Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Winter

Hawk swimmers tumble to No. 2 Ames, despite Swanepoel’s pair of pool records

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The fourth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team dropped a 108-62 decision at No. 2 Ames in a non-conference dual meet on Tuesday. The Little Cyclones won nine of the 11 events, including all three relays. The Hawks dropped to 0-3-1 on the season. "Our team did pretty well," said Ankeny assistant coach Steve Jones, who is directing the team during the … [Read more...] about Hawk swimmers tumble to No. 2 Ames, despite Swanepoel’s pair of pool records

Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Jag-Hawk basketball showdowns

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The Jag-Hawk basketball rivalry will resume on Tuesday night at Ankeny, where all four teams will be looking to build some momentum heading into the holiday break. While the girls' all-time series has been dominated by Centennial, the boys' series has been a back-and-forth affair that is now tied at nine wins apiece. Both the Hawks and Jaguars have won as … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic’s predictions for the Jag-Hawk basketball showdowns

‘We’re putting the whole state on notice’: Hawks finish 3rd at Battle of Waterloo

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The Ankeny wrestling program is moving into uncharted territory. The Hawks turned in a spectacular performance on Friday and Saturday at the Battle of Waterloo, where they advanced to the championship bracket for the first time ever and defeated two nationally-ranked teams en route to a third-place finish overall. "I tried to stay in the moment because … [Read more...] about ‘We’re putting the whole state on notice’: Hawks finish 3rd at Battle of Waterloo

Bruhl leads Jaguars to runner-up finish, named most outstanding wrestler

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A strong performance in the Don Miller Invitational led to an enjoyable trip home from Fort Dodge for the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers on Saturday. Only one thing would have made it even better. "If we beat Fort Dodge, it would have been a really good day," said Centennial coach Jay Groth. "So we had a pretty good day." The fifth-ranked Dodgers won … [Read more...] about Bruhl leads Jaguars to runner-up finish, named most outstanding wrestler

‘It felt so good to finally get a win’: Ankeny swimmers capture Little Hawk Invite title

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The Ankeny boys' swimming team won only two events but came away with the overall crown in the Little Hawk Invitational on Saturday at the Mercer Park Aquatic Center in Iowa City. The fourth-ranked Hawks racked up 373 points in the seven-team meet. No. 3 Pleasant Valley was second with 331.5, edging No. 8 Iowa City West by three points for the runner-up … [Read more...] about ‘It felt so good to finally get a win’: Ankeny swimmers capture Little Hawk Invite title

Hawks finish brutal 4-game stretch in 6 days with 70-52 loss to No. 6 S.C. East

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A brutal four-game stretch for the Ankeny boys' basketball team ended on Saturday with a 70-52 loss to sixth-ranked Sioux City East in the Arena Basketball Invitational Showcase at the Tyson Events Center. The Hawks started the week with home losses to No. 7 Indianola on Monday and No. 1 Waukee Northwest on Tuesday, then rebounded with a win at Dowling … [Read more...] about Hawks finish brutal 4-game stretch in 6 days with 70-52 loss to No. 6 S.C. East

Dowling girls edge Hawkettes on Muller’s 3-point play with 2 seconds left

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Any scouting report on the Dowling Catholic girls' basketball team is going to start with the Maroons' best player, point guard Ava Zediker. But it was Dowling's supporting cast--and freshman post player Ellie Muller in particular--who proved to be the difference on Friday. Muller converted a 3-point play with 2 seconds left to give the 11th-ranked … [Read more...] about Dowling girls edge Hawkettes on Muller’s 3-point play with 2 seconds left

Ankeny boys get much-needed road win before taking trip to Sioux City

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Just three nights after being held to 29 points, the Ankeny boys' basketball team erupted for a season-high offensive output in a 74-65 victory on Friday at Dowling Catholic. The Hawks pulled away in the second half to improve their records to 2-3 in the CIML Conference and 3-4 overall. Dowling, which had won two of its last three games after being blown … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys get much-needed road win before taking trip to Sioux City

‘We knew we could win this dual’: Hawks beat Jaguars, maintain bragging rights

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The Ankeny wrestling team was confident going into Thursday's dual meet against its crosstown rival. But Ankeny coach Jack Wignall made sure that the sixth-ranked Hawks weren't too confident. "You've seen it in football. It's the game within the game," Wignall said. "You just never know, and Jay (Groth) is a good wrestling coach who knows how to win … [Read more...] about ‘We knew we could win this dual’: Hawks beat Jaguars, maintain bragging rights

Swanepoel returns, but Valley sets 4 pool records and tops Ankeny swimmers

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On paper, Thursday's dual meet between the fifth-ranked Ankeny boys' swimming team and No. 4 Valley appeared to be a toss-up. The two squads entered the CIML Conference matchup separated by just four points in the latest power rankings of the state's top teams. In the end, though, host Valley dominated the meet, winning seven of the 11 events and … [Read more...] about Swanepoel returns, but Valley sets 4 pool records and tops Ankeny swimmers

