The Ankeny cross country teams extended their streaks of consecutive state-meet appearances on Wednesday.
The boys’ squad won a Class 4A district meet at Southeast Polk to earn their fourth straight trip to state. The ninth-ranked Hawks scored 48 points, while No. 14 Indianola (69 points) and No. 11 Johnston (78 points) also advanced to state.
Defending state champion Ethan Zuber won the 5K race in a time of 15 minutes 22 seconds, but he was more excited about the performance of his teammates.
“I think more important than my race was how the (other) guys did today,” said Zuber, whose team won a second consecutive district crown.
The girls’ squad, meanwhile, placed second in a regional meet to qualify for state for the fifth year in a row. The No. 7 Hawkettes scored 54 points.
No. 2 Johnston easily won the girls’ crown with 19 points. Des Moines Roosevelt edged No. 14 Indianola by three points, 105-108, for the third qualifying spot.
“It was an amazing day for our team,” said Ankeny girls’ coach TJ Jumper. “We set a goal as a team to score five runners in the top 20 individuals, and we exceeded that by scoring six in the top 20. We had a great balance of fun but were also focused going into districts. Our confidence as individuals and as a team is really high right now because of the purposeful work that the team has put in. This work was on the whole person from training, technique, recovery (nutrition/sleep), and mental prep. It was good to run on one of the toughest courses in the state and against one of the top-ranked teams in Johnston.”
The top-ranked Zuber pulled away from the boys’ field to win by about 28 seconds over Roosevelt’s Owen Marett. He avoided a repeat of last year’s district meet, which saw Natnael Kifle of Sioux City North outkick him at the finish.
“The race went well,” said Zuber. “I went out and performed how I had planned, and I am looking forward to the final race.”
Ankeny got a third-place finish from Isaiah Smith. He was clocked in 15:57.
Tate Brownsberger placed ninth for the Hawks in 16:40 Nick Robie was 16th in 17:00.
“Ike took care of a kid who he was looking forward to beating,” Zuber said. “But most of all, it was an excellent performance from Tate and Nick. To see how these guys are firing at the end of the year gets me really pumped so I’m super proud of those guys. Tate really stepped up big and filled a role that we knew he could and Robie as well, so to see them do that this time of year is really exciting.”
Ankeny’s Justice Rathje took 19th in 17:05. Brett Augustine was 21st in 17:10, and Jackson Kaiser finished 26th in 17:24.
In the girls’ meet, Johnston placed five runners in the top six. Alyx Woodley led the way, winning the race in a time of 18:24.
Ankeny senior Drew Beason prevented the Dragons from recording a perfect score. She placed second in 18:48.
“I was happy with how I ran,” said Beason.
Beason returned to the team’s lineup after sitting out last week’s CIML Conference meet, which was held on the same course.
“Drew came out ready and executed her race plan so well,” Jumper said. “It was great to see her look so smooth running and strong in the first two miles.”
Makenna Madetzke placed seventh for the Hawkettes in 19:26. Sophia Graber took 12th in 19:47, Ainsley Kiene was 15th in 20:00, Raegan Prendergast placed 18th in 20:30, Ivy Wiegand was 21st in 20:40, and Lauren Jackson finished 26th in 21:22.
“The team showed toughness mentally and physically,” Jumper said. “Makenna has had a great year, and I felt she pushed more this week and we were really happy with her approach to the race. Sophia and Ainsley are really confident about what they can do and the shape they are in after starting the year injured. The race went out really fast in the first mile for this course, and it was awesome to see them have the confidence to go with it. They are running so consistently right now.
“This has been a bounce-back year for Raegan after having a few injuries last year. It is so fun watching her run on this course because she owns the hills. Ivy has been fulfilling her role providing depth, and she just keeps getting better. She can always be counted on. Lauren has been battling an injury, and it was great to see her back out there running. She will be even more ready to go at state,” he added.
The state meet will be held on Nov. 1 at Fort Dodge. The girls’ race begins at 2 p.m., with the boys’ race to follow at 2:45.
The Hawkettes have placed seventh in each of the last two years after earning a sixth-place finish in 2021.
“Our philosophy is to have a plan for improvement for each individual,” Jumper said. “So throughout the season, athletes may have a different focus or a different workout. We are always preparing for districts and state. Today we showed that we are an elite team when all our parts come together like a symphony. We are looking forward to state next week. As a coach, it is going to be so enjoyable to watch this team compete together one more time this season.”
Beason will try to reach the awards podium for the fourth time.
“I feel I am capable of a really good race, and I want to give it my all for my last race!” Beason said.
The Hawks will try to capture a trophy for the third year in a row. They placed third in both 2022 and 2023.
Zuber will be looking to defend his title. If he can, he would match the accomplishment of former Ankeny star Tim Sindt–who earned back-to-back crowns in 2017-18.
