Keeney Wins MVC Super Meet for Second Straight Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – Following a regular season filled with illness and adversity Ashlyn Keeney finally felt close to 100 percent on Thursday.
The Liberty High sophomore certainly looked healthy at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet.
Keeney won her second Super Meet title in as many years on Thursday cruising to the individual title at Kickers Soccer Park in Iowa City.
“Health wise I think I’m a lot better than I was, even closer than last week,” Keeney said. “I’m almost there, very close.”
An eye infection caused Keeney to get a late start on the season and was the first in a string of health setbacks for the sophomore standout that most recently has included a bout of sickness.
On Thursday Keeney was back to her dominant self.
Keeney finished 47 seconds in front of Linn-Mar junior Micah Poellet who was the only other running to break 19 minutes, finishing runner-up in 18:54.
“I tried to get out fast and then I just tried to build that gap,” Keeney said. “There is always the chance that someone will come back so I was just trying to keep building that gap.”
Keeney and Poellet immediately sprinted to the front of the pack.
Poellet was just strides off the pace of Keeney for the opening mile before the Liberty High sophomore pulled away.
Lillian Schmidt of Dubuque Senior was third in 19:11 followed by teammate Claire Edmondson who was five seconds back.
“I was trying to get out fast,” Keeney said. “I was going to go for a pr but I kind of settled and my effort level wasn’t that great, I’m a little upset about that but I’m happy with how I placed.”
Class 4A second-ranked Dubuque Senior had three runners finish in the top seven and won the team title with 72 points to edge fourth-ranked Linn-Mar by six points.
City High was third with 114 points followed by Cedar Rapids Prairie with 118 and Dubuque Hempstead with 128.
“Before the race I was really nervous because I know everybody is here and how good of runners were here today,” Keeney said. “It makes me nervous but I tell myself ‘you can do this even if they come up you can pick it up and go with them and outkick if that happens.’ I tell myself it is going to be alright just keeping doing what you are doing.”
Top-ranked Dubuque Hempstead had three runners in the top 10 led by individual champion Ryan Winger and pulled away to win the boys Super Meet title for the second year in a row.
Hempstead finished with 47 points, 23 in front of fifth-ranked Cedar Falls while seventh-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie was third with 104, No. 8 West High was fourth with 116 and No. 13 Liberty High was fifth with 142.
Sophomore Nicolo Schianchi led three West High runners in the top 15 placing seventh in 16:50.
Fellow sophomore Alex McKane was ninth in 16:55 and senior Ken Wilbur was 14th in 17:00 for the Trojans.
Bowen Gryp placed 12th in 16:58 and Jack Kinzer was 15th in 17:03 as Liberty High jumped six spots in its second showing at the Super Meet.
The Lightning were 11th in its inaugural Super Meet appearance a year ago and didn’t have a finishers in the top 40 but had four runners place in the top 40 on Thursday as senior Peter Woodward was 36th in 17:33 and junior Caleb Schillinger was 38th in 17:34.
City High was led by freshman Ford Washburn who placed 24th in 17:19 and senior Mitchell Wilkes who was 26th in 17:20 as the Little Hawks finished seventh with 192 points.
Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet
At Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City
Team scores – 1. Dubuque Senior 72; 2. Linn-Mar 78; 3. City High 114; 4. Cedar Rapids Prairie 118; 5. Dubuque Hempstead 128; 6. Western Dubuque 160; 7. Dubuque Wahlert 164; 8. West High 177; 9. Liberty High 196; 10. Cedar Falls 221; 11. Cedar Rapids Washington 320; 12. Cedar Rapids Xavier 364; 13. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 379; 14. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 443; 15. Waterloo 446
Individual leaders – 1. Ashlyn Keeney (ICL) 18:07; 2. Micah Poellet (L-M) 18:54; 3. Lillian Schmidt (DS) 19:11; 4. Claire Edmondson (DS) 19:16; 5. Chloe Skidmore (L-M) 19:16; 6. Rowan Boulter (ICH) 19:23; 7. Izzy Gorton (DS) 19:31; 8. Gabby Moran (DW) 19:36; 9. McKenzie Logan (ICL) 19:38; 10. Gabby Cortez (CRP) 19:40; 11. Jordyn Beck (L-M) 19:53; 12. Lilly Reynolds (ICH) 19:55; 13. Mary Cline (CRW) 19:55; 14. Lauren Klein (WD) 20:02; 15. Hannah Brown (DH) 20:11
City High – 6. Rowan Boulter 19:23; 12. Lilly Reynolds 19:55; 21. Iris Wedemeyer 20:33; 29. Erin Anderson 20:53; 46. Esti Brady 21:18; 48. Jordan Sekafetz 21:26; 54. Lucy Corbin 21:32
West High – 22. Maddy Negley 20:35; 35. Annie Schwartz 20:59; 37. Camden Zirker 21:01; 38. Lucy Westemeyer 21:02; 45. Erica Buetner 21:17; 56. Emma Kearney 21:42; 61. Sara Alaya 22:02
Liberty High – 1. Ashlyn Keeney 18:07; 9. McKenzie Logan 19:38; 58. Cami Mac 21:49; 60. Isabelle Woody 22:00; 68. Carly Sulwer 22:17; 76. Elizabeth Jaeger 22:57; 80. Malia Taylor 23:12
Boys Results
Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet
At Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City
Team scores – 1. Dubuque Hempstead 47; 2. Cedar Falls 70; 3. Cedar Rapids Prairie 104; 4. West High 116; 5. Liberty High 142; 6. Linn-Mar 179; 7. City High 192; 8. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 200; 9. Western Dubuque 228; 10. Dubuque Wahlert 269; 11. Cedar Rapids Washington 312; 12. Dubuque Senior 323; 13. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 342; 14. Cedar Rapids Xavier 407; 15. Waterloo 439
Individual leaders – 1. Ryan Winger (DH) 16:04; 2. Jack Pendergast (CRP) 16:18; 3. Jacob Green (CRK) 16:40; 4. Brayden Burnett (CF) 16:42; 5. Dylan Dolezal (L-M) 16:42; 6. Mason Suarez (DH) 16:49; 7. Nicolo Schianchi (ICW) 16:50; 8. Andrew Bickford (CRP) 16:53; 9. Alex McKane (ICW) 16:55; 10. Marcus Leitzen (DH) 16:56; 11. Eli Smith (CF) 16:58; 12. Bowen Gryp (ICL) 16:58; 13. Owen Maloney (DH) 16:59; 14. Ken Wilbur (ICW) 17:00; 15. Jack Kinzer (ICL) 17:03
West High – 7. Nicolo Schianchi 16:50; 9. Alec McKane 16:55; 14. Ken Wilbur 17:00; 33. Caden Noeller 17:29; 53. Raymond Yang 17:43; 55. Mohan Kumar 17:50; 71. Alex Wang 18:12
Liberty High – 12. Bowen Gryp 16:58; 15. Jack Kinzer 17:03; 36. Peter Woodward 17:33; 38. Caleb Schillinger 17:34; 41. Christian Montover 17:36; 64. Ethan Keeney 18:02; 78. Gavin Keeney 18:24
City High – 24. Ford Washburn 17:19; 26. Mitchell Wilkes 17:20; 43. Evan McElroy 17:37; 49. Lance Smith 17:39; 50. Lohman Provorse 17:40; 54. Parker Max 17:46; 57. Elliot Dunnwald 17:51
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