Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Spring

‘What a crazy day’: Jaguars place 6th, Hawkettes finish 8th at Centennial Invite

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Monday's windy conditions created some havoc for the 72 girls who competed in the Ankeny Centennial Invitational at Briarwood Golf Club. "What a crazy day to have your first meet," said Centennial coach John Petersen. "The wind was very difficult to handle. It was even hard to putt." Centennial opened its season by placing sixth in the 12-team field. … [Read more...] about ‘What a crazy day’: Jaguars place 6th, Hawkettes finish 8th at Centennial Invite

Ankeny’s Weichers wins No. 2 singles flight at Johnston Invitational

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The Ankeny boys' tennis team competed against three other squads at the Johnston Invitational on Saturday. Norwalk and Waukee also participated along with the host Dragons. Ankeny's Garrett Weichers won all three of his matches to win the No. 2 singles flight. That was the highlight of the day for the Hawks. Weichers posted a 10-1 win over Waukee's … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Weichers wins No. 2 singles flight at Johnston Invitational

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kira Smith, Ankeny girls’ tennis

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Senior Kira Smith is a two-time state qualifier for the Ankeny girls' tennis team. She has rejoined the program after spending the last 1 1/2 years at the Gomez Tennis Academy in Naples, Fla. Smith placed fourth in singles in Class 2A as a freshman in 2022, equaling the highest finish ever by an Ankeny player. She posted a 20-3 record, then went 12-6 as a … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Kira Smith, Ankeny girls’ tennis

Hawkettes, Jaguars earn several top-8 finishes in tuneup for Drake Relays

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Saturday's Jim Duncan Invitational proved to be a good tuneup for the Drake Relays for both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' track teams. Competing on the same blue oval that will host America's Athletic Classic in two weeks, the Hawkettes and Jaguars both earned several top-eight finishes while facing some of the state's top athletes. "I'm very … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars earn several top-8 finishes in tuneup for Drake Relays

Hawks romp past Indianola, then top Davenport North on Loder’s late heroics

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The Ankeny boys' soccer team evened its overall record at 2-2 by recording a pair of non-conference victories in a span of 24 hours. The Hawks got a late goal from Andrew Loder to beat visiting Davenport North, 2-1, on Friday. Loder scored off a pass from Landon Benge with less than 2 minutes left. The win followed Ankeny's 4-1 triumph at Indianola on … [Read more...] about Hawks romp past Indianola, then top Davenport North on Loder’s late heroics

Jaguars close out Duncan Invitational by edging Ankeny boys to win 4×400 relay

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The final race in the Jim Duncan Invitational on Saturday turned into a battle between the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' track teams at Drake Stadium. The Jaguars got a strong anchor leg from Cael Woods to win the 4x400 relay in a time of 3:25.89. Jackson Reed, Caleb Reed and Braeden Jackson ran the first three legs for Centennial. The Ankeny … [Read more...] about Jaguars close out Duncan Invitational by edging Ankeny boys to win 4×400 relay

Depleted Ankeny girls’ team edges Ottumwa for its first victory of season

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Even without its top player, the Ankeny girls' tennis team split a pair of non-conference meets on Thursday and Friday. The Hawkettes dropped a 7-2 decision at Waterloo Columbus on Thursday before rebounding with a 6-5 victory over visiting Ottumwa on Friday. They are now 1-2 on the season. Ankeny played without senior Kira Smith, who suffered an … [Read more...] about Depleted Ankeny girls’ team edges Ottumwa for its first victory of season

DOWN TO THE WIRE: Ankeny boys drop 5-4 decision to Cedar Rapids Jefferson

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For the second time in four days, the doubles matches proved to be the difference in a narrow loss for the Ankeny boys' tennis team. The Hawks dropped to 0-2 on the season with a 5-4 loss to visiting Cedar Rapids Jefferson in a non-conference meet on Friday. The J-Hawks won two of the three doubles matches after the two teams split the six singles … [Read more...] about DOWN TO THE WIRE: Ankeny boys drop 5-4 decision to Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Ankeny girls’ soccer coach Brown named assistant for Wisconsin men’s program

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Ankeny girls' soccer coach Simon Brown has been named an assistant coach for the Wisconsin men's soccer program. Brown is planning to finish out the current season with the Hawkettes while he gets settled in Madison. "I'll be going back and forth as much as possible for games and practices," Brown said. "These girls deserve to have their season, and I … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ soccer coach Brown named assistant for Wisconsin men’s program

‘Our team did a great job of competing’: Hawkettes open with 9-2 loss to Valley

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In its first test of the season, the Ankeny girls' tennis team dropped a 9-2 decision to visiting Valley in a CIML Conference matchup on Tuesday. It was also the season opener for the Tigers, who won five of the six singles matches and four of the five doubles matches. "We’ve been having extremely intense practices the first two weeks to attempt to … [Read more...] about ‘Our team did a great job of competing’: Hawkettes open with 9-2 loss to Valley

