Ankeny Fanatic

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Wrestling

‘I’m super proud of our girls’: Ankeny earns runner-up trophy behind 7 placewinners

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The ascension of the Ankeny girls' wrestling program has been a quick one. In the span of just three seasons, Ankeny went from placing 40th as a team in its first year, leaping up to seventh place last year and finishing the 2024-25 season as the Class 2A team runner-up on Friday night at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The … [Read more...] about ‘I’m super proud of our girls’: Ankeny earns runner-up trophy behind 7 placewinners

‘It’s history, man’: Engebretson, Bratland become Ankeny’s first 2 state champions

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) What was Friday night like for the Ankeny girls' wrestling team? Head coach Dustin Roland summed it up the best. “It’s history, man,” Roland said after Ankeny recorded its first two individual state champions. “Anytime you’re a part of history, it’s special. I'm super proud of (Elyse Engebretson and Hayden … [Read more...] about ‘It’s history, man’: Engebretson, Bratland become Ankeny’s first 2 state champions

Bockes, Engebretson, Bratland, McGrew to wrestle for state titles on Friday night

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling squad has moved ahead of Cedar Falls and into second place in the Class 2A team race heading into Friday night's final session in the state tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Raccoon River-Northwest finished the daytime session with 144.5 points and put two wrestlers in the finals, including … [Read more...] about Bockes, Engebretson, Bratland, McGrew to wrestle for state titles on Friday night

Ankeny girls advance 5 wrestlers to Class 2A semis, remain in chase for team crown

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The opening day of the girls' state wrestling tournament was a productive one for coach Dustin Roland and his Ankeny squad. After losing its first two matches on Thursday, Ankeny rebounded to go 14-4 the rest of the way and sits in third place overall with 63 points heading into Friday. Raccoon River-Northwest … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls advance 5 wrestlers to Class 2A semis, remain in chase for team crown

‘We had a great night’: Ankeny girls win regional title, advance 9 wrestlers to state

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team was assigned to the Class 2A regional site at Cedar Rapids Jefferson along with seven squads from eastern Iowa. The long trip on Friday to the "City of Five Seasons" didn't seem to bother coach Dustin Roland's team. Ankeny crowned five individual champions, had four other girls qualify for state … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great night’: Ankeny girls win regional title, advance 9 wrestlers to state

Engebretson, McGrew reach 100-victory mark as Ankeny wins Pleasantville Duals

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Seniors Elyse Engebretson and Haylee McGrew each recorded their 100th career victories as the Ankeny girls' wrestling team closed out the dual-meet season on Monday by winning the Pleasantville Duals. Second-ranked Ankeny defeated Albia on a criteria decision after the two squads finished in a 39-39 tie. Coach Dustin Roland's team was awarded the victory … [Read more...] about Engebretson, McGrew reach 100-victory mark as Ankeny wins Pleasantville Duals

‘Can’t wait to take this next step’: Ankeny’s Engebretson commits to Sioux Falls

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Ankeny girls' wrestling standout Elyse Engebretson has verbally committed to the University of Sioux Falls. Engebretson announced her decision via social media on Thursday. "So excited to announce that i will be continuing my academic and wrestling careers at the University of Sioux Falls!" Engebretson tweeted on X. "I couldn't … [Read more...] about ‘Can’t wait to take this next step’: Ankeny’s Engebretson commits to Sioux Falls

Raccoon River-NW edges Ankeny girls, again, to claim title at CIML Invitational

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team is still trying to figure out how to beat Raccoon River-Northwest. The top two squads in Class 2A collided for the fourth time this season on Tuesday in the CIML Conference Invitational at Northview Middle School. And, once again, No. 1 Raccoon River-Northwest came out on top, claiming the team title with 238.5 … [Read more...] about Raccoon River-NW edges Ankeny girls, again, to claim title at CIML Invitational

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Hayden Bratland, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

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Sophomore Hayden Bratland helped the Ankeny girls' wrestling team to the championship of the Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday at Ankeny High School. She won an individual title at 140 pounds, joining teammates Mady Postma at 135 and Haylee McGrew at 155 atop the awards podium. Bratland scored bonus points in all four of her matches, capped off by a fall … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Hayden Bratland, Ankeny girls’ wrestling

