Saturday’s Jim Duncan Invitational proved to be a good tuneup for the Drake Relays for both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls’ track teams.
Competing on the same blue oval that will host America’s Athletic Classic in two weeks, the Hawkettes and Jaguars both earned several top-eight finishes while facing some of the state’s top athletes.
“I’m very excited (for the Relays),” said Ankeny freshman Morgan Fisher.
Fisher placed in a pair of events for Ankeny. She took third in the 400 in 58.09 seconds and later finished seventh in the 200 in 26.08.
“My 400 was a PR,” Fisher said. “So I’m pretty happy.”
Fisher cut about a second off her previous best time and now ranks third all-time in school history in the event. She also owns the third-fastest time in Class 4A this season.
“I was hoping I could (make an impact this season),” Fisher said. “Just get as many opportunities as I could.”
Ankeny had five other top-eight finishes.
“It was an amazing meet for our team,” said Ankeny coach TJ Jumper. “We had a lot of PRs even after having a tough training week.”
Centennial had six top-eight finishes on the day. The Jaguars were led by sophomore Anna Woods, who tied for third in the high jump at 5 feet 5 inches and placed sixth in the 100 hurdles in 15.97 seconds.
“The Jim Duncan Invitational was a great meet as always,” said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. “It’s always good to see a lot of strong competition leading into the Drake Relays. Our girls had multiple PRs and season-bests and competed really well.”
Woods also teamed up with Ellsie Cole, Taylor Gilbreaith and Ava Barten for a sixth-place finish in the shuttle hurdle relay. The Jaguars posted a time of 1:06.22, which met the Blue Oval standard for the Drake Relays.
“We were really happy to see our shuttle hurdle group hit the Blue standard,” Asbe said. “They have been running well all season, but it’s a great confidence boost to hit the auto qualifier.”
Centennial’s Bella Hodges placed fifth in the 1,500. She was clocked in 4:44.34.
Teammate Teagan Jackson took sixth in the 400. She posted a time of 1:00.13.
Barten added an eighth-place finish in the 400 hurdles. She turned in a time of 1:08.27.
“We had a huge week of racing as a team, and our girls handled it really well and had strong performances throughout the week,” Asbe said. “We are very proud of the entire team for their effort and attitude!”
Ankeny double-placed in the 800. Makenna Madetzke took third in a time of 2:18.85, while Reagan Prendergast finished sixth in 2:22.77.
Lillian Buckley placed fifth in the 400 hurdles in 1:06.52, which set a personal record.
Drew Beason took seventh in the 3,000 in 10:25.70. Sophia Graber was seventh in the 1,500 in 4:47.94, which dropped 7 seconds off her personal record.
“Sophia put herself in position to possibly qualify for the Drake Relays,” Jumper said. “That time puts her fourth all-time in school history for the 1,500.”
Jumper is excited about his team’s potential.
“Our athletes continue to develop and continue to work to add to the tradition of being an elite program in the state,” he said. “We are excited for what this team will accomplish in the next month as well as in the future. We had a couple freshmen and sophomores get the opportunity to gain experience on Drake’s blue oval that will benefit the team in the future. They show improvement and continue to make progress on their path toward improvement.”
