Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Dan Holm

‘I knew that Cornell was the perfect fit’: Benkufsky to play tennis for Rams

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Ankeny Centennial senior Jenna Benkufsky has committed to play tennis at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. It took Benkufsky a little while to find the right school for her. "I looked at a number schools within Iowa and one was no better than the other, but when I visited Cornell, I just knew that it was the school for me to continue not only my … [Read more...] about ‘I knew that Cornell was the perfect fit’: Benkufsky to play tennis for Rams

Ankeny bowling teams post season-high scores, but tumble to Johnston again

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The Ankeny bowling teams closed out the first part of their season with losses to Southeast Polk and Johnston. The Ankeny girls' squad nearly picked up its second victory on Dec. 21 at Game Day Lanes, but the Hawkettes came up just short in a loss to Johnston--falling by a score of 2,121 to 2,108. Still, it was the team's best score of the season. The … [Read more...] about Ankeny bowling teams post season-high scores, but tumble to Johnston again

Centennial girls pull away from No. 3 North Polk, head into 2024 with 5-5 mark

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team may have turned its season around prior to the holiday break. After ending a five-game losing streak with a win over their crosstown rival three nights earlier, the sixth-ranked Jaguars evened their overall record at 5-5 with a 58-43 victory over visiting North Polk in a non-conference game on Dec. 22. "We … [Read more...] about Centennial girls pull away from No. 3 North Polk, head into 2024 with 5-5 mark

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Brock Peterson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

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Junior Brock Peterson has helped the Ankeny boys' swimming team to a No. 7 ranking in the state with 3,232 power points. The Hawks boast a 3-4 dual-meet record, including a 1-2 mark in the CIML Conference. Peterson is ranked 17th in Iowa in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.48 seconds. He is 19th in the 100 backstroke (55.47) and 23rd in the 200 … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Brock Peterson, Ankeny boys’ swimming

‘TREVER IS A BAD DUDE’: UNI’s Anderson knocks off top-ranked Camacho

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Former Ankeny wrestling standout Trever Anderson posted the biggest victory of his collegiate career on Tuesday during the 2023 edition of the Journeymen Collegiate Duals at the Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tenn. Anderson, a redshirt freshman at Northern Iowa who is the No. 32/31 wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds, stunned North Carolina … [Read more...] about ‘TREVER IS A BAD DUDE’: UNI’s Anderson knocks off top-ranked Camacho

Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Finley Blackmore, Centennial girls’ hoops

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Junior guard Finley Blackmore has helped the sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball team to a 4-5 record. She scored six points in the Jaguars' 50-49 victory over visiting Ankeny on Tuesday. Blackmore is averaging 5.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. She has made 11-of-34 attempts from 3-point range (32.4 percent). Here is some inside info … [Read more...] about Revive Clinic and Spa Prep of the Week: Finley Blackmore, Centennial girls’ hoops

PIN TO WIN: Hawks record 6 falls, rally from huge deficit to beat No. 12 Carlisle

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The last time the Ankeny wrestlers competed at Carlisle, the Hawks weren't happy with their performance. It was a different story on Thursday. Ankeny, the No. 17 team in the Class 3A dual rankings, recorded six falls and posted a 36-31 victory at No. 12 Carlisle in a non-conference meet. The Hawks evened their overall mark at 5-5. "We were in … [Read more...] about PIN TO WIN: Hawks record 6 falls, rally from huge deficit to beat No. 12 Carlisle

‘We did what we needed to do’: Jaguars top Lewis Central, Valley on Senior Night

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The Ankeny Centennial wrestlers remained unbeaten in dual-meet competition with a pair of victories on Thursday on its Senior Night. The host Jaguars rolled to a 66-6 win over Council Bluffs Lewis Central in a non-conference meet, then followed with a 43-22 triumph over Valley in a CIML Conference dual. They raised their records to 4-0 in the league and … [Read more...] about ‘We did what we needed to do’: Jaguars top Lewis Central, Valley on Senior Night