Ankeny girls’ bowling team edges Ames, surpasses win total from last season

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The Ankeny girls' bowling team has already surpassed its win total from last season. The Hawkettes defeated host Ames in a non-conference meet on Tuesday at Perfect Games. They won by a score of 1,828 to 1,805 to improve to 2-0 overall. The Ankeny girls' squad struggled to a 1-11 mark a year ago. Kali Ogg bowled a 334 series to lead the Hawkettes, … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ bowling team edges Ames, surpasses win total from last season

JAG-HAWK PREVIEW: Crosstown rivals battle for mat supremacy on Thursday

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Due to some technical issues, we were not able to post this week's Ankeny Fanatic weekly podcast sponsored by Coldwell Banker Mid-America that previewed Thursday night's Jag-Hawk wrestling dual. However, here are the highlights from publisher Dan Holm's interviews with Coldwell Banker realtor Tiffany Rumelhart, Ankeny assistant coach Austin Anderson, Ankeny … [Read more...] about JAG-HAWK PREVIEW: Crosstown rivals battle for mat supremacy on Thursday

Hawkettes protect their home court with victory over No. 5 Waukee Northwest

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Ankeny girls' basketball coach Dru McAnelly didn't have much time to prepare for Tuesday's opponent following Monday's win over Indianola. It turns out he had to scrap many of his plans anyway. Fifth-ranked Waukee Northwest visited No. 10 Ankeny for a CIML Conference game, and the Wolves were without leading scorer Sadie Maas. The junior forward, who … [Read more...] about Hawkettes protect their home court with victory over No. 5 Waukee Northwest

‘It was a rough night’: Ankeny boys score just 29 points in loss to No. 1 Wolves

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It's time for the Ankeny boys' basketball team to regroup. After losing to Indianola on Monday, the Hawks suffered another defeat on their home court Tuesday, dropping a 60-29 decision to top-ranked Waukee Northwest in a CIML Conference game. While the Wolves shot 55.3 percent from the field (26-of-47), Ankeny struggled mightily to score all night. The … [Read more...] about ‘It was a rough night’: Ankeny boys score just 29 points in loss to No. 1 Wolves

Ex-Ankeny player Drea leads No. 7 Indianola to 62-55 victory over Hawks

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A former teammate earned some revenge against the Ankeny boys' basketball squad on Monday. Brayden Drea, who started all 20 games for the Hawks as a sophomore two years ago, scored 21 points to lead visiting Indianola to a 62-55 victory in a non-conference game. The Indians, who are tied for seventh in the Class 4A rankings with three other teams, avenged … [Read more...] about Ex-Ankeny player Drea leads No. 7 Indianola to 62-55 victory over Hawks

‘We were ready to play from the jump!’: Ankeny girls romp past Indianola

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A year ago, the Ankeny girls' basketball team trailed by nine points at halftime and went on to suffer a 54-47 loss at Indianola. The Hawkettes were determined to get off to a better start in Monday's rematch. Tenth-ranked Ankeny jumped out to a 13-2 lead in the non-conference game and cruised to a 76-41 victory over visiting Indianola, the No. 10 … [Read more...] about ‘We were ready to play from the jump!’: Ankeny girls romp past Indianola

Swanepoel places 6th in 100 butterfly at Speedo Winter Junior Championships

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Senior Lance Swanepoel will be back in the lineup for the Ankeny boys' swimming team this week after competing in the 2022 Speedo Winter Junior Championships last weekend in Austin, Texas. Swanepoel placed sixth in the 100 butterfly on Friday in 47.33 seconds. That's nearly a full second faster than the time he posted to win last year's state title … [Read more...] about Swanepoel places 6th in 100 butterfly at Speedo Winter Junior Championships

Hawk matmen advance 5 to finals, crown 2 champs, place 3rd at Baltzley Invite

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Saturday's Frank Baltzley Invitational at Johnston featured many of the top wrestling teams in Class 3A. Ninth-ranked Ankeny proved that it belongs among the state's elite squads. The Hawks crowned two individual champions and placed third in the 14-team field with 179.5 points. They finished nine points ahead of No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock, the defending … [Read more...] about Hawk matmen advance 5 to finals, crown 2 champs, place 3rd at Baltzley Invite

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Cael Wiener, Ankeny Centennial wrestling

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Senior Cael Wiener helped the Ankeny Centennial wrestlers to the championship of the Centennial Duals on Saturday. The Jaguars won the tournament for the sixth straight time. Wiener, who is ranked 11th in Class 3A at 138 pounds, won all five of his matches on the day--recording three falls and a pair of major decisions. He raised his record to … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Cael Wiener, Ankeny Centennial wrestling