Both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls’ golf teams took a step forward on Thursday.
The Jaguars placed seventh among 14 squads in the Southeast Polk Invitational at Copper Creek. They posted a score of 368.
“I was pleased with today’s scores,” said Centennial coach John Petersen. “We are definitely trending in the right direction! We have gone from the 390s in our first invitational to 360s in our last two.”
Ankeny, meanwhile, finished in 10th place. The Hawkettes posted a total of 384.
“We had a good comeback today,” said Ankeny coach Kelley Emke. “We’re still not back to our best, but we’re getting there. You could tell the girls were ready to play better.”
Gilbert, the No. 4 team in Class 3A, shot a 322 to win the meet for the second straight year. No. 8 Norwalk and No. 3 Waukee Northwest each posted a 337 total, but the Warriors took second due to a better fifth score.
Marshalltown’s Natalie Henson and Gilbert’s Ava Lohrbach each carded a 70 to finish seven shots ahead of the field. Henson earned medalist honors on a cardoff.
Kate Geiselhart fired an 87 to lead Centennial. She placed 20th overall.
Cate Trewet shot a 91 for the Jaguars. Kaylee Sprecher had a 93, Ava Entrekin carded a 97, Danika Kraus had a 99, and Teagan Skinner added a 113.
“Our girls are working hard to get better!” Petersen said. “Hopefully, we can peak in the next two weeks!”
Ankeny’s Isabella Ross finished 23rd with an 89. Catherine Nelson shot a 97 for the Hawkettes.
Madalyn Ross carded a 98, Aubree Moeller had a 100, Ava Sesker fired a 103, and Ava Clarkson finished with a 111.
“Copper can get tough with all the hazards, but the girls pushed through and improved,” Emke said. “I’m happy with the improvement and hope we can keep it coming for conference next week.”
Both teams will head to the Des Moines Golf and Country Club on Monday for the first round of the CIML Conference meet. The final round will be played on Wednesday at Blank Golf Course.