NDN-SS-03-31-2023

2023 Spring Sports Preview

INSIDE: Defending state champ Addy Terpstra of Newton leads a deep and talented crop of hurdlers and previews of spring sports teams at Newton, Colfax-Mingo, PCM, Baxter and Lynnville-Sully

Newton boys golf resets roster after historic season

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

The Newton boys golf team qualified for the state tournament for the first time in more than 20 years last spring.

But most of those Cardinals are gone and long-time head coach Pat Riley now looks to reset the varsity roster with plenty of new and inexperienced faces.

“The expectations are to improve tremendously,” said Riley, who begins his 18th season as head coach. “With the number of young kids I have out and the lack of experience with the game of golf, I foresee them improving rapidly.”

Last year’s Cardinals were fourth during the conference regular season and finished fifth in the conference tournament. But that team lost seven seniors and this year’s roster

welcomes back just one player with extensive varsity experience.

Junior Kinnick Pritchard moves into the No. 1 spot in the lineup after averaging 85.85 for 18 holes last season. His low score for the year was the 79 he fired at the district tournament.

Pritchard shot an 81 at sectionals, carded an 87 at the conference tournament and finished 44th at the state tournament.

“Kinnick is slated to be ‘our man’ this year,” Riley said. “He has really elevated his game to a point I didn’t think he could get to. He continues to impress me year after year. The best thing about ‘KP’ is that he has the perfect demeanor for golf. Nothing bothers this kid. He just goes out there and does his thing.”

The rest of the roster features zero seniors and three juniors. There are eight freshmen and sophomores.

After Pritchard, the returner with the most experience is sophomore Peyton Rozendaal, who played two varsity 18-hole rounds last season. Junior Colin Cummins and sophomore Lincoln Peterson each played one varsity 18-hole round a year ago.

“I anticipate them stepping up to compete for a lot of varsity time this year,” Riley said. “As for varsity spots, I believe that is completely up in the air. We could have two or three freshmen playing, I just don’t know. We had our first qualifier (on May 22) and that will shed some light on who’s fighting for those top six spots.”

The rest of the roster includes junior Alex Kearse, sophomore Isaiah Spears and freshmen Ethan Pageler, Lane Rozendaal, Kayden Westlund, Carter Maki and Logan Russell.

Troy Hyde/Newton News Newton junior Kinnick Pritchard is the lone returner from last year’s state tournament team. He is expected to be the squad’s No. 1 golfer this spring.

Newton boys soccer turns page after semifinal appearance

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Don’t talk to Newton head boys soccer coach Zach Jensen about last season.

The Cardinals advanced to the state tournament and reached the state semifinals for the first time since 1996, but it’s a new season with some new faces and Jensen is ready to move on.

“I don’t want to hear anything about last year. I don’t care what we or any one particular person did last year,” said Jensen, who begins his seventh season as head coach. “The other teams in the state couldn’t care less about what we did last year. We are all on a level surface. It’s a new year.”

The Cardinals finished 14-7 last year and were 4-3 in a very challenging Little Hawkeye Conference. They defeated rival Dallas Center-Grimes 2-1 in double overtime to advance to state and then knocked off Bondurant-Farrar 2-1 in double overtime at state.

Newton ended its season with a 2-1 loss to eventual state champion Council Bluffs Lewis Central.

Several members of last year’s team are back. But the Cardinals did lose a significant player at each level who Jensen and his coaching staff will have to replace.

The only spot that has been secured is at goalie where junior Hunter Teague is set to take over the position full time from the departed Caleb Lawson. He played 227 minutes between the pipes as the backup last year, made 10 saves and allowed one goal.

“He’s excelled in the first week and a half,” Jensen said. “He’s stepped up in camp and kept us in the game during

our first scrimmage. I like what I’ve seen so far.”

The Cardinals also have to replace their top two point scorers in Derek Beiner and Hunter Kennedy and defensive captain Breyton Schwenker also graduated.

But Newton welcomes back a strong junior class led by Christian Lawson, Nate Lampe, Cody Klein and Caleb Mattes.

omore Landon Bozarth also returns to the defensive backfield. Junior Bryen Hernandez is back as a defensive midfielder who started 11 matches last season.

Mattes made all 21 starts last spring and ranked tied for fifth on the team with five goals. Bozarth also started all 21 games.

