Ankeny Centennial distance runner Anika Mohrhauser has decided to stay close to home.
The senior verbally committed this week to join the Drake women’s track and cross country programs.
“I am super excited for this opportunity to get a great education and be able to compete for my school!” said Mohrhauser. “The deciding process was very hard and took a long time. All the coaches I had been talking to were very patient with me throughout my decision process. When I compared the other schools to Drake with my family and (Centennial girls’ cross country) coach Eric Cogdill, Drake was the school that we knew I was going to be happiest at. I initially looked for schools with strong programs in actuarial science and biomedical engineering, as well as a strong FCA group.
“In the end, I wanted to stay close to home because my siblings and I are really close. Both my sister and brother will be running high school cross country and track next year, and I want to have the opportunity to go and watch them run if my schedule allows it,” she added.
Mohrhauser placed second in the Class 4A state cross country meet earlier this month with a time of 18 minutes 2 seconds. She posted the highest finish in school history while leading the Jaguars to a fourth-place finish.
Mohrhauser won five races in her cross country career and had six other top-five finishes this season. She broke her own school record with a time of 17:57.8 while placing second at the regional meet.
Mohrhauser has consistently improved since she joined the Jaguars’ varsity lineup in 2021. After placing 39th at the state meet as a freshman, she took 16th in 2022 before finishing ninth as a junior.
Mohrhauser is also a four-time state qualifier in track. She placed ninth in the 3,000 as a sophomore in 2023.
Mohrhauser said she visited several schools before making her decision.
“When I first started this process, I wasn’t sure what division I wanted to compete in and what size of school I wanted to attend,” she said. “Throughout the process I visited two Division III schools and five DI schools. I really enjoyed my visits at the DIII schools, Central and Wartburg. Both have great programs and that’s because of the coaches. Coach Chapman at Wartburg and coach Dunham at Central are amazing people and I really liked both of their coaching styles, but I discovered that I wanted a bigger school. I also visited Iowa State and loved the team! The facilities at Iowa State were amazing, but academically the school was too big for me. I narrowed it down to Bradley and Drake. The decision came down to where I would be happy and what I truly wanted to study.”
Cogdill praised Mohrhauser for taking a deliberate approach to the recruiting process.
“First, she narrowed it down to schools that were good fits for her major, then reached out to programs and took many visits to compare them,” he said. “She had so many great offers and turned down a who’s who list of cross country teams in the Midwest. She found the fit that’s best for her, and they also happen to be No. 5 in the nation for her chosen major.
“The feedback from coaches throughout were that she is destined to improve anywhere because of her confidence in herself, her work ethic, her longevity in staying healthy, and her consistent annual improvements,” he added.