‘If 1 and 2 tie, that’s OK’: Hawkettes, Tigers battle to scoreless draw in showdown

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Two defensive juggernauts collided on Tuesday as the top-ranked Ankeny girls' soccer team hosted No. 2 Valley in a showdown between the top two squads in Class 3A. And thanks to a new rule from the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union, the Hawkettes and Tigers battled to a 0-0 draw. In previous seasons, the game would have been extended into a pair … [Read more...] about ‘If 1 and 2 tie, that’s OK’: Hawkettes, Tigers battle to scoreless draw in showdown

Tomlinson, Pote earn victories as Hawks shine in field events at Urbandale Invite

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The Ankeny boys' track team is well known for its collection of outstanding sprinters, hurdlers and distance runners. But the Hawks are pretty strong in the field events as well. Ankeny scored a total of 25 points in the jumping and throwing events at the Urbandale Invitational on Tuesday. There were no official results beyond those four events because … [Read more...] about Tomlinson, Pote earn victories as Hawks shine in field events at Urbandale Invite

‘We played well for 45 minutes’: Hawks take early lead before falling at Valley, 3-1

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The Ankeny boys' soccer team was hoping to prevent Valley coach Aziz Haffar from reaching a milestone on Tuesday night. And for more than a half, the Hawks did just that. Ankeny built a 1-0 lead before the Tigers rallied for three goals in the final 40 minutes to post a 3-1 victory at Valley Stadium, giving Haffar his 600th career win. "We played … [Read more...] about ‘We played well for 45 minutes’: Hawks take early lead before falling at Valley, 3-1

Ankeny boys build lead during singles play before Valley rallies for 7-4 victory

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After getting off to a good start in singles, the Ankeny boys' tennis team got swept in doubles and dropped a 7-4 decision to visiting Valley in a CIML Conference meet on Tuesday. It was the season opener for both squads. "We played very well in singles, but our doubles needs work," said Ankeny coach Ron Miller. "We will spend as much time as we can … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys build lead during singles play before Valley rallies for 7-4 victory

‘It was a great night’: Hawkettes win 7 events, place 2nd overall at Ankeny Quad

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The Ankeny girls' track team racked up seven victories while placing second overall in the Ankeny Quadrangular on Tuesday at Ankeny Stadium. Valley won the meet with 113 points. Ankeny finished with 102 points, followed by Ames with 92 and Indianola with 83. "It was a great night," said Ankeny coach TJ Jumper. "We were really purposeful and not … [Read more...] about ‘It was a great night’: Hawkettes win 7 events, place 2nd overall at Ankeny Quad

Ankeny golfers earn 3rd-place finish at Waukee NW Invite behind Ross sisters

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The Ankeny girls' golf team placed third among five squads in the season-opening Waukee Northwest Invitational on Monday at The Legacy Golf Club in Norwalk. The Hawkettes posted a score of 413 on a cold and windy day. "It was so great to get back into competition this year," said Ankeny coach Kelley Emke. "It was definitely a hard day on the … [Read more...] about Ankeny golfers earn 3rd-place finish at Waukee NW Invite behind Ross sisters

Macke leads No. 1 Hawkettes past Pella, Pleasant Valley at Crosstown Invitational

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) Competition is going to start ramping up very quickly, and the Ankeny Hawkettes are right where they want to be. Ankeny successfully defended its top girls' soccer ranking in Class 3A with a pair of quality wins and improved to 3-0 on the season during the Crosstown Invitational that the Hawkettes hosted alongside No. 5 … [Read more...] about Macke leads No. 1 Hawkettes past Pella, Pleasant Valley at Crosstown Invitational

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Landon Benge, Ankeny boys’ soccer

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Senior forward Landon Benge is one of 10 returning starters for the Ankeny boys' soccer team, which opened its season on Friday with a 4-3 loss to visiting Dowling Catholic at Ankeny Stadium. The game was a rematch from last year's Class 4A quarterfinals, which was won by the Maroons, 3-2. Benge had a hat trick in the loss. He has committed to play for … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Landon Benge, Ankeny boys’ soccer

‘We were very dangerous’: Hawks get hat trick from Benge in 4-3 loss to Dowling

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In a rematch from last year's state tournament, the Ankeny boys' soccer team opened its season on Friday with a 4-3 loss to visiting Dowling Catholic at Ankeny Stadium. Landon Benge had a hat trick for the Hawks, but it wasn't enough as Dowling won the CIML Conference game and improved to 2-0 overall. The Maroons also defeated Ankeny, 3-2, in last year's … [Read more...] about ‘We were very dangerous’: Hawks get hat trick from Benge in 4-3 loss to Dowling