Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – With just one opportunity to compete at home this season Ani Wedemeyer was determined to make the most of the lone meet on her home track.

Wedemeyer did that and then some of Thursday at the Forwald/Coleman Relays.

The City High sophomore standout posted a pair of individual runner-up finishes and helped City High to a pair of top-three relay finishes on a cool and breezy evening at Raffensperger Track in Iowa City.

“It’s our home meet so I really wanted to challenge myself today and go for all four big events,” Wedemeyer said. “I knew it was going to be a challenge going into and I was stressed about the workload but it was really fun.”

Wedemeyer was runner-up in both the 400 and 800 and anchored the City High sprint medley relay team to a title in 1:50.36.

She capped her busy day running on the City High 4×400 relay team that finished third as the Little Hawks placed fourth in a balanced 13-team field with 82 points.

West Des Moines Valley won the team title with 91 points, five more than runner-up Ames.

Linn-Mar was third with 82.5 followed by City High with 82 while Liberty High was sixth with 60 and West High was ninth with 47.

“We really put a lot of hype into it this year and a lot of work and this isn’t the end goal but this is a really big, really fun meet,” Wedemeyer said. “To be able to compete here at home is amazing.”

Cedar Rapids Kennedy sisters Addison and Sidney Swartzendruber stopped Wedemeyer shy of a title on Thursday.

Wedemeyer was runner-up to Addison Swartzendruber in the 400 in a time of 58.18 and was second to Sidney Swartzendruber in the 800 in 2:16.8.

“I was pretty happy,” Wedemeyer said. “Obviously the Swartzendrubers are incredible so I just went out there with the mindset I was going to do my best and if the times aren’t the best it’s because I was running a lot. I was happy with it.”

Wedemeyer joined Safia Almabrazi, Bella Skay and Eva Reynolds on the winning sprint medley relay team.

She teamed with Josephine LeClair, Reynolds and Lucy Thompson to finish third in the 4×400 relay.

City High also got a title from Nina Peterson in the 3,000 in 10:34.91.

“I knew I was seeded first which is kind of scary and I didn’t pr or anything today but am pleased with how I did considering how windy it was,” Peterson said. “It was a great experience and it felt more calm than meets where I have to chase somebody.”

Reynolds finished second in the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:06.41 as City High scored in seven individual events.

“We competed really well overall,” City High coach Jeremy Mims said. “We are getting points in places we haven’t really gotten a lot of points consistently in the past. Our field events are coming along and our distance runners have dropped so much time.”

Liberty High won a pair of events on Thursday while placing sixth in the team standings.

Jasmine Barney won the long jump with a mark of 16-7 ½ while teammate Alexi Thigpen was runner-up with a jump of 16-4 ¾.

The Liberty High distance medley team of Stephanie Nuro Gyina, Natalie Ramsey, Malia Taylor and Cori Mac won in 4:18.81.

“At the Forwald/Coleman Relays you know you are going to have talent, you know it’s going to be fast races, you know everything is fast, I don’t know how many meet record went down tonight,” Mims said. “As a high school kid it’s a meet you want to be in.”

West High senior Meena Tate cleared 5-2 to win the high jump and Annie Schwartz was runner-up in the 100 in a time of 12.96.

The Solon 4×800 team of Anna Quillin, Grace Hoeper, Ashlyn Williams and Gracie Federspiel won in 9:41.9.

Forwald/Coleman Relays

At City High  

Team scores – 1. West Des Moines Valley 91; 2. Ames 86; 3. Linn-Mar 82.5; 4. City High 82; 5. Pleasant Valley 65; 6. Cedar Rapids 60; 6. Liberty High 60; 8. Waukee 50; 9. West High 47; 10. Waukee Northwest 43; 11. Urbandale 30.5; 12. Dubuque Hempstead 23; 13. Solon 21

Individual results (event winners; area placewinners)

Discus – 1. Reese Goodlet (PV) 142-8; 7. Hannah Braun (ICH) 110-9; 8. Rachel Haack (ICH) 109-5

