City High’s Schaeckenbach Shines in 400 Hurdle Win
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – A runner-up finish in the Drake Relays 400 hurdles last month stung for Caroline Schaeckenbach.
Her redemption run in the event Friday at the state meet hurt a little bit to but in a good way.
A very, very good way.
Schaeckenbach pushed through the pain to win the Class 4A title in a career-best time of 1:03.37 at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
“It hurts a lot but I am just really excited,” an out of breath Schaeckenbach said when asked how the state title felt. “I am so happy that it actually happened.”
A late stumble forced Schaeckenbach to settle for a runner-up finish to Glenwood’s Janette Schraft at the Drake Relays last month.
On Friday a tumble by Southeast Polk sophomore Grace Larkins opened the door for Schaeckenbach to claim her first career title.
“I was disappointed after Drake,” Schaeckenbach said. “I had been thinking about winning the whole year and then it didn’t happen but that’s the way things go it wasn’t God’s plan but this time it was.”
Schaeckenbach and Larkins ran virtually even through nine hurdles.
Larkins stumbled then fell in the final 10 meters and Schaeckenbach took advantage winning by more than three seconds over runner-up Hope Morken of Ames.
“It was really close, it would have been so close,” Schaeckenbach said. “I feel bad for (Larkins). She ran so well.”
Schaeckenbach becomes the third City High athlete to win a state title in the 400 hurdles joining two-time champions Teesa Price and Sarah Plock.
The win was the first title of any kind for the Little Hawks at the state meet since Plock won her second 400 hurdle title in 2015.
Schaeckenbach’s title also gives long-time City High coach Terry Coleman a champion in his final state meet.
Coleman will retire at the end of the season after spending 25 years as an assistant and head coach at City High. A stint that included seven state titles, four as a head or co-head coach.
The impact of adding one final title for Coleman wasn’t lost on Schaeckenbach
“That I was one reason that I really wanted to win Drake is because I wanted to do it for him since it’s his last year and he was my first high school track coach and I just love him so much,” Schaeckenbach said. “He was perfect for me and I what I needed so I’m so glad I could win this for him.”
Schaeckenbach entered with the top time in 4A this season at 1:04.05, clocked in her runner-up finish at the Drake Relays.
The junior second-year hurdler took more than half a second off that time in her championship lap.
“I really wanted to break 1:04 and I was just praying that it would be a 1:03.99 or anything,” Schaeckenbach said. “Last year my pr was 1:04.99 and I just wanted anything under 1:04 so I was so happy to be under my goal again.”
The title by Schaeckenbach and a fourth-place finish by the City High distance medley relay team highlighted a strong Friday for City High that pushed the Little Hawks into the top 10 of the 4A team race with 15 points.
Sophomore CeCe Kelly-Harvey anchored the Little Hawk distance medley team to a time of 4:07.85.
“I just wanted to go out hard I knew there were so many good girls in this race so I wanted to stay as close as possible to them,” Kelly-Harvey said. “I anchored this last year and I ran a 2:18 and we ran three seconds faster than we did last year.”
Class 4A
Team scores – 1. Waukee 55.33; 2. Southeast Polk 35; 3. Cedar Falls 32; 4. Ames 22; 5. Ottumwa 21; 5. Pleasant Valley 21; 7. Linn-Mar 19; 7. Liberty High 19; 9. Council Bluffs 16; 10. City High 15
Individual results (Event winner; area qualifiers)
400 hurdles – 1. Caroline Schaeckenbach (City High) 1:03.37; 5. Amy Liao (West High) 1:08.01; 7. Kiara Malloy-Salgado (West High) 1:08.1; 12. Lillian Reynolds (City High) 1:09.58; 22. Isabelle Woody (Liberty High) 1:11.7
4×200 – 1. Waukee 1:41.0; 12. City High (Emma Cooper, Ayana Lindsey, Emma Clark, Mia DePrenger) 1:45.06; 19. West High (Amy Liao, Katie Severt, Mia Dillingham, Matayia Tellis) 1:47.02
Distance medley relay – 1. Cedar Falls 4:00.19; 2. Liberty High (Chaise Lange, Taylor Cannon, Devon Dunson, Ashlyn Keeney) 4:03.26; 4. City High (Emma Cooper, Emma Clark, Ayana Lindsey, CeCe Kelly-Harvey) 4:07.85
Shot put – 1. Kat Moody (Waukee) 46-4 ¾; 4. Salima Omari (West High) 39-10 ½; 15. Arionnah Sonii (West High) 35-9
Long jump – 1. Darby Thomas (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln) 18-11; 15. Ella Cook (City High) 16-1; 23. Te’Nia Ansley (City High) 15-5 ¼
Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by becoming a member.