Ankeny Fanatic

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Girls' Track

‘I knew we had it in us’: Centennial girls earn first top-10 finish in school history

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Ankeny Centennial senior Aly Balashaitis stood on the infield at Drake Stadium on Saturday afternoon and soaked up the atmosphere. The Jaguars had just finished in a seventh-place tie with Valley in the girls' Class 4A state track meet. Both teams scored 35 points. It was the first top-10 finish in Centennial's school history. The Jaguars had … [Read more...] about ‘I knew we had it in us’: Centennial girls earn first top-10 finish in school history

‘Today was a great day’: Hawkettes claim DMR crown, surge into trophy contention

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Friday's record-setting victory in the distance medley relay has lifted the Ankeny girls' track team into contention for a trophy at the Class 4A state meet. The Hawkettes moved into fifth place with 26 points heading into the final day of the meet at Drake Stadium. Defending champion Waukee Northwest holds a commanding lead with 63.5 points, but … [Read more...] about ‘Today was a great day’: Hawkettes claim DMR crown, surge into trophy contention

Fisher earns runner-up finish in 400, while Centennial girls place 4th in 4×800 relay

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The Ankeny girls' track team scored points in three events at the Class 4A state meet on Thursday, while Ankeny Centennial came out of the slow heat to earn a fourth-place finish in the 4x800 relay at Drake Stadium. The Hawkettes are tied for sixth place with 10 points after the opening day of the coed meet. The Jaguars sit in 12th place with five … [Read more...] about Fisher earns runner-up finish in 400, while Centennial girls place 4th in 4×800 relay

Centennial’s Flick, Ross steal some of the spotlight away from dominant NW squads

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On a night when Waukee Northwest dominated a state qualifying meet on its home track, Becci Flick and Noah Ross of Ankeny Centennial stole at least some of the spotlight. Flick and Ross each won an individual event and also anchored a winning relay to lead the Jaguars to a runner-up finish in their respective divisions. "I'm confident in this team, and … [Read more...] about Centennial’s Flick, Ross steal some of the spotlight away from dominant NW squads

Jaguars edge Ankeny girls by 2.5 points for runner-up honors at conference meet

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On a night when the Waukee Northwest girls' track team easily captured its third consecutive CIML Conference title, there was no reason for Ankeny or Ankeny Centennial to load up its lineup in Thursday's meet at Johnston. There are two more important meets coming up. "I'm just in two events tonight," said standout Ankeny sprinter Morgan Fisher. "It's … [Read more...] about Jaguars edge Ankeny girls by 2.5 points for runner-up honors at conference meet

Centennial girls win 4×400 relay, place 3rd among 8 teams at Saydel Invitational

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Coming off a long weekend at the Drake Relays, the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team rested most of its top athletes as the Jaguars competed at the Saydel Invitational on Monday. Centennial still managed a third-place finish in the eight-team field with 104.5 points. Indianola easily won the team title with 229 points, while North Polk took second with … [Read more...] about Centennial girls win 4×400 relay, place 3rd among 8 teams at Saydel Invitational

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ava Barten, Ankeny Centennial girls’ track

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Senior Ava Barten of the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team earned a pair of medals over the weekend at the Drake Relays. Barten helped the Jaguars to fourth-place finishes in the 4x200 and 4x400 relays. She also ran on the fifth-place shuttle hurdle relay and placed eighth in the 400 hurdles. Here is some inside info on Barten: Congratulations on … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Ava Barten, Ankeny Centennial girls’ track

Hawkettes, Jaguars close out epic Drake Relays with huge day on historic blue oval

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It seems only appropriate that both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial track teams were involved in the final girls' high school event at this year's Drake Relays. The Hawkettes and Jaguars had been lighting up the blue oval all weekend. Ankeny closed out a spectacular three-day meet by placing second in the 4x400 relay on Saturday. The foursome of … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars close out epic Drake Relays with huge day on historic blue oval

Madetzke outduels Flick to capture 800; Ankeny girls also win sprint medley relay

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Friday was a record-setting day on the blue oval for the Ankeny girls' track team. Its crosstown rival, Ankeny Centennial, also enjoyed some huge success on a gorgeous April afternoon at the Drake Relays. Both teams set multiple school records, but it was the Hawkettes who came away with some prestigious white flags. Makenna Madetzke outdueled … [Read more...] about Madetzke outduels Flick to capture 800; Ankeny girls also win sprint medley relay

