Senior Cael Woods is one of 12 returning state qualifiers for the Ankeny Centennial boys’ track team. He helped the Jaguars to a tie for seventh place in Class 4A a year ago.
Woods placed eighth in the 400 hurdles (55.07) and 20th in the 110 hurdles (15.56). He also ran on the 11th-place shuttle hurdle and 16th-place 4×400 relays.
Here is some inside info on Woods:
I know it’s early, but how is the season going thus far?
Yeah, it might be early in the season but we are having a lot of success in a variety of events, including several top performances in Centennial program history.
Because of the nice weather, coach Smith said that your team has been able to go outside since the first day of practice. Do you feel like the squad is further along at this point because of that?
I think it is always good to work outside as much as possible this time of the year.
Your team has already competed in a couple of indoor meets. Have you been happy with your performances?
It has been great to see the team working well together as a whole this indoor season and having success, which gets me excited for outdoor season.
Are you heading anywhere for spring break, or will you remain here and continue to practice?
I headed of town for a couple days with my friends and getting in as many workouts as possible.
What are your goals for the season?
My goals for this season include contributing to my team as much as possible by being able to qualify and place in as many individual and team events as we can, and it might take a couple school records to make that happen.
Do you feel like your team can again contend for a top-10 finish overall?
We lost some talented athletes from last year, but we have a lot of returning state qualifiers and have some underclassmen who are working very hard this offseason and early season. I think a top-10 finish is a realistic goal.
You and Mark Nelson are the only returnees from last year’s shuttle hurdle relay team at state. Do you think you have some other guys who can step up and fill those other positions?
Yeah, we have some guys who are putting the work in this year to be competitive in the shuttle. I’m proud of their effort, and we look forward to what we can do.
Ankeny has all four of its shuttle hurdle runners back from last year’s state runner-up team, and you ran against that squad at the IATC Indoor Championships on Thursday at Ames. Do you expect to see a lot of the Hawks this season?
I have a lot of respect for their team and look forward to competing against them this year.
You were a second-team all-district pick as a defensive back last fall. Did you consider playing football in college?
It’s always been a dream of mine to compete at the next level in any sport I’ve done. But I’ve always loved track and field, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity to run for the Jackrabbits next year.
When you committed to South Dakota State for track, you told me that the school has some great academic programs that you’re interested in. Have you decided yet what you will major in?
I plan to study construction management.
Your sister, Anna, made a huge impact for the Centennial girls’ team as a freshman last year, placing in all four of her events at state. Were you surprised at all by the success that she had?
No, I’m not surprised about her success at all. I’m very proud of how hard she works and look forward to her and her teammates having another great season.
