Scheels Athlete of the Week: Regina’s Gahan Excelling in Track and Soccer During Busy Senior Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
Two years into her high school career Annie Gahan had settled on a spring sports routine.
A four-sport athlete, Gahan ran track in the spring with a focus on the 400 hurdles earning state medals in the event each of her first two prep seasons.
After having her spring routine tossed sideways a year ago by the global pandemic that caused the cancellation of all spring sports Gahan decided to mix things up as a senior.
Gahan joined the Regina soccer team for the first time this season and has continued to excel on the track where she owns a trio of top-ten times in Class 2A.
“When we didn’t have track last year I kind of realized you can’t make up for things,” Gahan said. “I figured I might as well do everything I could.”
The addition of soccer to her spring schedule has made Gahan a five-sport athlete as a senior.
A Kirkwood Community College softball recruit, Gahan excelled in volleyball and basketball during the fall and winter.
Gahan played soccer through elementary school but had chosen to focus on track and the start of softball season during her high school years.
“I wanted to play my soccer my other years but track was always my priority,” Gahan said. “My senior year, I know what I’m doing in college and so I figured I might as well and I’m having a lot of fun with it.”
Gahan has picked things up quickly in her return to the soccer field.
A forward, Gahan ranks third on the team with five goals and is second with three assists while helping Regina to a 5-3 start to the season.
More important than her on-field production has been the leadership Gahan has provided for a Regina soccer program with 11 underclassmen.
“She is a phenomenal athlete but really that doesn’t do justice to what she means to our team,” Regina soccer coach Anne Larew said. “She is a great girl, she has a great attitude and she is a great leader for our underclassmen.”
The addition of soccer to an already busy spring schedule isn’t the only change Gahan has implemented to her routine.
Gahan has switched up her track schedule as well, emerging as one of the top high hurdles in Class 2A and helping Regina field a state-title contending shuttle hurdle relay team.
“The 400 hurdles everyone hates that race and I used to love the hate of that race but I think the 100 hurdles have taken that number one spot for me,” Gahan said. “(The 400 hurdles) are still a race that I want to do great in but it hasn’t been what I’ve focused on this year. I’ve kind of switched that a little.”
Gahan enters the River Valley Conference meet on Thursday with the sixth fastest time in Class 2A this season in the 100 hurdles.
She clocked a career-best 15.74 while winning the 100 hurdles at the Cedar Rapids Xavier Invitational last week and followed that up by winning the event at the Pacha Relays at Clear Creek Amana on Thursday.
“At Xavier it was just a different race for me,” Gahan said. “At Xavier when I was running I was really aware of how my arms were moving and actually stepping over the hurdle. It was just a moment of realization where I knew what I needed to do.”
Despite a limited number of attempts at running the 400 hurdles this season Gahan ranks 10th in 2A in the event with a time of 1:09.23.
The Regina shuttle hurdle relay team anchored by Gahan and featuring freshman Alli Clark, junior Peyton Naeve and senior Abby Clark has the top time in 2A this season at 1:08.09.
Gahan has been the leader of the Shuttle hurdle succees.
“It’s just her competitiveness, she is just such a gutsy competitor and she goes after people, and has that drive and loyalty to her teammates. It’s one of those things that you wish you could bottle and give to everyone else,” Regina track coach Chad Swope said. “It spreads when the girls see Annie run that way, it spreads to the rest of the team. It’s that infections attitude that you want everyone to have and Annie has it and you can’t coach it.”
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