All season long, the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams have taken turns defeating each other. On Thursday, the crosstown rivals waged their closest battle yet in the CIML Iowa Conference meet at DMACC. In the end, 11th-ranked Centennial and No. 12 Ankeny both finished with 51 points to tie for second place behind No. 9 Waukee … [Read more...] about Hill wins conference title; Hawks edge Centennial for 2nd place on tiebreaker
Boys' Cross Country
Ankeny Fanatic Preps of the Week: Tyler Schermerhorn and Levi Hill
Senior Tyler Schermerhorn helped the 15th-ranked Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team to a seventh-place finish in the Fort Dodge Invitational on Thursday at Lakeside Golf Course, while junior Levi Hill led No. 12 Ankeny to an eighth-place finish. Schermerhorn placed 28th in the 5k race with a time of 16 minutes 45 seconds. Earlier this fall, he was … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Preps of the Week: Tyler Schermerhorn and Levi Hill
Centennial boys top Ankeny by 18 points for 7th place at Fort Dodge Invite
The last time the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams ran against each other, the Hawks edged the Jaguars by five points for seventh place in the Bobcat Invitational on Sept. 9 at Marshalltown. On Thursday, 15th-ranked Centennial reversed the outcome against its crosstown rival. The Jaguars placed seventh among 26 teams in the Fort … [Read more...] about Centennial boys top Ankeny by 18 points for 7th place at Fort Dodge Invite
Hawkettes race to victory at Rim Rock Farm Classic; Ankeny boys finish 14th
The Ankeny girls' cross country team picked a good time to win its first title of the season. It came on Saturday at the prestigious Rim Rock Farm Classic at the University of Kansas. The Hawkettes, who are ranked eighth in Class 4A, captured the crown in the Girls' Crimson division with 77 points. Topeka-Seaman (Kan.) placed second in the 21-team … [Read more...] about Hawkettes race to victory at Rim Rock Farm Classic; Ankeny boys finish 14th
Ankeny cross country teams enter JV lineups, finish 7th at Cardinal Invite
The Ankeny boys' and girls' cross country teams both placed seventh in the Cardinal Invitational on Tuesday at Newton. The meet was held at Maytag Park. The Hawks and Hawkettes are both preparing to run in the Rim Rock Classic on Saturday at the University of Kansas, so head coaches Jon Lindaman and Eric Klingensmith both elected to enter junior varsity … [Read more...] about Ankeny cross country teams enter JV lineups, finish 7th at Cardinal Invite
Macke leads Hawkettes to runner-up finish at Cedar Falls; Hawks place 3rd
Alli Macke and the Ankeny girls' cross country team turned in another strong performance Thursday in the Rich Engel Classic at Birdsall Park in Cedar Falls. The Ankeny boys' squad took a step forward, too. Macke, a freshman, earned her first victory in a varsity race to lead the eighth-ranked Hawkettes to a runner-up finish in the 17-team field. … [Read more...] about Macke leads Hawkettes to runner-up finish at Cedar Falls; Hawks place 3rd
Ankeny to host Class 4A state qualifying cross country meet on Oct. 20
Ankeny has been named one of the host sites for the Class 4A state qualifying cross country meets on Wednesday, Oct. 20. Ankeny Activities Director Andy Umthun is the meet manager, which means the Ankeny boys' and girls' squads will be in the field. It seems likely that Ankeny Centennial will also be in the field, but the team assignments will be … [Read more...] about Ankeny to host Class 4A state qualifying cross country meet on Oct. 20
Hawks place 7th at Marshalltown, finish just ahead of Centennial boys
After finishing three spots ahead of Ankeny Centennial at the season-opening Dragon Twilight Invitational on Aug. 28, the Ankeny boys' cross country team finished three spots behind the Jaguars five days later at the KirK Schmaltz Invitational. On Thursday at the Bobcat Invitational in Marshalltown, the crosstown rivals waged their closest battle yet this … [Read more...] about Hawks place 7th at Marshalltown, finish just ahead of Centennial boys
A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: Jags place 4th, Hawks finish 7th at Schmaltz Invite
On Saturday, the Ankeny boys' cross country team finished 34 points ahead of Ankeny Centennial in the Dragon Twilight Invitational at Johnston High School. Five days later, the Jaguars reversed the outcome against their crosstown rival. Fifteenth-ranked Centennial placed fourth among 14 teams in the Kirk Schmaltz Invitational on Thursday at the Iowa … [Read more...] about A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: Jags place 4th, Hawks finish 7th at Schmaltz Invite
Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finish at Dragon Twilight Invitational
It appears that the Ankeny boys' and girls' cross country teams may have been underrated in the Class 4A preseason rankings. Both squads opened their season on Saturday night by placing second in the Dragon Twilight Invitational at Johnston High School. The Hawks and Hawkettes defeated multiple higher-ranked teams, including Ankeny Centennial. "I'm … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finish at Dragon Twilight Invitational