Shot put – 1. Kennedy Evans (L-M) 39-1 ½; 5. Jolie Nordell (ICL) 36-2 ½; 7. Helen Penning (ICW) 35-1 1/4;

Long jump – 1. Jasmine Barney (ICL) 16-7 ½; 2. Alexi Thigpen (ICL) 16-4 ¾; 5. Emily Arling (ICH) 15-5 ¼; 6. Ruth Cloyd (ICH) 15-4 3/4; 7. Meena Tate (ICW) 15-2; 8. Lindsey McKane (ICW) 15-2

High jump – 1. Meena Tate (ICW) 5-2; 6. Ava Bruxvoort (ICW) 4-9; 6. Tommy June Simmons (ICH) 4-9

100 – 1. Gentry Williams (WAU) 12.88; 2. Annie Schwartz (ICW) 12.96; 4. Alexi Thigpen (ICL) 13.05;

200 – 1. Addison Swartzendruber (CRK) 26.53; 5. Bella Skay (ICH) 27.63; 7. Hannah Ramsey (ICL) 27.66; 8. Ruth Cloyd (ICH) 27.67

400 – 1. Addison Swartzendruber (CRK) 57.01; 2. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH) 58.18; 8. Josephine LeClair (ICH) 1:04.79

800 – 1. Sidney Swartzendruber (CRK) 2:16.74; 2. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH) 2:16.8; 8. Kate Van Waning (ICW) 2:30.61

1,500 – 1. Addison Dorenkamp (WDV) 4:44.14; 4. Cori Mac (ICL) 4:55.79

3,000 – 1. Nina Peterson (ICH) 10:34.91; 4. Nicole Peterson (ICH) 10:51.22; 5. Kayla Young (SOL) 10:59.82

110 hurdles – 1. Ali Frandsen (AME) 14.47; 5. Erinah Carter (ICW) 16.09; 7. Mia Stahle (SOL) 16.22; 8. Sophia Olivio (ICW) 16.4

400 hurdles – 1. Ali Frandsen (AME) 1:03.47; 2. Eva Reynolds (ICH) 1:06.41; 3. Erinn Varga (ICW) 1:06.56; 4. Mia Stahle (SOL) 1:07.83; 7. Natalie Ramsey (ICL) 1:12.45;

Sprint medley relay – 1. City High (Safia Almabrazi, Bella Skay, Eva Reynolds, Ani Wedemeyer) 1:50.36; 8. West High (Shaniya Jackson, Natalie Steva, Anna Prouty, Evelyn Asay) 1:59.59

Distance medley relay – 1. Liberty High (Stephanie Nuro Gyina, Natalie Ramsey, Malia Taylor, Cori Mac) 4:18.81

Shuttle hurdle relay – 1. Waukee Northwest 1:07.91; 3. West High (Sophia Olivo, Lily McConnell, Hebah War, Erinah Carter) 1:08.96;

4×100 – 1. Ames 49.99; 3. Liberty High (Alexi Thigpen, Brynlee Slockett, Amira Coleman, Jasmine Barney) 50.61; 5. City High (Safia Almabrazi, Bella Skay, Sierra Pruessner, Ruth Cloyd) 51.5;

4×200 – 1. Ames 1:44.82; 2. Liberty High (Amira Coleman, Jasmine Barney, Hannah Ramsey, Alexi Thigpen) 1:47.65; 3. City High (Sierra Pruessner, Bella Skay, Ruth Cloyd, Eva Reynolds) 1:47.66

4×400 – 1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 3:59.1; 3. City High (Josephine LeClair, Eva Reynolds, Lucy Thompson, Ani Wedemeyer) 4:06.56; 7. West High (Lydia Evans, Annie Schwartz, Anna Prouty, Erinn Varga) 4:12.6

4×800 – 1. Solon (Anna Quillin, Grace Hoeper, Ashlyn Williams, Gracie Federspiel) 9:41.9; 6. West High (Cindy Wang, Gabby Moniza, Hannah Longmore, Kate Van Waning) 10:39.25; 8. Liberty High (Averie Bilskemper, Carleigh Maher, Clara Welch, Bridget Canton) 10:58.02

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