A long road trip to Kansas showed what the Ankeny girls’ track team might be capable of accomplishing this season.
The Hawkettes won seven events and easily captured the team crown on Saturday at the Emporia State Relays. They racked up 157 points against 11 other squads, 41 more than runner-up Andover (Kan.).
“We were happy with many performances as they showed we are where we want to be training-wise at this time of the year,” said Ankeny coach TJ Jumper. “This first meet also showed us where we need to focus our work individually and as a team in order to become an elite team by the end of the year.”
Ankeny was led by the duo of senior Makenna Madetzke and sophomore Morgan Fisher. They each won a pair of individual events.
Fisher won the 200 in 25.10 seconds, which broke the school record. She also took the 100 in 12.38.
“Breaking the school record in the 200 has been a goal for me,” said Fisher. “I got really close to it last year so I’m super excited that I broke it this year to start off my season, and I hope to keep staying healthy and build up to the end of the season.”
The previous mark was held by Ankeny assistant coach and Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union Hall of Famer Laura (Aschoff) Jumper for nearly 30 years.
“Morgan had a great day,” said Jumper, who is Laura’s husband. “She PR’d in the 100 by three-tenths of a second and then PR’d by half a second in the 200.”
Madetzke, meanwhile, won the 800 in a time of 2:18.00. She also took the 1,600 in 5:08.45.
Madetzke won the two races by a total of about 18 seconds.
“They were both solo efforts, and she showed great discipline in her racing,” Jumper said.
The Hawkettes also got victories from Mila Badillo and Lena Bruening. Badillo captured the high jump after clearing 5 feet 2 inches in a jump-off against two other competitors, while Bruening took the 100 hurdles in 15.52 seconds.
Bruening, a transfer from Waukee, will be a big addition to Ankeny’s lineup. She also placed second behind Fisher in the 200 in 25.75 and was the runner-up in the long jump with a leap of 17-5.
The Hawkettes’ other victory came in the 4×400 relay. The foursome of Charlee Cibula, Reagan Prendergast, Gillian Schramm and Fisher posted a time of 4:01.06, which met the Blue Oval standard for the Drake Relays.
“I thought our whole team performed very well,” Fisher said. “It was super exciting and fun to get to watch everyone compete, and there were multiple people who PR’d and ran really well. It was a very good meet to kick off the start of our season, and I’m looking forward to setting more goals.”
Prendergast also placed second in the 400 in 1:00.41, while Schramm took fourth in 1:01.58. Teammate Isabel Squires finished fifth in 1:02.38.
Cibula added a fifth-place finish in the 100. She was clocked in 12.82.
Quinn Roush placed fourth in the 100 hurdles in 16.93. Vanessa Wise took third in the 3,200 in 12:48.46.
Ella Schulz placed second in the 2,000 steeplechase. She turned in a time of 8:44.55.
“This Emporia trip is important to our program because it shows our athletes track and field outside of Iowa,” Jumper said. “They were able to participate in steeplechase, javelin and triple jump, and then watch the pole vault. These are events that are competed nationally and that some other states in the nation have that Iowa doesn’t. It lets them experience the whole scope of what track and field is and what is possible.”
Maliya Cobb placed seventh in the javelin with a throw of 82-9. She also placed second in the discus with a toss of 108-6.
Gwyn Christensen was the runner-up in the shot put with a heave of 36-10. Sophie Medici placed fifth at 32-8.5.
“We also love this meet because ESU has an amazing facility that is hosting NCAA Division II outdoor nationals this May, and we get to compete against teams and competition we do not know,” Jumper said. “It’s also a culture builder for us as we get to spend time together on the bus and at the hotel.”
Ankeny will host the Hawkette Invitational on Thursday.