Ankeny’s Bruening takes 3rd in Drake long jump; Jags’ Blevins finishes 10th in 3,000

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Ankeny junior Lena Bruening earned another Drake Relays medal Thursday on the opening day of this year's high school events at Drake Stadium. Bruening, who ran on the winning sprint medley relay as a freshman at Waukee in 2024, placed third in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet 5.25 inches. Abby Mecklenburg of Linn-Mar (Marion) easily won the event with … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Bruening takes 3rd in Drake long jump; Jags’ Blevins finishes 10th in 3,000

Jaguars edge Dowling Catholic to capture team crown at Larry Weier Invitational

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' track team earned its third title of the season on Monday by winning the Larry Weier Invitational at Dowling Catholic. And the Jaguars did it without pushing their top runners to the limit. "We ran the girls pretty minimally," said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. "It was just a light night to stay sharp, but very low volume … [Read more...] about Jaguars edge Dowling Catholic to capture team crown at Larry Weier Invitational

Centennial girls win 8 events, cruise to team crown at their Jaguar Invitational

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The depth of its roster paid off on Thursday for the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team. The Jaguars won eight events and easily captured the team title in its own Jaguar Invitational at Northview Stadium. They racked up 178 points, 58 more than runner-up Dowling Catholic. Centennial won two field events, both hurdles races and two distance races. The … [Read more...] about Centennial girls win 8 events, cruise to team crown at their Jaguar Invitational

Hawkettes, Jaguars take advantage of favorable weather at Jim Duea Relays

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Tuesday was a good night for both the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' track teams. Taking advantage of the favorable weather conditions, the Hawkettes placed third among 16 squads in the Jim Duea Relays at Ames. They finished with 64 points. "We were very pleased with our team's execution and how we competed," said Ankeny coach TJ Jumper. "We are … [Read more...] about Hawkettes, Jaguars take advantage of favorable weather at Jim Duea Relays

‘Our athletes made the best of it’: Jaguars compete in 3 meets in span of 24 hours

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It was a very busy weekend for the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team. The Jaguars competed at three different meets in a span of 24 hours. "This was a tough weather week with multiple meets being either cancelled or postponed, but our athletes made the best of it and had a great night on Friday," said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. "We split our squad … [Read more...] about ‘Our athletes made the best of it’: Jaguars compete in 3 meets in span of 24 hours

Jaguars win 8 events, place 2nd overall at S.E. Polk Invitational behind host Rams

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' track team closed out Tuesday's Southeast Polk Invitational with its eighth victory of the night. The Jaguars won the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:59.41, allowing them to meet the Drake Relays Blue Oval standard. The team consisted of Aly Balashaitis, Rebecca Flick, Teagan Jackson and Ava Barten. "This group came into the … [Read more...] about Jaguars win 8 events, place 2nd overall at S.E. Polk Invitational behind host Rams

Jaguars win 4×400 relay to edge Cedar Falls for team crown at Sherwood Relays

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A victory in the final event allowed the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team to win the Sherwood Relays crown on Saturday at Iowa City High. The Jaguars took first in the 4x400 relay to edge defending champion Cedar Falls for the team title. The foursome of Aly Balashaitis, Bella Buesch, Aubrey Mohr and Teagan Jackson posted a time of 4:08.07. Cedar … [Read more...] about Jaguars win 4×400 relay to edge Cedar Falls for team crown at Sherwood Relays

‘Our whole team showed toughness’: Jags overcome cold weather to win 2 events

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Earlier in the week, the forecast called for temperatures in the 70s on Thursday afternoon. But those weren't the conditions that greeted the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team when the Jaguars arrived at Johnston for the Dragon Invitational. "The weather wasn’t ideal with high winds and dropping temperatures," said Centennial coach Tyler Asbe. "Our … [Read more...] about ‘Our whole team showed toughness’: Jags overcome cold weather to win 2 events

Centennial girls boast 12 returning state qualifiers, seek top-10 finish in Class 4A

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' track team qualified for last year's Class 4A state meet in just about every event and scored points in many of them. The Jaguars, though, placed no higher than sixth in any event while tying for 15th place overall with 18 points. "We were able to medal in nine events, and a goal of ours is to be able to repeat that success … [Read more...] about Centennial girls boast 12 returning state qualifiers, seek top-10 finish in Class 4A