Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Cross Country

No. 1 Centennial girls place 4th at Bobcat Invitational, suffer their first loss of season

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The top-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team suffered its first loss of the season on Thursday. After winning their first two meets, the Jaguars placed fourth among 17 teams in the Bobcat Invitational at Marshalltown Community College. They finished with 115 points. No. 3 Johnston scored 76 points and captured the title for the fourth … [Read more...] about No. 1 Centennial girls place 4th at Bobcat Invitational, suffer their first loss of season

‘Our girls came prepared’: Jaguars win title in heat, while Ankeny boys place 3rd

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The conditions were brutal for the 58th Kirk Schmaltz Invitational cross country meet on Thursday in Ames. The 90-degree temperatures and high humidity didn't seem to bother the Ankeny Centennial girls' team, though. The top-ranked Jaguars easily won the team title on the Iowa State course with 57 points, finishing 23 points ahead of No. 2 Waukee … [Read more...] about ‘Our girls came prepared’: Jaguars win title in heat, while Ankeny boys place 3rd

‘My team did really well’: Centennial girls edge No. 1 Wolves to win Jaguar Invite

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A showdown between the top two girls' cross country teams in Class 4A lived up to the hype. Second-ranked Ankeny Centennial opened its season on Tuesday by edging No. 1 Waukee Northwest to win the Jaguar Early Bird Invitational at DMACC. The Jaguars scored 41 points when the results of the two races were merged, while Northwest--the defending state … [Read more...] about ‘My team did really well’: Centennial girls edge No. 1 Wolves to win Jaguar Invite

‘There’s a lot of excitement and energy’: Hawkettes get fresh start under Einertson

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The new head coach of the Ankeny girls' cross country team is already familiar with many of his runners. Josh Eintertson, an assistant coach for the Ankeny girls' track squad, has taken over the Hawkettes' program. He replaces TJ Jumper, who resigned in May after accepting a new job as the Director of Great Oaks High School in Des Moines. Jumper … [Read more...] about ‘There’s a lot of excitement and energy’: Hawkettes get fresh start under Einertson

Centennial’s Cogdill, Fickbohm named Class 4A at-large XC coaches of the year

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Ankeny Centennial cross country coaches Eric Cogdill and Chad Fickbohm have been named Class 4A at-large coaches of the year by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. The IATC announced the awards following its fall meeting on Sunday. This is the seventh time that Cogdill has been honored. He guided the Centennial girls' team to a fifth-place finish in … [Read more...] about Centennial’s Cogdill, Fickbohm named Class 4A at-large XC coaches of the year

Ankeny’s Madetzke to join Missouri St. women’s track, cross country programs

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The decision to focus on her running career has paid off for Ankeny senior Makenna Madetzke. Madetzke, who spent a lot of time playing soccer until her junior year, will join the Missouri State women's track and cross country programs in 2026. She signed a letter of intent with the Lady Bears earlier this week. "I looked at a lot of schools and took … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Madetzke to join Missouri St. women’s track, cross country programs

Ankeny’s Madetzke, Smith overcome adversity to finish careers at state meet

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Ankeny seniors Makenna Madetzke and Isaiah Smith closed out their high school cross country careers on Saturday in similar fashion. They both competed in the Class 4A state meet at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge as individuals after their respective teams failed to qualify. "It was a little different, but I train a lot alone in the winter time," … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Madetzke, Smith overcome adversity to finish careers at state meet

Smith, Madetzke advance to state, but qualifying streak ends for Ankeny squads

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Ankeny cross country standout Isaiah Smith has earned a fourth consecutive trip to the boys' Class 4A state meet. Another senior, Makenna Madetzke, has qualified for the third time in the girls' race. This year, though, their respective teams will not be joining them. "It's really sad and kind of tragic to not have the team behind me," said … [Read more...] about Smith, Madetzke advance to state, but qualifying streak ends for Ankeny squads

‘It was another great day for racing’: Jags place 3rd, Ankeny takes 7th at CIML meet

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team was hoping to win its first CIML Conference title since 2022, which was also the last time the meet was held at Johnston. After placing second behind Johnston in each of the last two years, the third-ranked Jaguars raced to a third-place finish on Wednesday. They finished with 67 points. No. 2 Waukee … [Read more...] about ‘It was another great day for racing’: Jags place 3rd, Ankeny takes 7th at CIML meet

