Ankeny wrestling coach Jack Wignall is setting a huge goal for the Hawks this season.
“I told the kids I want to win a state dual championship,” said Wignall. “If we can’t talk about it and set the bar high, then we will never do it. We talked about that the very first day of practice.”
Wignall’s team posted a 17-6 dual record a year ago, including a 5-3 mark in the CIML Conference. After placing third in a district tournament, Ankeny went on to finish 12th in the Class 3A state tournament.
Five state qualifiers are back from that squad, including three-time qualifier Ben Walsh and two-time qualifier Aiden Winkie. Kash Johnson, Calvin Rathjen and Eddie Salgado are the other returning qualifiers.
“We have some pretty good depth, and it’ll be exciting to see how our lineup will come together,” Wignall said.
Walsh enters his senior season with a career record of 84-36, putting him just 16 wins shy of the 100-victory milestone. He went 30-5 and placed fifth at 113 pounds as a junior.
Walsh joined the varsity lineup as a freshman, when he went 30-21 and helped the Hawks to a fourth-place finish in the state duals. He qualified for state at 106, then posted a 24-10 mark as a sophomore and again qualified for state at 106.
Rathjen and Johnson are the team’s other returning placewinners. Rathjen went 34-6 and placed fourth at 132 last year, while Johnson went 26-19 and placed eighth at 150.
Winkie posted a 20-11 record at 138 a year ago. He went 20-18 and qualified at 120 in the 2023-24 season.
Salgado is back after going 23-20 at 106 last year. He was seeded 24th at the state tournament, but won a pair of consolation matches against higher seeds.
The Hawks should also be strengthened by the return of Isaac Wignall. Wignall’s nephew posted a 20-8 record and placed fifth at 113 two years ago.
Cameron Andersen, Ryleigh Egeberg, Harrison Folkers and Perez Perez are among the other returnees with some varsity experience. Wignall said some others are also battling for varsity positions.
“Caleb Alhussaini, Ryne Bakker, Jensen Kildow, Madik Henderson, Kane Klaver and Jack Reysack are all guys that have put time in during the spring and summer,” Wignall said. “Although they will not all fit in the lineup at once, they are all guys that will be relied upon when needed.”
A strong freshman class is also expected to make an impact.
“We have a very solid group of freshmen,” Wignall said. “Overall, they have a lot of wrestling experience, play multiple sports and work hard.”
Wignall said the freshmen have been a part of the team’s workouts since the first day of practice.
“We are doing something we have never done before; we have all the freshmen in our room to start the season,” he said. “The freshmen class is good from top to bottom. They have fit really well in our room and are competing hard with the 10th to 12th graders we have in our room. Doing this will make scheduling practices easier from a logistics standpoint, and it gives us more bodies in our wrestling room.”
Ankeny will open the season on Thursday by hosting a CIML Conference dual meet against Valley. The Hawks will then compete in the Dan Gable Donnybrook on Friday and Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Wignall is anxious to get the season under way.
“The preseason prep is never-ending,” he said. “Once we get practices going and we see who we have out and who we don’t have out, I can start to relax a little. Getting practices going is always a relief. Thus far, practices have been going well and now we’re ready to have a meet.”
