Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Eric Klingensmith

‘Showing grit, passion and fire’, Hawkettes move up from 15th to place 7th in 4A

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Saturday was a day of mixed emotions for the Ankeny girls' cross country team. The 10th-ranked Hawkettes accomplished their goal of a top-10 finish in the Class 4A state meet by placing seventh with 200 points at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. But it was the final meet for a trio of seniors and for coach Eric Klingensmith, who had already announced … [Read more...] about ‘Showing grit, passion and fire’, Hawkettes move up from 15th to place 7th in 4A

Jaguars race to regional title; Hawkettes place 3rd and also qualify for state meet

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team accomplished its goal on Wednesday. And so did crosstown rival Ankeny. Both squads are headed to next week's state meet following strong performances in a Class 4A regional meet on Wednesday at Marshalltown. Fourth-ranked Centennial easily won the team title with 44 points. The Jaguars captured the … [Read more...] about Jaguars race to regional title; Hawkettes place 3rd and also qualify for state meet

Centennial girls race to CIML Conference crown; Hawkettes earn 5th-place finish

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At the Fort Dodge Invitational last week, the fourth-ranked Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team raced to a 20-point victory over No. 5 Johnston. In a rematch on Wednesday, the Jaguars repeated that 20-point win on Johnston's home course to capture the inaugural CIML Conference championship. "We felt we left a lot of points on the board (at Fort … [Read more...] about Centennial girls race to CIML Conference crown; Hawkettes earn 5th-place finish

‘We prepared for the hills and heat’: Hawkettes place 4th at Engel Classic

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The Ankeny cross country teams used different strategies on Thursday in the Rich Engel Classic at Birdsall Park in Cedar Falls. The 12th-ranked Hawkettes entered their usual varsity lineup and placed fourth in the 18-team field. They finished with 99 points. "We ran well," said Ankeny girls' coach Eric Klingensmith. "Our ladies are figuring out a … [Read more...] about ‘We prepared for the hills and heat’: Hawkettes place 4th at Engel Classic

‘We told ourselves we could’: Jaguars set goal, capture Schmaltz Invite crown

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Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country coach Eric Cogdill challenged his team prior to Thursday's Kirk Schmaltz Invitational in Ames. "We lost to Valley by one point last week," said Cogdill. "We've got to aim higher. Don't set a goal that you know you can reach. Set a goal that you want to reach, and they attained it." Fifth-ranked Centennial raced to … [Read more...] about ‘We told ourselves we could’: Jaguars set goal, capture Schmaltz Invite crown

Jaguars win 9/10 title at Centennial Invite; Ankeny captures 11/12 crown

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Thursday's season-opening Ankeny Centennial Invitational featured three of the top 10 girls' cross country teams in Class 4A. Sixth-ranked Ankeny won the 11/12 division with 44 points, while No. 7 Centennial captured the 9/10 division with 27 points. No. 9 Valley took second in both divisions and won the overall title with 40 points, edging the Jaguars by … [Read more...] about Jaguars win 9/10 title at Centennial Invite; Ankeny captures 11/12 crown

Ankeny girls’ cross country team looks to build on success of last year’s squad

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Coming off one of the best seasons in school history, the Ankeny girls' cross country team is setting some high expectations once again. The Hawkettes placed sixth in last year's Class 4A state meet with 166 points. It was the second-best performance in program history, surpassed only by a fifth-place finish in 1988. Now, Ankeny could be poised for … [Read more...] about Ankeny girls’ cross country team looks to build on success of last year’s squad

Hawkettes place 6th for highest finish since 1988; Centennial girls take 10th

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Friday was a memorable day for the Ankeny girls' cross country team. It wasn't too bad for Ankeny Centennial, either. The 10th-ranked Hawkettes raced to a sixth-place finish in the Class 4A state meet at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. It was the second-best performance in school history, surpassed only by a fifth-place finish in 1988. "We're … [Read more...] about Hawkettes place 6th for highest finish since 1988; Centennial girls take 10th

Centennial girls edge Valley for regional title; Hawkettes also advance to state

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For only the second time in school history, the Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team is headed to the state meet as a regional champion. The eighth-ranked Jaguars won a Class 4A regional meet on Wednesday at DMACC with 47 points, edging No. 10 Valley by one point. They qualified for the state meet for the eighth time in nine years while also … [Read more...] about Centennial girls edge Valley for regional title; Hawkettes also advance to state

