Ankeny track star Lena Bruening has verbally committed to the University of South Dakota.
Bruening picked the Coyotes after making an official visit to Vermillion.
“I looked at a good amount of schools and had it narrowed down to three, but when I took my official visit I knew I was going to go there,” said Bruening. “The thing I love the most about USD is the coaching staff and their dedication to not only track but the athletes as people, and the girls I met there were all super great. Overall, it was a great experience that made me have the feeling of belonging there.”
Bruening helped Ankeny to a third-place finish in the Class 4A state meet last spring. It was the Hawkettes’ highest finish since 1997.
Bruening ran on a pair of state champion relays. She ran on the distance medley relay that posted an all-time Iowa best time of 3:55.44, and she also ran on the sprint medley relay that set a Class 4A record of 1:43.06.
Bruening placed fourth in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet. She also took 13th in the 200 in 25.51 seconds.
Bruening ran on the winning sprint medley relay at the Drake Relays, where she also placed third in the long jump. During the season, she cracked Ankeny’s all-time lists in the long jump, 100 hurdles and 200.
