Senior Kylin Smith helped the Ankeny Centennial girls’ track team to a second-place finish in a Class 4A state qualifying meet on Thursday at Council Bluffs Lincoln.
Smith won the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:04.53, which broke her own school record. She teamed up with Anna Woods, Taylor Gilbreaith and Ava Barten to win the shuttle hurdle relay in 1:03.60, setting a new school mark in that event for the second straight week.
Smith also qualified for the state meet in the sprint medley relay. The Jaguars placed second in that event with a time of 1:53.06.
Here is some inside info on Smith:
Congratulations on a great meet at Council Bluffs. What did you think of your team’s performance?
I thought everyone did an outstanding job. We all knew it was game time, and everybody showed up ready.
Was it disappointing not to win the overall crown, since your team finished just four points behind Dowling Catholic?
No, we all gave it everything we had, and I believe this is the most points we have scored at districts so it’s still a win.
You finished .46 seconds ahead of Dowling’s Alex Gaskell in the 400 hurdles. Did you feel like you had the race under control the whole way?
I felt like I had control 99 percent of the time. My biggest worry is always at the beginning of the curve going over hurdle 6 due to falling my sophomore year of state qualifying. This year again, I clipped it but managed not to repeat history. Alex and I were stride for stride until the last hurdle. I knew that if I could get over it faster than her then my foot speed and mental drive would allow me to achieve a time I never have before.
You broke the mark of 1:04.54 that you ran at last year’s state qualifying meet. Was that a goal for you going into the race?
Absolutely. The week prior I had run a 1:04.59 with the inconvenience of having to dodge another runner’s hurdle that came into my lane, so I knew without this I would be fully capable of running a new PR.
Your shuttle hurdle team ran almost a second faster than it did at the CIML Conference meet on May 8. Were you surprised that the team ran so fast, considering that you won by nearly 3 seconds and weren’t really challenged by anyone?
I wouldn’t say surprised. I’d say I was just completely overcome with joy. I knew we had it in us. There were a couple pieces of everyone’s race that we knew we needed to sharpen up, and that’s exactly what we did. I was more surprised with Dowling’s (second-place) performance. I think I can speak for the whole shuttle team when I say we did not expect to come in first.
How did you feel about the sprint medley race? Were your handoffs clean in that relay?
I ran almost a lifetime best 200, splitting a 25.54 which is .01 off of my best. The handoff from Taylor Gilbreaith to me was flawless as well as my handoff with Jaeden Jackson, who finished the race off for us with grit.
Looking ahead to state now, what is the goal for the team? Do you think the team is capable of placing in the top 10 for the first time in school history?
Our goal is to leave everything we have out on that track. We have a lot of valuable members ranging from distance to sprints to field events who work hard and get what we need to have done. If that lands us in the top 10 spot, it was because of everyone’s dedication and self confidence. If there’s any year to make top 10, it’s 100 percent this year.
You placed fourth in the 400 hurdles as a freshman and finished eighth in that event last year. Coming in with the fifth-fastest time, what is your goal for the race?
The competition is way more developed than when I was a freshman. Back then, Mackenzie Carney had everyone beat by a mile. We call it “trackflation”. Running against the best in the state will push me toward hopefully yet another school record. With the 400 hurdles it’s not about anyone else, it’s about me, the clock, and my own personal success.
Avery Winter of Waukee Northwest was the fastest qualifier in 1:01.34–more than 2 seconds faster than anyone else. If she doesn’t fall or trip, do you think anyone can beat her?
My friend Angelica Attinger (of Ames) definitely has the ability to come out on top, with her fastest time being 1:00.69. It’ll be a dog fight that I’m praying I won’t be too far back to see.
Your shuttle hurdle team is seeded fourth in that race. How fast do you think the team can go, and do you think anyone can challenge Valley–which was the fastest qualifier by far at 1:00.62?
Running clean, we could drop at least a second. Our splits of our most recent race were not our fastest so we know there’s room for improvement. Give Valley their props–they’re extremely talented, but if Dowling runs clean they’ll give them a run for their money.
Have you made any plans for next year? Are you going to run in college?
Yes, I will be running at Morningside University. The track and field world hasn’t seen the last of me. There are plenty of records left to break.
