Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Girls' Swimming

‘It was just to have fun’: Seniors race their coaches following victory over S.E. Polk

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Madi Trosper anchored the final relay of the night on behalf of the Ankeny girls' swimming team, and it came down to a photo finish on Tuesday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. But by that point, seventh-ranked Ankeny had already defeated No. 17 Southeast Polk, 136-50, for its first CIML Conference victory of the … [Read more...] about ‘It was just to have fun’: Seniors race their coaches following victory over S.E. Polk

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Maggie Blackmore, Ankeny girls’ swimming

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Ankeny sophomore Maggie Blackmore earned a pair of top-eight individual finishes in the Johnston Invitational girls' swimming meet on Saturday, helping her team to a fifth-place finish overall. She placed seventh in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:03.67 and finished sixth in the 100 freestyle in 57.69 seconds. Blackmore anchored Ankeny to a third-place … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Maggie Blackmore, Ankeny girls’ swimming

Villhauer posts automatic state qualifying time in 100 butterfly at Johnston Invite

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Ankeny sophomore Charlie Villhauer punched her ticket to the girls' state swimming meet with a fifth-place finish in the 100 butterfly on Saturday in the Johnston Invitational at Summit Middle School. Villhauer posted an automatic state qualifying time of 59.48 seconds, dropping more than 2 seconds off her previous season-best of 1:01.54. She had been … [Read more...] about Villhauer posts automatic state qualifying time in 100 butterfly at Johnston Invite

Ankeny swimmers top Newton, Roosevelt, Indianola to win Ankeny Quadrangular

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The Ankeny girls' swimming team cruised to a first-place finish in the Ankeny Quadrangular on Thursday at Trail Point Aquatics Center. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes racked up 648 points while raising their overall record to 7-6 on the season. No. 24 Newton was second with 496 points, followed by Des Moines Roosevelt with 424 and Indianola with 323. "It … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers top Newton, Roosevelt, Indianola to win Ankeny Quadrangular

‘We had fun with it’: Swimmers begin busy week with 132-54 loss to No. 1 Dowling

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There wasn't much pressure Tuesday on the Ankeny girls' swimming team. So coach Dustin Rhoads and his swimmers decided to have some fun in their home dual meet against top-ranked Dowling Catholic. "It was good to be back home competing. We enjoyed hosting Dowling," Rhoads said after his No. 7 squad dropped a 132-54 decision at Trail Point Aquatics … [Read more...] about ‘We had fun with it’: Swimmers begin busy week with 132-54 loss to No. 1 Dowling

Ankeny swimmers win 6 of first 8 events, but Johnston rallies for 102-84 victory

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The Ankeny and Johnston girls' swimming teams took turns earning first-place finishes during a CIML Conference dual meet on Tuesday at Summit Middle School. Each squad won six of the 12 events, but in the end the seventh-ranked Dragons relied on their depth to post a 102-84 victory. They improved to 3-1 in the conference and 15-2 overall, while No. 5 … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers win 6 of first 8 events, but Johnston rallies for 102-84 victory

‘We competed hard’: Ankeny swimmers drop 124-62 decision at No. 3 Cedar Falls

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The Ankeny girls' swimming team has already faced some of the state's top squads with its daunting schedule in the CIML Conference. On Thursday, the Hawkettes stepped out of the CIML for a non-conference dual meet at Cedar Falls. And it proved to be just as difficult. The third-ranked Tigers raised their overall record to 30-1 with a 124-62 victory … [Read more...] about ‘We competed hard’: Ankeny swimmers drop 124-62 decision at No. 3 Cedar Falls

Valley swimmers overcome 13-point deficit to post 95-90 victory over Ankeny

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The Ankeny girls' swimming team built a 61-48 lead after seven events during Tuesday's dual meet at Valley. The margin, however, wasn't enough to produce a victory. The 12th-ranked Tigers rallied over the last five events to beat No. 5 Ankeny, 95-90, for their first CIML Conference win. They improved to 1-2 in the league and 2-2 overall, while the … [Read more...] about Valley swimmers overcome 13-point deficit to post 95-90 victory over Ankeny

‘This was our best meet overall’: Ankeny wins 3 events in loss to No. 1 Waukee NW

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The final score of Tuesday's dual meet at Trail Point Aquatics Center didn't tell the whole story. The seventh-ranked Ankeny girls' swimming team dropped a 103-83 decision to visiting Waukee Northwest, but coach Dustin Rhoads was ecstatic about his squad's effort. Ankeny managed to win three events against the Wolves, who placed second at last year's … [Read more...] about ‘This was our best meet overall’: Ankeny wins 3 events in loss to No. 1 Waukee NW