The other starting defensive position is open and could come down to sophomore Christian Buchli and senior Dustin Deanda, who made seven starts in his 12 matches last season.

The offensive guys are expected to be some combination of Lawson, Lampe, Klein and juniors Conner McPartlin and Jacob Sweeney.

Others who could find roles at that end of the field include Deanda, senior Bairon Martinez-Ramirez and juniors Landon Menninga, Heber Velasquez and Rodrigo Ramirez-Velasquez.

“We have to find someone who can score, someone who has to control the middle and somebody who can organize from the back,” Jensen said about finding replacements for his three top departed seniors. “All three of those guys were at least two-year starters. I feel like this is the most unknown team I have had in my seven years.

Class 2A.

“He will be a big part of our offense,” Jensen said. “We moved him into (Beiner’s) role for the scrimmage and he scored from there, too. He could play in a few different spots.”

Lampe scored 12 goals, delivered eight assists and had 32 points in his 21 starts. Klein added five goals, three assists and 13 points in his 20 starts.

Lampe could take over for the departed Kennedy, who led all of 2A in assists las season.

McPartlin and Sweeney are the top forwards. McPartlin scored three goals and started three matches and Sweeney added one goal off the bench. He made two starts.

“I don’t plan on talking much about last year,” Jensen said. “I think guys are excited. It’s a new group. There will be some chemistry issues and some hiccups, but we hope to be playing our best soccer by the end of the year.

“We just need to find who the best 11 guys are and put them in the right spots. We have to figure out our depth. I don’t know how much depth we’ll have. We’ll see.”

Klein, Menninga, Buchli, Lampe and junior Jesus Murillo all will dual sport with track and field this season.

“We had a heavy sophomore class and those guys are now juniors,” Jensen said. “We have some good leadership in that class. We have a good group of returners. And every year it’s a new puzzle to put together. It’s a new group and they are all new puzzle pieces. We have to figure out where they fit.”

Mattes is the favorite to replace Schwenker and soph-

“There are a lot of unknowns still. We had a good feel about where guys would play in the past, but this team is versatile and can play in multiple spots. I don’t think I have ever had that before.”

Lawson tied the departed Beiner for the team lead with 16 goals last season. He added five assists in his 21 starts and his 37 points ranked third on the squad and was top 20 in

The Cardinals opened their regular season at home against Marshalltown on March 27. They also have home matches scheduled for March 30, April 1, April 4, April 11, April 14, April 28 and May 1.

The district tournament is slated to start on May 16.

Troy Hyde/Newton News Newton junior Nate Lampe (4) is back for the Cardinal boys’ soccer team after registering 12 goals and eight assists last season.

Terpstra headlines Newton girls track’s deep, talented roster

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Competition for the four shuttle hurdle relay spots was intense and came down to the final few meets last season.

This year’s battle appears to be even more competitive.

Addy Terpstra returns as the defending Class 3A state champion in the 100-meter hurdles and she’ll anchor this year’s shuttle hurdle relay.

Which three Cardinals join Terpstra is something longtime co-head coaches Rachel Tomas and Rachelle Tipton will be tracking this spring.

“The battle to earn a spot is tight,” said Tomas, who begins her 14th season as head coach. “We have nine total hurdlers this year, including (Terpstra), and all have potential to earn a shuttle spot. It’s going to come down to who posts the times and is most consistent.”

The Cardinals have high expectations overall. They finished sixth at the conference meet, fourth at the state qualifier and ninth in 3A last season.

This year’s squad features a defending state champion, a defending state runner-up relay, a talented freshmen class and a roste that goes 45 deep.

“We bring back lots of talent this year and gain some more with our freshmen class,” Tomas said. “Our conference and 3A competition is tough. Staying competitive and healthy will be a focus for our season. We have depth in talent so exploring our best options throughout the season will be our goal to prepare us for the postseason.

“Replacing points we grew accustomed to with our graduated seniors will take some

adjustments in the lineup. However, the efforts we have seen during the indoor season have us excited to see that continue into the outdoor season.”

Terpstra headlines this year’s roster. She’s coming off her first state title in the 100 hurdles and finished fourth at last year’s Drake Relays. She also was part of the shuttle hurdle relay which placed second in 3A and 10th at the Drake Relays.

Terpstra will be used on relays and has the team’s top returning time in the 200 dash at 27.18 seconds. She was on the Cardinals’ 4x100 Drake Relays team, too.

