Thursday’s CIML Conference dual meet at the Waukee Natatorium came down to the final event.
In the end, Waukee won the 400 freestyle relay and also got a third-place finish from its “B” unit to edge visiting Ankeny, 85.5-84.5, in the boys’ swimming matchup.
“It was tough to lose this meet that way as we were ahead the entire way up until the final score,” said Ankeny coach Dustin Rhoads. “We knew this would be a challenge, but we were ready to go and excited to swim at an amazing pool in a fun environment.”
Ankeny relied on its depth to almost prevail. The Hawks’ lone victory in an individual event came in the 100 freestyle, where Noah Kearney posted a winning time of 51.87 seconds.
Ankeny’s only other win came in the 200 medley relay. The foursome of Brock Peterson, Jake Smith, Bryer Pearson and Finn Stukerjurgen was clocked in 1:41.59.
“They have a great team, especially at the top. They spread out most of their guys to try to win as many events as possible,” Rhoads said of the Warriors. “We were able to use some depth to keep us in front for most of the way. It just shows how every single guy matters. They out-touched us in a few spots for third or fourth or fifth, and that was the difference. I hope this is very motivating for us for the rest of the season. We likely will be in a lot of close dual meet battles throughout the year.”
Peterson placed second in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:04.03. He later took second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.80.
Austin Troyer and Pearson also provided a pair of runner-up finishes. Troyer posted times of 23.21 in the 50 freestyle and 52.31 in the 100 freestyle, while Pearson had times of 52.87 in the 100 butterfly and 58.02 in the 100 backstroke.
Stukerjurgen placed second in the 500 freestyle in 5:09.56. He earlier finished third in the 200 IM in 2:07.21.
Smith tied for third in the 50 freestyle in 23.89. He later took third in the breaststroke in 1:07.25.
Sam Howard placed third in a pair of events. He posted times of 1:55.65 in the 200 freestyle and 57.42 in the butterfly.
Kearney added a third-place finish in the backstroke, turning in a time of 58.71. Wilson Pous-Ojeda finished third in the 500 freestyle in 5:19.58.
Pous-Ojeda also teamed up with Troyer, Howard and Ike Evans for a second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay. The Hawks were clocked in 3:33.58.
Ankeny earlier placed second in the 200 freestyle relay. The quartet of Pearson, Peterson, Troyer and Stukerjurgen posted a time of 1:34.05.
“Keeping things in perspective, I am very proud of my guys for how hard we raced and how well we competed,” Rhoads said. “This meet is what duals are supposed to be like and makes it so fun, but this was never going to be the highlight of our season whether we won or lost.
“The JV team had a big win and swam great so I am super happy for them as well. There was a lot of positives to take away from this, but yeah it hurts to lose like that. We just have to learn from it and move forward and try to be better starting with practice (Friday)!” he added.
Ankeny will host a non-conference meet against Indianola on Tuesday at Trail Point Aquatics Center.
