Saturday’s Johnston Invitational was essentially a preview of the CIML Conference girls’ swimming meet to be held later this month at the Waukee Natatorium.
Six of the seven squads from the CIML comprised more than half of the 11-team field in Saturday’s meet at Summit Middle School. Eighth-ranked Valley was the only CIML school that did not participate.
No. 7 Ankeny finished in the middle of the pack. Coach Dustin Rhoads’ team placed sixth with 134 points.
“We had a solid day,” said Rhoads, whose team is now 17-10 overall on the season. “Times were all across the board, but it was great for us to get to race some of the best teams in the state and continue to get good racing experience.”
No. 1 Dowling Catholic easily defended its team title. The Maroons racked up 272 points, 76 more than No. 2 Waukee Northwest.
Ankeny was led by junior Charlie Villhauer, who returned to action after missing the previous two meets and placed second in the 100 butterfly in 59.35 seconds. She was edged by Elise Knispel of Council Bluffs Lewis Central, who won the race in 59.20 and then added another win in the 500 freestyle shortly thereafter.
Villhauer swam the first 50 in 27.40, putting her .55 ahead of Knispel. But the Lewis Central sophomore then swam the final 50 in 31.25 to earn the victory.
Still, Villhauer moved up from ranking 27th in the state in that event to a tie for 13th.
“I was really happy for Charlie to be back in the lineup and to get the state auto qualifying time,” Rhoads said.
Villhauer’s sister, Holland, placed seventh in the same event. She was clocked in 1:02.28.
Julianna White took seventh in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:14.46.
“Holland and Julianna also had season-best times so that was awesome to see, and I was very proud of them as well,” Rhoads said.
Ankeny’s Maggie Blackmore placed sixth in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:02.77. She later took 10th in the 100 freestyle in 56.74 seconds.
Avery Anderson placed sixth in the 500 freestyle in 5:31.72. She earlier finished 10th in the 200 freestyle in 2:05.66.
Piper Hedrick placed sixth in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:22.21. She then added a ninth-place finish in the 500 freestyle in 5:36.98.
Rowen Hutzell also contributed a pair of top-10 finishes. She placed 10th in the 200 IM in 2:23.96 and took eighth in the breaststroke in 1:14.91.
Isla Corron was Ankeny’s top finisher in the diving event. She placed 14th with a total of 313.25 points.
Ankeny opened the swimming portion of the meet with a fourth-place finish in the 200 medley relay. The foursome of Abigail Brugman, Charlie Villhauer, Hutzell and Hedrick posted a time of 1:56.60.
Villhauer and Brugman teamed up with Blackmore and Allie Breuner for a seventh-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. They were clocked in 1:45.43.
Ankeny later took sixth in the 400 freestyle relay. The quartet of Blackmore, Villhauer, Hedrick and Anderson posted a time of 3:48.76.
Dowling won all three relays, including a narrow victory over Northwest in the 200 freestyle relay. Kimber Corwin put the Maroons ahead on the third leg, then Charlotte Qualley held on for the win.
Corwin won both the 200 and 100 freestyle events. Qualley took the 200 IM and then finished third in the butterfly behind Knispel and Villhauer.
Dowling also got wins from Mylee Dirks in the diving and Ginger Fay in the breaststroke.
Ankeny will travel to Southeast Polk on Tuesday for its final conference dual meet of the season. The No. 18 Rams, who placed eighth in Saturday’s meet with 73 points, are 0-4 in the league and 9-22 overall.
“We are still in a good spot, and I am excited for this team,” Rhoads said. “We will keep working hard and preparing for the big meets coming up! We now know who we are hosting for regionals as well. The end of the season is coming up quickly and while that can be somewhat sad, it is the most exciting time of the season as well and what we work so hard for!”
No. 9 Boone, which placed fourth at Saturday’s meet with 173 points, will be among the teams at the Ankeny regional on Nov. 7. No. 4 Iowa City West is also in the field.