“Addy is starting the season strong,” Tomas said. “She has posted faster times indoors this season than she did last year. A repeat state title and a Drake champion are the targets. We are focusing on one meet at a time as checkpoints to these goals.”

With Terpstra anchoring the shuttle hurdle relay, the final three spots will come down to seniors JaQuay Priest and Annie Main, juniors Alyssa Beerends, Gracie Clayton and Chloe Rorabaugh, sophomore Macy Lampe and freshmen Mack Sims and Tori White.

The foursome which placed second at last year’s state meet included Rorabaugh, Lampe, Priest and Terpstra.

“We foresee a lot of movement in this relay team as different girls earn a spot,” Tomas said. “The group has looked strong indoors so it will be interesting to see how they transition to the longer race outdoors.”

Of the 45 athletes on the squad, 25 are freshmen and sophomores.

Sophomores Brooklyn Shannon (13.31 seconds) and Abby Bruce (13.71) have the top returning times in the 100, Shannon (27.33) trailed

ton Ray (5:40.40) and Kruse (5:47.21) have the top returning 1,500 times.

Joining Kruse, Winther and Ray as leaders in the distance events include senior Kate Muckler, sophomore Briana Shannon and freshman Harper Barton.

Muckler ran on the state-qualifying 4x800 relay as a sophomore.

Barton already posted a 2:42 in the 800 during the indoor season.

only Terpstra in the 200 and sophomore Bella Winther (1:04.43) brings back the top returning 400 time.

Clayton posted the fastest returning time in the 400 hurdles, too.

Joining Terpstra, Priest, Rorabaugh, Shannon, Winther, Clayton, Bruce, Sims and White as leaders in the sprinting group are expected to be sophomore Lola Rivera and freshman Lauren Clarke.

“The sprint group depth is dependent on sprint distance. Some are better served for 100s than 200s or vice versa,” Tomas said. “Brooklyn (Shannon) and (Clayton) have proven to be sprinters who can push up to 400s, while (Winther) is a distance runner who has proven to be beneficial in the 200 distance.”

The two best returning 800 times also are from sophomores — Hadley Kruse (2:37.17) and Winther (2:41.62). Sophomore Pey-

Newton hopes to score points in field events, too. Bruce brings back the top leap in the long jump at 15 feet, 3 inches. Sophomore Alex Riney has the top returning mark in the high jump at 4-10. White cleared a personal-best 5-0 in the high jump during an indoor meet this season and other candidates in the long jump are Main, Sims, Clarke, Riney and sophomore Haylee White.

“Tori (White) and (Riney) are a great duo who will push each other to improve in the high jump,” Tomas said. “Long jump is proving to be a popular event with many athletes showing interest.”

Seniors Tierney Adams (33-7) and Jayden Lukefahr (30-1) are the two shot throwers and senior Marissa Cunningham (109-8) and Lukefahr (102-3) are the top returning discus throwers. Others competing for varsity spots in discus include Adams and sophomore Paige Benson.

Scott Garvis is the throwing coach for Newton and he will be shared between both the girls’ and boys’ programs.

“Practice has been going well and we are focusing on building a foundation for

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Newton senior Addy Terpstra, right, is the Class 3A defending state champion in the 100-meter hurdles and a 2022 Drake Relays medalist. She headlines this year’s Cardinal girls’ track and field roster.

Newton boys track and field reloads after trophy finish

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Last year’s Newton boys track and field season was historic.

The Cardinals finished with a trophy for the first time in 50 years after placing third in Class 3A.

With plenty of graduation losses, it’s probably not fair to expect another trophy, but Cardinal head boys track and field coach Chad Garvis expects his squad to stay competitive.

“I feel like we have a number of guys who will be able to compete this year,” Garvis said. “We should do well in several relays, including the 4x100, 4x200, 4x400 and sprint medley and maybe the 4x800.”

Newton’s roster goes more than 50 deep. And the Cardinals have a few athletes back who competed at the state meet last season.

The headliner is junior Cody Klein. He was part of last year’s third-place 4x800 and fourth-place 4x400 relay teams and is a two-time Drake Relays qualifier.

Klein helped Newton finish 11th in the 4x800 relay at last year’s Drake Relays, but Garvis expects him to focus more on 100s, 200s and 400s this spring. He could be on relays, too, and will again dual sport with soccer.

