Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Jon Lindaman

Depleted Hawks place 4th, improving Jaguars finish 8th at conference meet

by

The Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country team made some progress on Wednesday. Crosstown rival Ankeny took a slight step backwards. Both squads competed in the inaugural CIML Conference meet on a cold and windy afternoon at Johnston. The sixth-ranked Hawks placed fourth in the nine-team field with 123 points. "The varsity team got a little tough … [Read more...] about Depleted Hawks place 4th, improving Jaguars finish 8th at conference meet

Jaguars win Fort Dodge Invite for their 5th victory; Hawks place 4th in boys’ race

by

The Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team earned its fifth victory of the season on Thursday--and it's probably the Jaguars' most impressive win yet. Fifth-ranked Centennial defeated 23 other teams to win the Fort Dodge Invitational at Lakeside Golf Course with 118 points. No. 6 Johnston placed second with 138 points, followed by No. 8 Ames with … [Read more...] about Jaguars win Fort Dodge Invite for their 5th victory; Hawks place 4th in boys’ race

Ankeny teams turn in strong showings at Rim Rock Farm Classic in Kansas

by

Saturday's Rim Rock Farm Classic at the University of Kansas gave both of Ankeny's cross country teams an opportunity to prove themselves against out-of-state competition. The Hawks and Hawkettes passed the test with flying (maroon and gold) colors. The Ankeny girls' squad took second among 32 teams in the Crimson Division. The 11th-ranked Hawkettes … [Read more...] about Ankeny teams turn in strong showings at Rim Rock Farm Classic in Kansas

Now ranked 2nd in Class 4A, Hawk runners place 10th at Heartland Classic

by

After rising to the No. 2 spot in the latest Class 4A rankings, the Ankeny boys' cross country squad placed 10th among 37 teams in the prestigious Heartland Classic on Saturday at Central College in Pella. More than 500 runners competed in the event, which was merged into just one division following a lengthy extreme weather delay. The field included 12 … [Read more...] about Now ranked 2nd in Class 4A, Hawk runners place 10th at Heartland Classic

TWIN WINS: Ankeny’s Zuber, Hill race to victories in opening meet of season

by

The Ankeny boys' cross country team captured a pair of individual titles in the Ankeny Centennial Invitational on Thursday at DMACC. The Hawks nearly won a division crown as well. Ethan Zuber raced to an impressive victory in the 9/10 race, then teammate Levi Hill followed with another win in the 11/12 race. "Any time you get a meet champion, that … [Read more...] about TWIN WINS: Ankeny’s Zuber, Hill race to victories in opening meet of season

‘We have a really strong nucleus coming back’: Hawks return 4 varsity regulars

by

Last year, the Ankeny boys' cross country team entered the Class 4A state meet with a goal of a top-10 finish. The Hawks came up short of their goal, placing 13th with 299 points. However, they did finish eight points ahead of crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial, defeating the Jaguars for the fourth time in their seven meetings in 2021. Now, Ankeny could … [Read more...] about ‘We have a really strong nucleus coming back’: Hawks return 4 varsity regulars

ANOTHER CLOSE BATTLE: Ankeny boys edge Jaguars by 8 points for 13th place

by

The Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams were both hoping to earn top-10 finishes in the Class 4A state meet on Friday. In the end, the two squads waged a close battle for 13th place at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. Twelfth-ranked Ankeny finished with 299 points to edge No. 11 Centennial by eight points. "We're happy about it," … [Read more...] about ANOTHER CLOSE BATTLE: Ankeny boys edge Jaguars by 8 points for 13th place

THE END OF THE ROAD: Centennial, Ankeny runners gear up for state meet

by

For the first time ever, all four of the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial cross country teams will be competing in the Class 4A state meet in the same year. The state meet will be held on Friday and Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge. The Class 4A girls' race will be held on Friday at 10:30 a.m., with the Class 4A boys' race to follow at 11:15. … [Read more...] about THE END OF THE ROAD: Centennial, Ankeny runners gear up for state meet

Jaguars, Hawks qualify for state, will face off against each other one more time

by

The season-long tussle between the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams continued on Wednesday at the DMACC course. After losing a tiebreaker to its crosstown rival at the CIML Iowa Conference meet on Thursday, 11th-ranked Centennial placed second in a Class 4A district meet with 66 points, edging No. 10 Ankeny by six points for the … [Read more...] about Jaguars, Hawks qualify for state, will face off against each other one more time

Hill wins conference title; Hawks edge Centennial for 2nd place on tiebreaker

by

All season long, the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' cross country teams have taken turns defeating each other. On Thursday, the crosstown rivals waged their closest battle yet in the CIML Iowa Conference meet at DMACC. In the end, 11th-ranked Centennial and No. 12 Ankeny both finished with 51 points to tie for second place behind No. 9 Waukee … [Read more...] about Hill wins conference title; Hawks edge Centennial for 2nd place on tiebreaker

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

by

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

by

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

Hawks place 7th at Marshalltown, finish just ahead of Centennial boys

by

After finishing three spots ahead of Ankeny Centennial at the season-opening Dragon Twilight Invitational on Aug. 28, the Ankeny boys' cross country team finished three spots behind the Jaguars five days later at the KirK Schmaltz Invitational. On Thursday at the Bobcat Invitational in Marshalltown, the crosstown rivals waged their closest battle yet this … [Read more...] about Hawks place 7th at Marshalltown, finish just ahead of Centennial boys

A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: Jags place 4th, Hawks finish 7th at Schmaltz Invite

by

On Saturday, the Ankeny boys' cross country team finished 34 points ahead of Ankeny Centennial in the Dragon Twilight Invitational at Johnston High School. Five days later, the Jaguars reversed the outcome against their crosstown rival. Fifteenth-ranked Centennial placed fourth among 14 teams in the Kirk Schmaltz Invitational on Thursday at the Iowa … [Read more...] about A REVERSAL OF FORTUNE: Jags place 4th, Hawks finish 7th at Schmaltz Invite

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

by

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

A strong group of senior runners to lead the way for Ankeny boys’ squad

by

The Ankeny boys' cross country team came up three points shy of qualifying for last year's Class 4A state meet. The Hawks' fourth-place finish in a district meet at Marshalltown has provided a lot of motivation in the offseason. "After a somewhat disappointing finish to our varsity season last year, our guys are really locked in to having a great … [Read more...] about A strong group of senior runners to lead the way for Ankeny boys’ squad

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

by

During his long tenure as the Ankeny boys' cross country coach, Steve Arneson guided dozens of runners to an appearance in the state meet. Ankeny qualified for state for 22 consecutive years from 1990-2011, the third-longest streak in state history. Only Cedar Falls (1992-2016) and Monticello (1997-2019) have had longer streaks. Arneson coached the … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic announces its all-time Ankeny boys’ cross country team

Blimpie Sub of the Week: Michael Hayden, Ankeny boys’ cross country

by

Junior Michael Hayden is a member of the Ankeny boys' cross country team. Hayden placed seventh with a time of 18 minutes 9 seconds in the CIML Iowa Conference junior varsity race on Oct. 15 at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. He helped the Hawks to a runner-up finish in the JV division. "Michael has been awesome all year," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Blimpie Sub of the Week: Michael Hayden, Ankeny boys’ cross country