Ankeny junior Lena Bruening earned another Drake Relays medal Thursday on the opening day of this year’s high school events at Drake Stadium.
Bruening, who ran on the winning sprint medley relay as a freshman at Waukee in 2024, placed third in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet 5.25 inches. Abby Mecklenburg of Linn-Mar (Marion) easily won the event with a jump of 20-5.5, setting a Relays record.
“We were definitely happy with the way Lena jumped,” said Ankeny coach TJ Jumper. “That was a very tough field, and Lena proved why she is one of the top long jumpers in the state. What was the most impressive was her consistency and the series she put together.”
Bruening had four other jumps of at least 17-8.5. She was tied for second place until Grinnell’s Aiden Gosselink jumped 18-7.5 on her final attempt to earn runner-up honors.
“Lena executed what we discuss and practice,” Jumper said. “She balanced the emotions of competing in a big meet, she is improving technically, and she has worked super hard in the weight room during the offseason. When you work hard consistently and you prepare mentally/emotionally, great performances are going to happen.”
Ankeny Centennial’s Teagan Jackson also competed in that event. She jumped 16-2.75 on her third attempt and placed 22nd overall.
“Teagan had a nice outing for her first individual Drake Relays performance,” said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. “She improved through her series and made some nice adjustments.”
Mecklenburg went past the previous record on all six of her jumps. Her new mark is more than a foot better than the old record of 19-3.75 set by Cedar Rapids Washington’s LaNeisha Waller in 2004.
Mecklenberg’s sensational performance came after she lost to Clear Lake’s Reese Brownlee by a quarter of an inch at last year’s Drake Relays. The senior is the state’s all-time leader in the long jump at 20-8.25.
Two other Centennial girls, junior Ellie Blevins and freshman Natalie Cogdill, competed in the 3,000. The Jaguars were the only team with two competitors in the race.
“Tonight was honestly a great night for races just before the storm rolled in,” said Blevins. “Natalie and me were super proud to represent Centennial but obviously with that pride comes great pressure, and with the race being our first open race at the Drake Relays, we were feeling it full force. Despite the pressure, it was so amazing to have her with me through the race and to be able to hit the finish line knowing she is always there for me.”
Blevins placed 10th in a time of 10:07.67. Charlee Gall of Cedar Falls won the race in 9:34.75, becoming the first repeat winner in that event since Ballard’s Paityn Noe in 2022-23.
“I can’t really speak for Natalie much, but I know we were both pretty content with ourselves after the race,” Blevins said. “Still, we are both hungry for more and really haven’t settled. We are both extremely alike in our driven nature, and I really enjoy training and racing alongside her.”
Cogdill finished 19th in 10:19.95.
“Along with Ellie, Natalie had a very nice first race at Drake,” Asbe said. “It’s so valuable for these athletes to get this big-meet experience in individual events leading into the state meet next month.”
Gall stayed back in the pack early, began moving up at the halfway point and pulled away over the final three laps to become the state leader in the event. Mount Vernon’s Evelyn Moeller, the previous leader, was second in 9:37.37.
Centennial senior Davis Johnson was the only boy from Ankeny’s two largest schools competing on Thursday. He placed 16th in the 3,200 with a time of 9:26.07.
Western Dubuque of Epworth star Quentin Nauman used a late kick to win the race in 8:57.64. He ran the final 400 meters in 54.94 seconds to pass Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Slader Buckheister and Bettendorf’s AJ Willey to post the fastest time in the state this year.
Nauman began his quest for another distance triple by repeating his title in the 3,200. He will run in the 800 on Friday and will be favored in the Elite High School Mile on Saturday.