Klein has the top returning time of 53.32 seconds in the

Girls Track

Continued from Page 4

team camaraderie, expectations and event basics,” Tomas said. “The athletes have really

400-meter dash. He also ran 24.13 in the 200.

The other two returners who competed at the state meet last season were sophomore Reilly Trease and junior Curtis Payne. They both were part of the 11th-place shuttle

pushed themselves and are eager to get better each day. The team is enjoyable to coach. Their efforts are making each other better as earning spots will be competitive.”

Casanova, Riney, Tori

team that finished 13th at the Drake Relays. He ran 11.81 and 23.72 in the 100 and 200, respectively, last spring.

Garvis expects Payne and Trease to compete well in the 110 high hurdles, the shuttle hurdle relay and maybe the long jump and a few other relays.

Ergenbright is expected to compete in the 200 and a few relays.

The other Cardinals Garvis expects to compete for state berths are seniors Brody Bauer and Collin Buchli, junior Nate Lampe, sophomores Christian Buchli, Javin Doland and Landon Menninga and freshmen Caden Klein and Nick Thomason.

“These are the runners I think will make an impact at the state level as it stands right now,” Garvis said. “It’s the beginning of the year so things can change of course.”

The front runners to join Trease and Payne on the shuttle hurdle relay team are Caden Klein and Bauer. Caden Klein also will be strong in the 400 hurdles and help in several relays and maybe even in the high jump.

few relays.

Thomason is a 100 and 200 runner, while the Buchli brothers and Menninga will focus on 800s and the 1,600.

Menninga has the top returning time in the 3,200 (11:12.96) and ran 5:06.29 in the 1,600 last spring.

Sophomore Creighton Andrew’s 4:54.35 is the top returning time in the 1,600.

Trease and Payne could be the team’s long jumpers, Caden Klein and Ergenbright have potential in the high jump, senior Carter Ham will throw the discus and juniors Thomas Stadelmann and Tyler Anderson are the top two returning shot throwers.

Trease totaled 19 feet, 7 1/2 inch last year in long jump and Ergenbright had a mark of 5-4 in the high jump. Stadelmann’s throw of 42-4 1/4 in the shot put led Newton.

“We have more speed this year and more depth in the sprints,” Garvis said. “I think we can score around 15-25 points at the state meet. We do need leadership from our handful of seniors.”

hurdle and 16th-place 4x200 relay teams.

Trease (11.95 seconds) had one of the top times in the 100 last season.

Sophomore Christian Ergenbright was part of the Cardinals’ distance medley relay

White and Brooklyn and Briana Shannon all will dual sport with soccer this spring.

Senior Audrey Rausch is on the track and girls’ soccer rosters but will miss both seasons due to an injury.

Bauer has the top returning times in both the 110 high hurdles (17.98) and the 400 hurdles (1:01.20).

Doland will run 400s and 800s.

Lampe is out for track and field for the first time and will dual sport with soccer. He will run the 400 and be a part of a

The Cardinals open their outdoor season at Boone on March 30.

Their two home meets are scheduled for April 20 and May 4. The Little Hawkeye Conference meet is at Pella on

Newton opens its outdoor season at Boone on April 3. The Cardinals’ two home meets are April 20 and May 4.

Pella hosts the Little Hawkeye Conference meet on May 2 and the 3A state qualifying meets are on May 11.

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

May 8 and their 3A state qualifying meet is slated for May 11.

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Troy Hyde/Newton News Newton junior Cody Klein, right, is a two-time state and Drake Relays qualifier and he will be one of the leaders on this year’s Cardinal boys’ track and field team this spring.

Newton senior Marin Pettigrew is back for the Cardinal girls’ golf team and should play at the top of the lineup this spring.

Senior duo, new coach headline Newton girls golf

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

For the first time in five years, the Newton girls’ golf team will have a new No. 1 player at the top of its varsity lineup.

Graduated senior and 2022 Class 3A state champion Rylee Heryford is gone but a pair of seniors are back after earning all-conference honors last spring.

Marin Pettigrew and Ella Price headline this year’s roster and new head coach Nicole George will use the preseason practices to determine how the rest of the varsity lineup will shake out.

“We have great leadership from our two seniors, and I have con-

fidence we will give other teams a good run again,” said George, who graduated from Newton in 2011. “A few players need to step up to fill varsity spots, but we have a lot of previous JV players ready to throw their hat in the ring.”