Centennial girls place 2nd at Fort Dodge; Hawkettes finish 11th behind Madetzke

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Many of the girls' cross country teams competing in the Fort Dodge Invitational on Thursday will likely be back at Lakeside Golf Course on Nov. 1 for the Class 4A state meet. It provided a good test run for the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial squad, which placed second among 25 teams with 90 points. No. 3 Waukee Northwest captured the team title with 57 … [Read more...] about Centennial girls place 2nd at Fort Dodge; Hawkettes finish 11th behind Madetzke

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ivy Wiegand, Ankeny girls’ cross country

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Senior Ivy Wiegand led the 20th-ranked Ankeny girls' cross country team to a ninth-place finish in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Thursday. She placed 35th in the 5K race with a time of 21 minutes 34 seconds. Wiegand placed 89th for the Hawkettes in last year's Class 4A state meet. She was clocked in 20:14. Here is some inside info on … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ivy Wiegand, Ankeny girls’ cross country

Shorthanded Hawkettes race to 9th-place finish on difficult course at S.E. Polk Invite

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A shorthanded Ankeny girls' cross country team competed in the Southeast Polk Invitational on Thursday. And if that wasn't enough of a challenge, the course itself proved to be very difficult. "The course was modified this year because of some construction on the football stadium, which resulted in the runners running two more hills than last year," … [Read more...] about Shorthanded Hawkettes race to 9th-place finish on difficult course at S.E. Polk Invite

‘It was another good competitive effort’: Jaguar boys take 5th at Heartland Classic

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The fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team earned a fifth-place finish in the Heartland Classic on Saturday at Central College in Pella. The Jaguars scored 179 points. Ankeny, meanwhile, took 13th in the 24-team field with 327 points. "It was another good competitive effort from the guys," said Centennial coach Chad Fickbohm. "It was … [Read more...] about ‘It was another good competitive effort’: Jaguar boys take 5th at Heartland Classic

Centennial boys, Ankeny teams turn in strong races at ‘competitive’ Bobcat Invite

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A total of 40 boys' and girls' cross country teams competed in the Bobcat Invitational on Thursday at Marshalltown Community College, including both Ankeny squads and the Ankeny Centennial boys' team. The fourth-ranked Jaguars placed fourth among 23 squads in the boys' division with 151 points. "It was another confidence-building race for us," … [Read more...] about Centennial boys, Ankeny teams turn in strong races at ‘competitive’ Bobcat Invite

Ankeny’s Madetzke wins Schmaltz Invite; Centennial girls earn runner-up finish

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The race for the individual girls' title in the Kirk Schmaltz Invitational on Thursday came down to a trio of cross country runners from Ankeny. Ankeny's Makenna Madetzke outdueled the Ankeny Centennial duo of Rebecca Flick and Ellie Blevins to win the 5K race at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. Madetzke posted a time of 17 minutes 57 … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Madetzke wins Schmaltz Invite; Centennial girls earn runner-up finish

Flick, Blevins lead Centennial girls to runner-up finish at Jaguar Invitational

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team opened its season on Tuesday by placing second in the Jaguar Invitational at DMACC. The 12th-ranked Jaguars scored 55 points when the results of the two girls' races were combined. No. 3 Waukee Northwest won the meet with 36 points. "Our coaching staff is very proud of our girls as they fought off … [Read more...] about Flick, Blevins lead Centennial girls to runner-up finish at Jaguar Invitational

‘You go, I go’: Hawkettes hope to continue recent success by stressing teamwork

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The Ankeny girls' cross country team has been remarkably consistent over the last few years. The Hawkettes placed seventh in last year's Class 4A state meet with 195 points. It was the team's third straight seventh-place finish after placing sixth in 2021, which was the program's highest finish since taking fifth in 1988. However, Ankeny coach TJ … [Read more...] about ‘You go, I go’: Hawkettes hope to continue recent success by stressing teamwork

Iowa Association of Track Coaches’ preseason cross country rankings are out

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The preseason cross country rankings have been released by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. Here is the complete top 20 for both the girls and boys in Class 4A: Girls 1. Johnston 2. Pleasant Valley 3. Waukee Northwest 4. Waukee 5. Iowa City High 6. Cedar Falls 7. Dubuque Senior 8. ANKENY 9. Valley 10. Dubuque … [Read more...] about Iowa Association of Track Coaches’ preseason cross country rankings are out

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ainsley Kiene, Ankeny girls’ basketball

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Junior guard Ainsley Kiene had six points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals to help the Ankeny girls' basketball team to a 66-28 victory over visiting Ames in its season opener on Saturday. Kiene averaged 11.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore as the Hawkettes posted a 13-10 record. She earned all-conference honorable mention … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ainsley Kiene, Ankeny girls’ basketball