A victory in the final event allowed the Ankeny Centennial girls’ track team to win the Sherwood Relays crown on Saturday at Iowa City High.
The Jaguars took first in the 4×400 relay to edge defending champion Cedar Falls for the team title. The foursome of Aly Balashaitis, Bella Buesch, Aubrey Mohr and Teagan Jackson posted a time of 4:08.07.
Cedar Falls placed third in the race in 4:16.78 and finished with 158 points, one fewer than Centennial. The Tigers could have won the title by finishing ahead of runner-up Iowa City High and placing second, but they trailed the Little Hawks by more than 5 seconds.
“Our team had a great day in Iowa City,” said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. “Both our JV and varsity teams had strong performances! These early meets often allow more JV entries so it is fun to see our younger athletes getting early opportunities to compete and be around our more seasoned athletes on meet day to see how they prepare for and execute their races. It was also nice to see some different teams such as City High and Cedar Falls among others that we don’t often get to compete with during the season.”
Centennial won four events on the day. The Jaguars added four second-place and six third-place finishes.
Ellie Blevins took the 800 in a time of 2:26.26. Teammate Sammi Maile was the runner-up in 2:29.24.
Those two also combined with Natalie Cogdill and Rebecca Flick to win the 4×800 relay in a time of 9:33.24, which set a meet record and was just shy of the Drake Relays Blue Oval standard.
“That is a young group with three freshmen and a junior, and they are in a great spot coming off of a very successful cross country season last fall,” Asbe said. “The experience they gained at state cross country was very valuable and has them ready to compete at a high level this spring.”
Ava Barten raced to a victory in the 400 hurdles. She was clocked in 1:07.76.
Trinity Klingensmith placed second in the 3,000 in 10:55.47, while teammate Cate Benning finished third in that event in 11:25.97. Flick placed third in the 1,500 with a time of 4:52.75.
Audrey Sandholm placed second in the high jump with a leap of 4 feet 10 inches. Bella Anderson took third in the discus with a throw of 117-3.
Centennial was the runner-up in the 4×200 relay. The quartet of Anna Woods, Bailey Snyder, Buesch and Balashaitis was clocked in 1:46.11.
“Our 4×200 and 4×400 teams ran well too,” Asbe said. “We have a lot of returning state qualifiers in those groups. It is great to see them running well early, and we are excited to watch them continue to improve throughout the season.”
The Jaguars placed third in the sprint medley, distance medley and shuttle hurdle relays.
Centennial will compete in the Ram Relays on Tuesday at Southeast Polk.