The Cardinals are coming off back-to-back Little Hawkeye Conference championships and they were third at regionals last season, missing the state tournament by one stroke.

Pettigrew was fourth at the conference tournament a year ago and eighth as a sophomore. The top six finishers at regionals advance to state and she was eighth last year after firing a career-best 86.

Price also earned all-conference last year. She was eighth after shooting a career-best 97.

“Marin and Ella have already shown a growth mindset during these early days of practice,” George said. “I’ve had conversations with both of them about their performances last year and what they are looking to accomplish this year. We definitely have a state-berth mindset.”

Sophomore Evie Main joins Pettigrew and Price as a varsity returner. Sophomore Addison Hook played two nine-hole rounds and two 18-hole rounds at the varsity level last season, too.

GIRLS GOLF | 7

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

Defensive trio leads young Newton girls soccer squad

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Due to some key graduation losses, the Newton girls’ soccer team already was going to be pretty young in 2023.

But after an unfortunate injury and because another player decided not to go out, the Cardinals will be even younger than maybe expected before the spring season began.

That means new co-head coaches Susan Altemeier and Victoria Jordan have their work cut out for them in finding the right pieces to the puzzle this season.

“Our team culture is a big key this year for our program,” Altemeier said. “We want the girls to have fun but also work hard and hold each

other accountable.”

Newton must figure out how to replace its goalkeeper, top defensive player and the two most prolific scorers from last year’s team. Three of those players graduated, but senior Audrey Rausch is not available this season due to an injury.

Rausch leaves behind her 28 goals, seven assists and 63 points from last season.

“Our midfield and forward positions will be new to a lot of the girls whether as a returning player or not,” Jordan said.

“We have no doubt from the talent we see that the girls will learn quickly and thrive in their new roles.”

While the offense is in transition, the defense brings back senior Addison Ross and sophomores Alex Garvis

and Delaney Woollums.

Ross made 11 starts last season, while Garvis and Woollums started all 17 games.

The coaching staff has their answer at goalkeeper. Junior Natalee Freese takes over the position after playing just 20 minutes between the pipes last spring. She made two saves.

“We know the younger girls learned a lot from the graduated seniors last year and we expect the same high standards to follow with our returning group,” Altemeier said. “We will be working with a couple of our younger players to fill the fourth defensive position. We hope with the leadership of the returning three and with more experience given to our younger players, in time we will fill that role.”

The top returning offensive player is sophomore Riley Plowman, who made 17 starts and totaled three goals, one assist and seven points last spring.

Sophomores Alex Riney and Brooklyn Shannon each tallied one assist in reserve roles and junior Estella Allen made six starts in her seven matches.

Allen started in the fourth defensive position during the team’s home scrimmage against Carlisle on March 24.

Senior Aliviah Ross and Brooklyn Shannon started at forward, while sophomore Briana Shannon was a starting midfielder and sophomore Abby Chance was the starting defensive midfielder.

Girls Golf

Continued from Page 6

Pettigrew averaged 46.25 for nine holes and 98.17 for 18. Price carried a nine-hole average of 52.67 and her 18-hole average was 104. Main’s first prep season included a nine-hole average of 56.

The only two seniors are Pettigrew and Price and Mackenzie Schippers is the lone junior. The rest of the roster includes Main, Hook, sophomores Kalleigh Berndt, Dani Endres, Eva Park and Addison Van Maanen and freshman Adaline Ratcliff.

Price

change frequently.

George plans to work on specific golf skills during practice, but she’s also focusing on instilling confidence in each of the players.

“I want the girls to be confident they will hit a good shot or sink a putt,” George said. “I want them to envision that positive outcome and then execute. The girls have been amazing and have welcomed two new coaches effortlessly.”

George advanced to the state tournament as a senior at Newton High School and finished ninth in 4A. She played golf for three years at the University of Northern Iowa.

“We have 10 players competing for six varsity spots,” George said. “I definitely expect the three varsity returners to be in the mix for those spots because of that experience. But I can’t promise anything. I want to be able to assess them all — see how they work individually and together.”

George plans to have qualifiers during practice to decide the varsity lineup each meet. The varsity roster could

Boys Golf

Continued from Page 2

Riley anticipates his young squad taking a few lumps, but he sees the youth as a strength and hopes to have everybody back next year.