Centennial boys make 13 3-point goals, cruise to 75-38 win at Des Moines Hoover

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The Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team connected on 13-of-23 attempts from 3-point range and rolled to a 75-38 victory at Des Moines Hoover in a non-conference game on Thursday. Nick Vaske made four treys and finished with a season-high 17 points as the Jaguars raised their overall record to 6-2. Hoover dropped to 1-5. "We all shot it really … [Read more...] about Centennial boys make 13 3-point goals, cruise to 75-38 win at Des Moines Hoover

‘I loved the atmosphere and energy’: Smith to run for Nebraska-Omaha

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Ankeny senior Lillian Smith has decided to continue her track and field career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Smith announced on social media earlier this week that she had committed to the Mavericks' program. "It was a tough decision because every school I visited had pros and cons," Smith said. "However, I immediately loved UNO once I got on … [Read more...] about ‘I loved the atmosphere and energy’: Smith to run for Nebraska-Omaha

Winkel, Jaguars use late run to snap Ankeny boys’ 6-game winning streak

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An unlikely hero emerged for the Ankeny Centennial boys' basketball team on Tuesday. Junior Cabryn Klingner made a 3-point goal to give the Jaguars a 53-51 lead over visiting Ankeny with 3 minutes 20 seconds left to play in a CIML Conference game. It was Klingner's only basket of the night, but it sparked a 14-1 run that allowed Centennial to pull away … [Read more...] about Winkel, Jaguars use late run to snap Ankeny boys’ 6-game winning streak

Hawk swimmers drop to 3-4 with loss to No. 7 Ames, look ahead to holiday break

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It's been a challenging first month of the season for the Ankeny boys' swimming team. The eighth-ranked Hawks had already lost three dual meets to a trio of top-five opponents prior to Tuesday's non-conference matchup against No. 7 Ames. The visiting Little Cyclones dropped Ankeny's overall record to 3-4 with a 104-66 victory at Trail Point Aquatics … [Read more...] about Hawk swimmers drop to 3-4 with loss to No. 7 Ames, look ahead to holiday break

‘It was a whole team effort’: Centennial girls hold off Hawkettes in rivalry thriller

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Mya Crawford and her teammates on the Ankeny Centennial girls' basketball squad didn't want to go into the holiday break with another CIML Conference loss. Crawford scored a game-high 18 points and forced a big turnover in the final seconds as the Jaguars held on for a 50-49 victory over visiting Ankeny on Tuesday. The win allowed sixth-ranked Centennial … [Read more...] about ‘It was a whole team effort’: Centennial girls hold off Hawkettes in rivalry thriller

Schutty: PWO offer from Northern Illinois was ‘perfect fit for me and my family’

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Ankeny Centennial tight end Chase Schutty will be joining the Northern Illinois football program as a preferred walk-on. Schutty becomes the third player from Ankeny in the Class of 2024 to commit to the Huskies. Centennial running back Elijah Porter, whose brother Trey is already on the NIU roster, and Ankeny receiver Devon Akers previously committed to … [Read more...] about Schutty: PWO offer from Northern Illinois was ‘perfect fit for me and my family’

Ankeny girls roll past Perry, but then tumble to Raccoon River-Northwest

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Two very different opponents awaited the Ankeny girls' wrestling team on Tuesday at Waukee Northwest. Ankeny opened the double dual meet with a 63-5 victory over Perry in a non-conference matchup. Coach Dustin Roland's squad then dropped a 43-33 decision to host Raccoon River-Northwest in a CIML Conference dual. "It was a rough night for us on the … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls roll past Perry, but then tumble to Raccoon River-Northwest

‘It’s been a good switch for me’: Murray returns home, helps Vikings to 11-1 start

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The transition to the NAIA level is going smoothly for former Ankeny Centennial basketball standout Cleao Murray. After spending one year at Missouri Western, Murray returned home and has helped the Grand View women's team to an 11-1 start this season, including an 8-1 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. The 5-foot-8 sophomore guard scored … [Read more...] about ‘It’s been a good switch for me’: Murray returns home, helps Vikings to 11-1 start