For the second year in a row, the Ankeny boys’ cross country team will have to rebuild after losing its top runner to graduation.
Isaiah Smith qualified for last year’s Class 4A state meet as an individual and placed 27th in a time of 16:01.5. He was a four-time state qualifier who earned a spot on the awards podium as a sophomore in 2023, when he took 15th while helping the Hawks to a third-place finish.
Smith competed in only five other races last season, but was the team’s top finisher at every meet. He earned all-conference honors with a seventh-place finish at the CIML Conference meet, where he led Ankeny to a seventh-place finish.
Smith’s departure follows the graduation of former teammate Ethan Zuber one year earlier. Zuber won back-to-back state titles in 2023-24.
Now, Ankeny coach Jon Lindaman is trying to find a new No. 1 runner.
“Over the past couple of years we have lost not only some great runners, but also some great leaders,” said Lindaman. “As I have said before with Levi Hill, Jake Bosch and Ethan Zuber, you can’t replace kids like Ike Smith, but you can hope that the younger kids picked up on how to work hard, be coachable, and approach the sport like those guys did. Our senior class only has seven kids out, so it will be really important for those kids to step up and demonstrate great leadership. We will also need our younger kids to step up and fill these roles.”
Lindaman’s roster consists of about 70 runners. Many of them are involved in other activities this fall.
“Getting through these first couple weeks until school starts is always a juggling act,” Lindaman said. “The kids that are serious about improving have worked really hard throughout the summer and the first couple weeks of practice.”
Ankeny boasts four returning varsity regulars. Senior Brayden Nixt and juniors Benton Schuchart and Isaiah Swanson all ran in at least seven races a year ago, while sophomore Gus Brown competed in the first four meets.
Schuchart placed 32nd in a state qualifying meet at Marshalltown in a time of 17:13. Nixt finished 37th in 17:33.
Brown took fourth in the 9/10 race at the Jaguar Invitational in 17:00. Swanson and Schuchart placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the same race.
“Brayden, Isaiah and Benton all had really good summers, and so did (senior) Jackson Schulz. They will all play major roles as varsity runners for us,” Lindaman said. “Gus and (freshman) Jack Vonnahme both have potential to be really special athletes and some of the best runners in their respective grades. They are both in really good shape, and we will lean heavily on these youngsters to help lead us.
Cody Banks, Colby Fahrmann, Elijah Thompson and Luke Vesperman will all contend for varsity spots, Lindaman said. Banks joined the lineup at the end of last season and placed 38th in the state qualifying meet in 17:35.
“We are a really young team, and the quicker these guys can figure out how to train smart, be coachable and race with confidence, the better off we will be,” Lindaman said. “In addition, we will also need to work hard on the mental side of the sport. Our staff always tells kids that little things equal big things, and just running more miles doesn’t make better runners. We will work hard to create a positive team culture where these kids can grow.”
Ankeny will open the season on Tuesday by competing in the Jaguar Invitational at DMACC. The Hawks placed fourth at last year’s meet.
Lindaman said his team will still have high aspirations in 2026.
“Our goals remain the same regardless who graduates, and who we have coming back,” he said. “We expect to compete hard, qualify for the state meet, run our best races at the end of the season, and achieve something we didn’t think was attainable at the start of the year.”