Ankeny’s Macke races to conference title; Jaguars earn runner-up finish

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Thursday's CIML Iowa Conference meet was an important one for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country teams. Next week's state qualifying meet will be even bigger. "I think we can do really well," Centennial junior Rondi Quass said of Wednesday's meet. "I think we can even be the top team with how we're running against Ankeny and Valley … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s Macke races to conference title; Jaguars earn runner-up finish

Jaguars place 4th, Hawkettes finish 5th at Fort Dodge Invitational

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Thursday's Fort Dodge Invitational at Lakeside Golf Course showed that the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country teams can compete with some of the state's top squads. The meet featured seven of the top 11 teams in Class 4A. A total of 22 squads and nearly 200 runners competed. Ninth-ranked Centennial placed fourth with 123 points. No. 8 … [Read more...] about Jaguars place 4th, Hawkettes finish 5th at Fort Dodge Invitational

Hawkettes race to victory at Rim Rock Farm Classic; Ankeny boys finish 14th

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The Ankeny girls' cross country team picked a good time to win its first title of the season. It came on Saturday at the prestigious Rim Rock Farm Classic at the University of Kansas. The Hawkettes, who are ranked eighth in Class 4A, captured the crown in the Girls' Crimson division with 77 points. Topeka-Seaman (Kan.) placed second in the 21-team … [Read more...] about Hawkettes race to victory at Rim Rock Farm Classic; Ankeny boys finish 14th

Macke leads Hawkettes to runner-up finish at Cedar Falls; Hawks place 3rd

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Alli Macke and the Ankeny girls' cross country team turned in another strong performance Thursday in the Rich Engel Classic at Birdsall Park in Cedar Falls. The Ankeny boys' squad took a step forward, too. Macke, a freshman, earned her first victory in a varsity race to lead the eighth-ranked Hawkettes to a runner-up finish in the 17-team field. … [Read more...] about Macke leads Hawkettes to runner-up finish at Cedar Falls; Hawks place 3rd

FRESHMAN PHENOM: Ankeny’s Macke smashes 5K school record by 26 seconds

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Ankeny freshman Alli Macke didn't realize how fast she was running. The clock showed that she was having an incredible race. Macke placed second in the Kirk Schmaltz Invitational on Thursday at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. She posted a time of 17:48 in the 5K race, smashing the previous school record by 26 seconds. "I don’t normally … [Read more...] about FRESHMAN PHENOM: Ankeny’s Macke smashes 5K school record by 26 seconds

Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finish at Dragon Twilight Invitational

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It appears that the Ankeny boys' and girls' cross country teams may have been underrated in the Class 4A preseason rankings. Both squads opened their season on Saturday night by placing second in the Dragon Twilight Invitational at Johnston High School. The Hawks and Hawkettes defeated multiple higher-ranked teams, including Ankeny Centennial. "I'm … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finish at Dragon Twilight Invitational

After McMahon’s departure, Hawkettes look to rebuild around Dosh, Beason

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A year ago, Ankeny's Lauren McMahon emerged from out of nowhere to become one of the state's top girls' cross country runners. Now, as quickly as she arrived on the scene, she is gone. McMahon went out for the sport for the first time and won six of her first seven races before placing sixth in the Class 4A state meet, where she led the Hawkettes to a … [Read more...] about After McMahon’s departure, Hawkettes look to rebuild around Dosh, Beason

Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny girls’ cross country team

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Craig Doocy coached a lot of talented runners during his 28 years as the head coach of the Ankeny girls' cross country team. Doocy took over the program in 1989 and guided the Hawkettes to 15 state-meet appearances before retiring after the 2016 season. "I was blessed with coaching so many awesome, hard-working, dedicated student-athletes that I was … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny girls’ cross country team

‘Every girl had a phenomenal race’: Jaguars capture 3rd-place trophy

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As she crossed the finish line at the girls' Class 4A state cross country meet on Friday, Ankeny Centennial sophomore Rondi Quass knew that she had earned a spot on the awards podium. Quass later discovered that she would get to make two appearances on the clubhouse deck at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. She not only placed 14th as an individual, … [Read more...] about ‘Every girl had a phenomenal race’: Jaguars capture 3rd-place trophy