Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

Nick Nelson

‘We are so excited!”: Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finishes at Johnston SQM

by

The Ankeny boys' and girls' track teams are heading into next week's state meet with a lot of momentum. Both squads placed second in a Class 4A state qualifying meet on Thursday at Johnston. More importantly, the Hawks and Hawkettes automatically qualified for state in numerous events. "I'm very happy with where we are sitting heading into the state … [Read more...] about ‘We are so excited!”: Ankeny boys, girls earn runner-up finishes at Johnston SQM

Hawks win 6 events, edge Centennial for 2nd place overall at Waukee Relays

by

Thursday's Waukee Relays gave the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' track teams one final opportunity to qualify for the Drake Relays in various events. Both squads turned in some strong performances. Waukee Northwest won the nine-team meet with 173 points, while Ankeny edged its crosstown rival and two other squads for second place. The Hawks scored … [Read more...] about Hawks win 6 events, edge Centennial for 2nd place overall at Waukee Relays

North Polk boys edge Centennial to win team title at Fred Smith Hawk Relays

by

Tuesday's Fred Smith Hawk Relays showed that some of the smaller schools in central Iowa can compete with the boys' track teams in the CIML. North Polk won the 12-team meet with 90 points, edging runner-up Ankeny Centennial by six points. The Comets did not win any events, but relied on their depth to capture the overall crown. Carlisle and Indianola … [Read more...] about North Polk boys edge Centennial to win team title at Fred Smith Hawk Relays

Hawks earn 4 victories at Duncan Invite; Centennial’s Dietz captures shot put

by

Saturday was a good day for the Ankeny boys' track team. It wasn't bad for Ankeny Centennial either. The two squads combined for five victories in the Jim Duncan Invitational at Drake Stadium. The Hawks had four of those wins on a chilly day. "We competed very well," said Ankeny coach Nick Nelson. "It was a long, cold day, but the athletes showed up … [Read more...] about Hawks earn 4 victories at Duncan Invite; Centennial’s Dietz captures shot put

Pederson wins long jump, helps Hawks to 4th-place finish at DouBrava Invite

by

Some technical issues created some havoc in the DouBrava Invitational on Tuesday at Urbandale, resulting in a long night for the Ankeny boys' track team. The Hawks eventually finished fourth in the seven-team field. They scored 73 points. "The timing system didn't work for some of the meet," said Ankeny coach Nick Nelson. "Our times won't qualify for … [Read more...] about Pederson wins long jump, helps Hawks to 4th-place finish at DouBrava Invite

Hawks win 4×400 relay, place 5th at Brooks Relays; Centennial finishes 8th

by

The Ankeny boys' track team placed fifth in the Brooks Relays on Saturday at Valley, while Ankeny Centennial finished eighth in the 11-team field. Iowa City High won the meet with 142 points, edging Dowling Catholic by seven points. The Hawks finished with 60 points. "The guys really competed well," said Ankeny coach Nick Nelson. "We were very excited … [Read more...] about Hawks win 4×400 relay, place 5th at Brooks Relays; Centennial finishes 8th

Crosstown battle: Jaguars place 2nd, Hawks finish 4th at Northwest Invite

by

Tuesday's Waukee Northwest Invitational provided an opportunity for the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial boys' track teams to get an early look at their crosstown rival. The Hawks and Jaguars were joined in the four-team field by host Northwest and Valley. Only the seven relay events were scored. Northwest won the meet with 58 points. Centennial took … [Read more...] about Crosstown battle: Jaguars place 2nd, Hawks finish 4th at Northwest Invite

Elite sprinter Miller one of many strengths for Ankeny boys’ track team

by

Tyrese Miller and the Ankeny boys' track team are ready to make some noise this season. Miller, one of the state's top sprinters, helped the Hawks to a 15th-place finish in last year's Class 4A state meet. He is among the team's 11 returning state qualifiers. "Tyrese had a great junior season and is poised to have a great senior campaign," said Ankeny … [Read more...] about Elite sprinter Miller one of many strengths for Ankeny boys’ track team

‘I knew it was really close’: State hurdles title eludes Thompson by .004 seconds

by

When he crossed the finish line at Drake Stadium on Saturday, Ankeny senior Mason Thompson wasn't sure if he had won a Class 4A state title in the 110 hurdles. Nobody else was sure, either. Thompson and the hurdler to his immediate right, Adam Wright of Dowling Catholic, leaned across the finish line simultaneously. "It was either mine or his," … [Read more...] about ‘I knew it was really close’: State hurdles title eludes Thompson by .004 seconds

