The first outdoor meet of the season for the Ankeny Centennial girls’ track team proved to be a successful one.
The Jaguars won four events and had 14 other top-three finishes in the Dragon Invitational on Thursday at Johnston. No team scores were kept.
“We took a large squad over there, and it was great to have so many girls competing,” said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. “It’s a great early season meet to get all of our athletes some experience. It is so valuable for our younger athletes to be around our more seasoned athletes and see how they prepare and compete.”
Centennial’s Haley Hveem pulled away from teammate Anika Mohrhauser to win the 3,000 in 10:39.66, the 31st-fastest time in the U.S. this year. Mohrhauser took second in 10:46.04, which ranks 40th nationally.
The Jaguars also posted a 1-2 finish in the high jump, where Anna Woods won the event with a leap of 5 feet 2 inches and Kam Leazer cleared the bar at 5-0 to place second. Woods, a freshman, added a third-place finish in the 100 hurdles, posting a time of 15.42 seconds.
“We were really happy with how Anna attacked this race,” Asbe said. “This is a really exciting time to open the season with, and she is very driven to keep improving.”
Leazer also placed second in the long jump with a leap of 17 feet. Teammate Jaeden Pratt, the defending Class 4A champion, took third with a jump of 16-11.25.
“Kam broke the 17-foot barrier which is super exciting this early in the season,” Asbe said. “She has been super consistent early in the season and is improving each meet.”
Centennial’s Kylin Smith won the 400 hurdles. She was clocked in 1:09.07, the 86th-fastest time in the U.S.
Aly Drefke placed third in the 200 in 27.14 seconds.
“Aly had a big PR in that event,” Asbe said. “She had a strong freshman season last year and is already showing a lot of improvement early this season.”
Ellie Pollock took third in the 400 in 1:05.06. Bella Hodges finished third in the 1,500 in 5:07.92.
Hodges also teamed up with Kylee Patterson, Ellie Blevins and Tallie Plueger to win the 4×800 relay in 9:53.66. The Jaguars finished more than 17 seconds ahead of runner-up Valley.
“Bella had a great night as well,” Asbe said. “She ran a strong leg in the 4×8 and came back and had a solid 1,500. Bella missed most of last season with an injury so it’s so great to see her competing at a high level again, and we are excited to see her continue to improve as the season goes on.”
The Jaguars placed second in four other relays, including the 4×100. In that event, the foursome of Olivia Larsen, Morgan Posusta, Pratt and Addi Arringdale met the Drake Relays Blue Oval standard with a time of 50.94 seconds.
“This group has a lot of experience together and is off to a great start,” Asbe said. “Morgan also had a huge PR in the open 100 (placing fourth in 12.90). It’s really exciting to see her come out of the gates as strong as she has this season. She has worked very hard and is beginning to see that work pay off.”