Ankeny Fanatic

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Rondi Quass

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

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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

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

Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Rondi Quass, Centennial girls’ cross country

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Ankeny Centennial junior Rondi Quass is one of the state's best distance runners. She is eighth in the girls' Class 4A individual cross country preseason rankings by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches. Quass placed 14th in last year's Class 4A state meet with a time of 18 minutes 54 seconds. She led the Jaguars to a third-place finish, the best … [Read more...] about Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Rondi Quass, Centennial girls’ cross country

McMahon wins 3,000 in dramatic fashion; Jaguars place 3rd in 4×800 relay

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Ankeny senior Lauren McMahon asked herself a question as she watched Iowa City Liberty's Ashlyn Keeney take the lead on the final lap of the 3,000-meter run in the girls' Class 4A state track meet on Thursday. "I knew she was going to come out with a really good 400 kick," McMahon said of Keeney. "I was just thinking in my head, 'Lauren, what do you have … [Read more...] about McMahon wins 3,000 in dramatic fashion; Jaguars place 3rd in 4×800 relay

‘I will never forget that moment’: Jaguars capture regional crown on DQ

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For only the second time in school history, the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team captured a Class 4A regional title on Thursday at Urbandale. And the Jaguars did it in unexpected fashion. Centennial won the meet when Southeast Polk was disqualified in the final event, the 4x400 relay, for running on the lane lines. The Jaguars finished with 141.5 … [Read more...] about ‘I will never forget that moment’: Jaguars capture regional crown on DQ

Hawkettes edge Centennial girls by 6 points to win Iowa Conference crown

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The Ankeny Centennial girls' track team continues to chase its crosstown rival. On Tuesday, the Jaguars nearly caught Ankeny for the first time this season. The two squads waged a close battle for the team title in the CIML Iowa Conference meet at Mason City. The Hawkettes emerged with the crown, racking up 159 points to edge Centennial by six … [Read more...] about Hawkettes edge Centennial girls by 6 points to win Iowa Conference crown

‘It was great to be back at the Relays’: Centennial girls medal in 3 events

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With the high school portion of the Drake Relays condensed into one day, the Ankeny Centennial girls' track team was forced to make some tough choices on Thursday. Two of the Jaguars' top individual qualifiers--Kathryn Vortherms in the 400 and Rondi Quass in the 3,000--decided to skip those races in order to focus on other events. And the strategy paid … [Read more...] about ‘It was great to be back at the Relays’: Centennial girls medal in 3 events

Quass places 2nd in 800 at Central Indoor Meet, ties school record

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Ankeny Centennial's Rondi Quass has picked up right where she left off during the cross country season. Quass, a sophomore and one of the state's top distance runners, led the Jaguars to a third-place finish in the Class 4A state meet last fall. She placed 14th in a time of 18:54.4. On Saturday, Quass showed that she's ready for the outdoor track … [Read more...] about Quass places 2nd in 800 at Central Indoor Meet, ties school record

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

‘A great day to be a Jaguar’: Centennial boys, girls race to state-meet berths

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Ankeny Centennial will be well represented at next week's state cross country meet in Fort Dodge. The Jaguars qualified for both the boys' and girls' races with strong performances in a Class 4A state qualifying meet on Wednesday at Council Bluffs. While the girls' team qualified for the seventh time in eight years, the boys' squad advanced for the first … [Read more...] about ‘A great day to be a Jaguar’: Centennial boys, girls race to state-meet berths

Ankeny’s McMahon, Centennial girls race to titles at CIML Iowa Conference meet

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Ankeny senior Lauren McMahon raced to a conference title on Thursday. The Ankeny Centennial girls' cross country team did as well. The fourth-ranked Jaguars overcame McMahon's victory and a strong performance by No. 11 Ankeny to win the CIML Iowa Conference crown at the Iowa State cross country course in Ames. It was the first league title since 2016 … [Read more...] about Ankeny’s McMahon, Centennial girls race to titles at CIML Iowa Conference meet

‘She’s transformed a little bit’: Former thrower wins her first cross country race

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Ankeny senior Lauren McMahon surprised herself on Thursday at the DMACC cross country course. She surprised her opponents, too. McMahon cruised to an easy victory in her first varsity race, posting a time of 18 minutes 32 seconds on the 5K course. She finished 23 seconds ahead of Valley's Lauren Schulze. "I had no idea what to expect honestly," said … [Read more...] about ‘She’s transformed a little bit’: Former thrower wins her first cross country race