The wait is worth it: Ankeny boys qualify for state meet in 10 events

by

After placing fourth in a Class 4A district meet on Thursday at Waukee, the Ankeny boys' track team had to patiently wait to find out the Hawks' total number of state qualifiers. Ankeny automatically qualified for the state meet in just four events, but found out Friday that it had qualified in six more on a time or distance basis. "The kids did … [Read more...] about The wait is worth it: Ankeny boys qualify for state meet in 10 events

‘We just want to go out and run fast’: Jaguars race to first conference title

by

There wasn't much of a battle for the CIML Iowa Conference boys' track title. Ankeny Centennial easily captured its first league crown in school history on Tuesday, racking up 171.5 points at Northview Stadium. The Jaguars finished 60 points ahead of runner-up Ames. "We definitely put some guys in positions where we knew they'd have success, but I … [Read more...] about ‘We just want to go out and run fast’: Jaguars race to first conference title

Hawks are ‘still pumped’ after medaling in 5 events at Drake Relays

by

Ankeny's Tyrese Miller likely opened some eyes on Thursday at the Drake Relays. Mason Thompson and the rest of the Hawks' track squad probably did, too. Miller and Thompson led the way as Ankeny earned medals in five different events. The Hawks placed third or higher in three of them. "Still pumped from yesterday," Ankeny coach Nick Nelson tweeted … [Read more...] about Hawks are ‘still pumped’ after medaling in 5 events at Drake Relays

Jaguars place 3rd overall at Hawk Relays; Ankeny boys finish 6th

by

Despite the windy conditions, Tuesday's Fred Smith Hawk Relays produced some outstanding performances. In the end, the top six teams in the 11-team field were separated by just 24 points. Indianola and Waukee tied for the team title with 85 points apiece. Ankeny Centennial placed third with 80 points. The Jaguars were followed by North Polk with 68 … [Read more...] about Jaguars place 3rd overall at Hawk Relays; Ankeny boys finish 6th

Ankeny, Centennial teams combine for 8 victories at Jim Duncan Invitational

by

All four of the Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial track teams came away with victories in the Jim Duncan Invitational on Saturday at Drake Stadium. The Ankeny girls' and Centennial boys' squads each won three events. The Ankeny boys' and Centennial girls' teams each had one first-place finish. Many of the athletes will be back at Drake Stadium on April 22 … [Read more...] about Ankeny, Centennial teams combine for 8 victories at Jim Duncan Invitational

Hawks win 4×200 relay, place fourth overall at DouBrava Invitational

by

There's no shortage of speed on the Ankeny boys' track team. The Hawks showed off their depth in the sprint events on Tuesday during the DouBrava Invitational at Urbandale. They won the 4x200 relay in a time of 1:30.13, finishing about 1 second ahead of runner-up Johnston. Colin Kadolph, Jase Bauer and Brody Brecht--who all starred on Ankeny's state … [Read more...] about Hawks win 4×200 relay, place fourth overall at DouBrava Invitational

Collins, Johnson lead Centennial boys to team crown at Brooks Relays

by

Even at less than full strength, the Ankeny Centennial boys' track team made an emphatic statement on Saturday. The Jaguars claimed their second title in five days by winning the Brooks Relays at Valley. They finished with 135 points. "We're just trying to get through the season," said Centennial coach Nate Smith. "We have some injuries, and we're … [Read more...] about Collins, Johnson lead Centennial boys to team crown at Brooks Relays

Jaguars win 4 events, place 3rd overall at Ram Relays; Hawks finish 6th

by

Earlier in the week, the Ankeny Centennial boys' track team had to overcome some extremely windy conditions to win the Cub Relays at Nevada. On Thursday, the Jaguars--as well as crosstown rival Ankeny--had to deal with a different issue in the Ram Relays at Southeast Polk. "They were having some trouble with the timing system," said Ankeny coach Nick … [Read more...] about Jaguars win 4 events, place 3rd overall at Ram Relays; Hawks finish 6th

Hawks win sprint medley relay, Jaguars also shine at Waukee Earlybird meet

by

The weather for Thursday's Waukee Earlybird boys' track meet wasn't the greatest. Still, Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial both overcame the rainy conditions to turn in some good performances. The meet was unscored. "Our kids competed very well," said Ankeny coach Nick Nelson. "We still have some of our top guys running at half capacity. We're waiting for … [Read more...] about Hawks win sprint medley relay, Jaguars also shine at Waukee Earlybird meet

Ankeny boys’ track team to rely on depth in sprint, hurdles events

by

With temperatures in the 60s, the Ankeny boys' track team took advantage of the balmy weather to compete outdoors Tuesday in a dual meet at Urbandale. Coach Nick Nelson was pleased with the results. "It was great to be outside and run a full meet prior to spring break," Nelson said. "Typically, we are inside doing indoor meets. The boys competed very … [Read more...] about Ankeny boys’ track team to rely on depth in sprint, hurdles events