Ankeny girls dominate Sharp Invitational, crown 3 champs among their 9 finalists

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The Ankeny girls' wrestlers wrapped up the team title at their own Bob Sharp Invitational on Friday well before the final match was contested. Ankeny advanced nine girls to the finals, crowned three individual champions and racked up 252 points in the 14-team tournament at Ankeny High School. Linn-Mar was a distant second with 183.5 points. "We had a … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls dominate Sharp Invitational, crown 3 champs among their 9 finalists

Ankeny girls rack up 6 pins, win 5 matches by forfeit in 69-12 victory at Urbandale

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team rolled to a 69-12 victory at Urbandale in a CIML Conference dual meet on Tuesday. Ankeny recorded six falls, all but one of them in the first period. Coach Dustin Roland's team won five other matches by forfeit and also got a narrow victory in the final match at 110 pounds, where Zoe Sullivan posted an 8-6 decision over … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls rack up 6 pins, win 5 matches by forfeit in 69-12 victory at Urbandale

Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

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The Ankeny girls' wrestling team crowned four individual champions and placed second overall in the Ogden Invitational on Saturday. Osage won the 27-team event with 231.5 points. The Green Devils were led by sisters Ainsley and Gable Hemann, who won titles at 100 and 110 pounds, respectively. Ankeny racked up 209.5 points to easily finish ahead of … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls crown 4 individual champs, place 2nd behind Osage at Ogden Invite

‘I couldn’t be happier’: Roland ecstatic despite Ankeny’s losses to top 2 teams

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) It’s not every day that the third-ranked team in Class 2A girls' wrestling can view itself as an underdog going into a triangular. But Tuesday night was the exception for the Ankeny girls' wrestling squad at Northview Middle School. Under one roof, Ankeny hosted and was defeated in two close duals by the only two teams … [Read more...] about ‘I couldn’t be happier’: Roland ecstatic despite Ankeny’s losses to top 2 teams

Ankeny girls’ team extends winning streak to 13 matches before falling to S.E. Polk

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(Story by Stephen McDaniel) The new year didn’t quite start with the bang that the Ankeny girls' wrestling team was hoping for. Ankeny bolstered an 11-0 record to close out the 2024 portion of its schedule, but a 2-1 mark during a quadrangular meet on Thursday at Southeast Polk snapped its undefeated streak to open up the new year. Coach Dustin … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ team extends winning streak to 13 matches before falling to S.E. Polk

Ankeny girls win Holiday Duals crown at DC-G to remain unbeaten on season

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Saturday was another amazing day for the Ankeny girls' wrestling program. Third-ranked Ankeny remained unbeaten by defeating four opponents to win the Holiday Duals at Dallas Center-Grimes. Coach Dustin Roland's team improved to 11-0 on the season. Ankeny posted wins over Woodward-Granger (42-36), Valley (54-24), Vinton-Shellsburg (51-24) and Dallas … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls win Holiday Duals crown at DC-G to remain unbeaten on season

Ankeny girls defeat 3 foes at Centennial Duals, raise their record to 7-0 on season

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Just getting on the mat Saturday was an accomplishment for the Ankeny girls' wrestling team. Ankeny hosted the Ankeny Centennial Duals at Northview Middle School, which was in danger of being cancelled due to the icy weather before a decision was made to hold the meet after a delayed start. "We were very excited about the opportunity to compete," said … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls defeat 3 foes at Centennial Duals, raise their record to 7-0 on season

Ankeny girls record 5 falls, get big win from Bockes in 57-18 triumph over Valley

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The third-ranked Ankeny girls' wrestling team remained unbeaten in dual-meet competition with a 57-18 victory over Valley in its CIML Conference opener on Tuesday at Urbandale. Ankeny won six of the eight matches that were contested to raise its overall record to 4-0. "We were happy with the way we competed in the limited matches that we had," said … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls record 5 falls, get big win from Bockes in 57-18 triumph over Valley

‘We had a great couple of days’: Ankeny girls earn 3rd-place finish at Donnybrook

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The Dan Gable Donnybrook proved to be a valuable experience for the Ankeny girls' wrestling team. Third-ranked Ankeny placed third among 44 teams in the tournament on Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville, finishing with 277 points. Coach Dustin Roland's team had six top-10 finishers. "We had a great couple of days competing with some … [Read more...] about ‘We had a great couple of days’: Ankeny girls earn 3rd-place finish at Donnybrook