A strong group of senior runners to lead the way for Ankeny boys’ squad
The Ankeny boys' cross country team came up three points shy of qualifying for last year's Class 4A state meet. The Hawks' fourth-place finish in a district meet at Marshalltown has provided a lot of motivation in the offseason. "After a somewhat disappointing finish to our varsity season last year, our guys are really locked in to having a great … [Read more...] about A strong group of senior runners to lead the way for Ankeny boys’ squad
‘I felt like Wartburg was the best fit for me’: Ankeny’s Poock commits to Knights
Ankeny distance runner Andrew Poock has committed to Wartburg College. Poock picked the Knights over Central and Simpson. All three schools are members of the NCAA Division III American Rivers Conference. "I looked at Iowa State first, but after looking at Central, Simpson and Wartburg I liked the feel of the smaller schools better," Poock said. "I … [Read more...] about ‘I felt like Wartburg was the best fit for me’: Ankeny’s Poock commits to Knights
Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team
During his long tenure as the Ankeny boys' cross country coach, Steve Arneson guided dozens of runners to an appearance in the state meet. Ankeny qualified for state for 22 consecutive years from 1990-2011, the third-longest streak in state history. Only Cedar Falls (1992-2016) and Monticello (1997-2019) have had longer streaks. Arneson coached the … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team
Centennial boys place 9th at state, earn highest finish in school history
Gabriel Vicker had yet to see the results from the boys' Class 4A state cross country meet. But the Ankeny Centennial senior was pretty confident that his team had reached its goal. "Our team's goal was top 10, and we're really hoping we got that," said Vicker. "I saw the guys finish in a pretty close pack that wasn't too far behind me, so we're hoping … [Read more...] about Centennial boys place 9th at state, earn highest finish in school history
Blimpie Sub of the Week: Michael Hayden, Ankeny boys’ cross country
Junior Michael Hayden is a member of the Ankeny boys' cross country team. Hayden placed seventh with a time of 18 minutes 9 seconds in the CIML Iowa Conference junior varsity race on Oct. 15 at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. He helped the Hawks to a runner-up finish in the JV division. "Michael has been awesome all year," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Michael Hayden, Ankeny boys’ cross country
Hawkettes advance to state for first time since 2016; Cox also qualifies for Hawks
The Ankeny girls' cross country team is headed to the state meet for the first time since 2016. The Hawkettes will be joined in Fort Dodge by Cael Cox of the Ankeny boys' squad, who also advanced as an individual with a 15th-place finish in a Class 4A district meet on Wednesday at Marshalltown. However, the Hawks came up three points short of … [Read more...] about Hawkettes advance to state for first time since 2016; Cox also qualifies for Hawks
Jags earn 1st conference title in school history; Ankeny places 3rd behind Cox
Prior to this season, the Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team had never finished higher than fourth at a conference meet. That's why winning the CIML Iowa Conference title was such a huge goal for the Jaguars. Mission accomplished. Eleventh-ranked Centennial placed five runners in the top 10 and easily won the league crown on Thursday at the … [Read more...] about Jags earn 1st conference title in school history; Ankeny places 3rd behind Cox
Cross country assignments: Jags return to C.B., Ankeny back to Marshalltown
All four of the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial cross country teams appear to be in good position to qualify for this year's state meet. The Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union and the Iowa High School Athletic Association announced the state qualifying meet assignments on Wednesday. For the second straight year, the Ankeny teams will compete at … [Read more...] about Cross country assignments: Jags return to C.B., Ankeny back to Marshalltown
Ankeny Fanatic Preps of the Week: Connor Cunningham and Andrew Poock
Seniors Connor Cunningham and Andrew Poock are enjoying strong seasons for the Ankeny Centennial and Ankeny boys' cross country teams, respectively. Cunningham, who is ranked 15th in Class 4A, placed 12th in the A Division of the Fort Dodge Invitational on Thursday with a time of 16 minutes 55 seconds. He helped the 11th-ranked Jaguars to a fourth-place … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Preps of the Week: Connor Cunningham and Andrew Poock
McMahon avenges her only loss, while Ankeny boys claim Fort Dodge crown
Thursday was a good night for Lauren McMahon and the Ankeny girls' cross country team. The Ankeny boys' squad, and both Ankeny Centennial teams, also had some good performances at the Fort Dodge Invitational. The meet consisted of two separate pods so Ankeny's crosstown rivals did not race against each other. The top-ranked McMahon avenged her only … [Read more...] about McMahon avenges her only loss, while Ankeny boys claim Fort Dodge crown