The Ankeny Centennial girls’ track team won four events in the Dragon Invitational on Thursday at Johnston.
Five other squads competed at the meet. No team scores were kept, but Centennial coach Tyler Asbe was elated afterwards.
“We had a beautiful night to compete, and our girls had some strong performances,” said Asbe. “It was a great meet to get our varsity athletes some races as well as having lots of opportunities for our younger athletes. It was so great to see all of our athletes supporting each other!”
The Jaguars got a victory in the 3,000 from Anika Mohrhauser, who posted a time of 10:34.24. She also placed second in the 800 in 2:28.26.
Kylin Smith raced to an easy win in the 400 hurdles. She turned in a time of 1:05.02 to win by nearly 6 seconds, meeting the Drake Relays Blue Oval standard in the process.
“She has been very focused early on this season, and it was great to see her have such a strong season opener!” Asbe said.
Centennial won the 4×800 relay in 9:48.55. That team consisted of Ellie Blevins, Cora DenHartog, Kylee Patterson and Bella Hodges.
“This is a really experienced group for us, and they are off to a great start,” Asbe said. “They have been running a variety of events for us so far this year, and it was fun to have them run a 4×8 together to start the outdoor season.”
The Jaguars also captured the 4×200 relay in 1:47.30. That squad was comprised of Aly Balashaitis, Aly Drefke, Bella Buesch and Anna Woods.
“We have been happy with how this group is progressing so far,” Asbe said. “They are working hard each day in practice, and it was great to see them come out and compete hard to open their season.”
Woods also placed second in the high jump. She cleared the bar at 5 feet 2 inches.
Hodges added a fourth-place finish in the 1,500. She was clocked in 5:00.91.
Teagan Jackson placed in three events for Centennial. She was the runner-up in the 400 in 1:02.18, placed third in the long jump with a leap of 16-2.75, and finished fifth in the 200 in 27.92.
Teammate Kacy Olson was fourth in the 200. She posted a time of 27.55.
The Jaguars placed second in the shuttle hurdle relay. The team of Woods, Ava Barten, Taylor Gilbreaith and Smith posted a time of 1:06.83.
“This group has a lot of experience together and had a strong outing to begin the season,” Asbe said. “We are looking forward to watching them continue to develop throughout the season.”
Barten and Smith also helped Centennial to a runner-up finish in the 4×400 relay. They teamed up with Balashaitis and Blevins to post a time of 4:10.31.
In the discus, Brylee Binstock placed seventh (96-8) and Elise Benning finished 10th (89-9). Caitlin Horner took ninth in the shot put (31-8), while Sophia Heither placed 10th (30-10.75).
“Our throws crew had a strong night with many PRs, and it was exciting to see that group hit some nice marks to start the outdoor season,” Asbe said.