-ranked Hawks found themselves on the bubble once again. And this time, they did just enough to qualify.
Ankeny placed third among 13 teams in a district meet with a 307 total, finishing three strokes ahead of LeMars for the last qualifying spot. The reward is a trip to the state meet, which will be played on Friday and Saturday at Otter Creek–the Hawks’ home course.
“That was a stressful day, but I am glad we came out in the top three,” said Ankeny coach Mike Weddingfeld. “I didn’t feel like we started the best, but I know there were some nerves to get under control. Then, I felt like we settled in and played well until we got to the last several holes, which happen to be some of the toughest holes on the course. I felt like then we struggled a bit making bogeys, but we were able to hold on.”
The meet featured three of the state’s top seven teams. No. 4 Valley shot a 292 to claim the district title, while No. 1 Johnston–the defending state champ–was the runner-up with a 297.
Ankeny couldn’t beat either of its CIML Conference rivals, but the Hawks still advanced to state for the first time since 2020, when they placed fifth in Class 4A.
“I’ve missed (qualifying) by one stroke individually the last two years and lost by one as a team last year,” said Ankeny senior Drew Hensen. “It feels great to finally break that mental barrier.”
CT Norris of Valley carded an even-par 71 to earn medalist honors. Dylan Susemihl of LeMars was the runner-up with a 72.
Hensen shot a 73 to lead Ankeny, placing fourth as an individual. He had a pair of birdies on the day.
“My round today was far from perfect, but it was a battle and ended up being good enough,” Hensen said. “I’m looking forward to making a run with my team this weekend!”
Jacob Adams, Evan Hodapp and Duncan Beelner each fired a 78 for the Hawks’ other counting scores. They placed 16th, 17th and 18th, respectively.
Hodapp will be making his second straight trip to the state tournament. He qualified as an individual last year, when he finished in a tie for 58th place.
Ankeny’s Kyler Crimmins carded an 80. Caden Weddingfeld added an 82.
“I thought all the guys played really well,” Weddingfeld said. “The greens were really fast and hard so you had to hit your approach shots short and let the ball roll up and that can be hard to judge, and then the wind was blowing 15-20 mph so I thought conditions were tougher than normal. You can see how close all six of our scores were. The guys gave it their best, and I am really proud of them. It was especially nice since five of the six guys were part of the team last year that missed state by one stroke.”
The Hawks will now try to capitalize on the home-course advantage this weekend, but Weddingfeld knows that his squad is facing a big challenge.
“I am very proud of this team and all of their hard work–it was nice that it paid off, but we have a big task ahead of us as it looks like all of the favorites from each district made it to state,” he said. “I think this could be one of the toughest and closest state tournaments that I can remember.”