‘It was a great home opener for us!’: Ankeny swimmers rout Mason City, 141-28

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Tuesday's home opener gave the Ankeny girls' swimming team a chance to mix up its lineup against an inferior opponent. Coach Dustin Rhoads' team still dominated the non-conference meet at Trail Point Aquatics Center. Ankeny won all 12 events and rolled to a 141-28 victory over Mason City. The Hawkettes improved to 4-1 on the season, while the … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great home opener for us!’: Ankeny swimmers rout Mason City, 141-28

Ankeny swimmers earn 5 victories, score 372 points to win Grinnell Quadrangular

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The Ankeny girls' swimming team won five events and easily defeated three opponents to capture the overall crown at the Grinnell Quadrangular on Thursday night. The Hawkettes racked up a total of 372 points. Grinnell was second with 242, followed by Newton with 241 and Indianola with 128. "It was nice to get three wins tonight!" said Ankeny coach … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers earn 5 victories, score 372 points to win Grinnell Quadrangular

‘It was a fun way to kick off our season’: Ankeny swimmers fall at Waukee, 106-80

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Coach Dustin Rhoads saw plenty of reasons to be optimistic after watching his Ankeny girls' swimming team open its season on Tuesday. Even though the Hawkettes dropped a 106-80 decision at Waukee, Rhoads came away from the CIML Conference dual meet fully convinced that his squad will continue to make progress throughout the season. "This is just the … [Read more...] about ‘It was a fun way to kick off our season’: Ankeny swimmers fall at Waukee, 106-80

Ankeny swimmers welcome back 5 state qualifiers, seek return to top-10 finish

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The Ankeny girls' swimming team is hoping that last year was just an aberration. After earning 10 consecutive top-10 finishes at the state meet, the Hawkettes slipped to a 29th-place finish in 2024. They scored just nine points after being disqualified in the 200 medley relay. Ankeny was seeded seventh in that event and posted a time of 1:51.01, which … [Read more...] about Ankeny swimmers welcome back 5 state qualifiers, seek return to top-10 finish

A CHANGE OF PLANS: Ankeny’s Lindaman to join women’s rowing program at Kansas

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When Ankeny swimmer Gracie Lindaman committed to join the women's rowing program at Iowa, she thought she'd be spending the next four years of her life in Iowa City. "I loved their staff, had some great connections with some of the other freshmen recruits, and I was familiar with campus," Lindaman said. Everything changed, though, just 24 hours before … [Read more...] about A CHANGE OF PLANS: Ankeny’s Lindaman to join women’s rowing program at Kansas

Girls’ state swimming and diving meet to move to Iowa City in fall of 2025

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The Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union announced on Monday that the girls' state swimming and diving meet is headed to Iowa City in the fall of 2025. Here is the press release from the IGHSAU: The Board of Directors of the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union approved the University of Iowa’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Center as the new home … [Read more...] about Girls’ state swimming and diving meet to move to Iowa City in fall of 2025

Ankeny diver Gagne closes out her career with 30th-place finish at state meet

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Ankeny senior Miranda Gagne earned a 30th-place finish in the state diving meet on Friday afternoon at Marshalltown. She posted a score of 142.50 points, but was not among the divers who qualified for the finals. Camryn Russell of Grinnell won the event with a score of 488.25 points, edging runner-up Kamila Swanson of Iowa City West by 1.35 points. … [Read more...] about Ankeny diver Gagne closes out her career with 30th-place finish at state meet

Ankeny’s Lindaman, Villhauer qualify for Saturday’s finals in individual events

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Ankeny's Gracie Lindaman and Charlie Villhauer already knew they'd be swimming in some relay events during the finals of the girls' state meet on Saturday at Marshalltown. Now, they'll be competing in an individual event, too. Both swimmers qualified for the finals with strong performances on Friday during the preliminaries. Villhauer advanced to the … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Lindaman, Villhauer qualify for Saturday’s finals in individual events

‘We had a great day at the pool!’: Ankeny swimmers qualify 9 girls for state meet

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There's still a lot of work to do, but the Ankeny girls' swimming team could be in position to earn another top-10 finish at the state meet. The seventh-ranked Hawkettes placed second in a regional meet on Saturday at Mason City. They finished with 401.5 points in the eight-team field, while No. 1 Dowling Catholic easily claimed the title with … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great day at the pool!’: Ankeny swimmers qualify 9 girls for state meet

‘Miranda had great confidence’: Ankeny diver Gagne qualifies for state swim meet

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Ankeny diver Miranda Gagne has qualified for next week's girls' state swim meet at Marshalltown. Gagne competed in a regional meet on Thursday at Johnston and posted a score of 324.75 points. She will be seeded 27th among the 32 state qualifiers. "Miranda had great confidence throughout the meet and really didn't make an error until her final dive," … [Read more...] about ‘Miranda had great confidence’: Ankeny diver Gagne qualifies for state swim meet