“We lost a lot of quality players to graduation and had a heck of a run at the end of the season,” Riley said. “It was a fun ride, but now we have to turn the page.

“From what little I have seen from them, I’m excited

She’s now an English teacher at Newton High School.

The Cardinals open their season at home on April 6. They also play at home on April 13.

The conference tournament is on May 8 at Otter Creek Golf Course in Ankeny. The regional tournament is slated for May 17.

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

about this crop of kids. They have some pre-high school talent so that will give some of them a chance to jump right into a varsity role.”

The Cardinals open the season at Saydel on March 31. The Little Hawkeye Conference tournament is May 8 in Oskaloosa. The sectional tournament is May 10 and the district tournament is scheduled for May 15.

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Troy Hyde/ Newton News

Newton senior Addison Ross is one of two seniors on this year’s Cardinal girls’ soccer team and she will play a big role at the defensive end of the pitch.

New faces, young roster highlights Newton boys tennis team

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor Troy Hyde/ Newton News

With so much varsity talent lost to graduation last year, Newton head boys tennis coach Jared Gerber will spent the early portion of the season figuring out who will play where and what exactly he has this spring.

Six players who saw some kind of varsity action last year are back and they will move up the ladder.

But the rest of the lineup won’t get figured out until competition matches are completed.

“We did lose a lot of great players last year, but we have added a lot of new guys this spring,” said Gerber, who begins his third season as head coach.

Gerber’s roster of 17 players is the largest team he’s had since COVID-19.

The Cardinals placed fifth at the conference meet and fourth at districts last season. The 2-8 dual record was a bit misleading and they were just one point off a substate berth.

“Our team always makes huge improvements during the season,” Gerber said.

“We play a tough dual schedule so that 2-8 record

is a little deceiving as we’re playing some of the top competition in the state. We had chances in several meets to win close matches. That’s one thing we’ve been focusing on during practice. One point can swing a match either direction.”

The returners are senior Collin Buchli, juniors Seth Adams, Andrew Wiles and David Holmes and sophomores Evan Marshall and Ethan Valtman.

Adams and Marshall both won a match at the district tournament and Marshall was fourth in his doubles bracket at the conference tourney.

Buchli is the lone senior. The roster also includes six juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen.

Buchli and junior Presley Arnold will dual sport with track and field this spring.

Holmes currently is out with a knee injury, but Gerber hopes to have him back for the second half of the season.

“We’ll be a very young team,” Gerber said. “Most of our varsity spots are unknown so there’s lots of chances for players to step up and get to play varsity. We’ll have challenge matches over the next couple of weeks to get a bet-

ter idea of who will step into those roles.”

The team played “Tuesday Night Tennis” during the summer. It was a chance for the kids to get back on the court, play and have fun with the sport.

“We had our best numbers this summer,” Gerber said. “Because we have so many new players, we have started with the basics and worked

towards match play.

“The guys have done an awesome job picking up skills and getting better. This team has some great competitors, which makes practice a lot of fun. Our team may have some early-season losses, but we will be a much better team at the end of the season.”

The Cardinals open their season with a home dual against Boone on April 3.

Collin Buchli is the lone senior on the Newton boys’ tennis team this spring. He also is one of a handful of returners who have varsity playing experience.

Their other home dates are April 6, April 11, April 27, April 28, May 3 and May 4. The team hosts the conference tournament at 10 a.m. on May 3 at Aurora Heights. The individual district meet is May 8 and the substate team tennis meet is May 12.

Contact Troy Hyde at 641-792-3121 ext. 536 or thyde@shawmedia.com

Newton girls tennis seeks climb in conference standings

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

Junior Lauryn Garrett spent last season sharing the No. 1 singles spot with her older sister Maggie.

This season, the younger Garrett takes sole possession of the No. 1 position and Newton’s girls tennis team hopes a larger roster helps push them back up to the top of the Little Hawkeye Conference standings.

“Hopefully, we can get a good boost from our offseason work and our newcomers and that will take us over the hump to get back where we want to be — at the top of the Little Hawkeye,” said Newton head girls tennis coach Erick Zehr, who begins his 14th season at the helm.

Garrett was 3-3 in the No. 1 position and 3-3 in the No. 2 spot last spring.

She teamed up with her sister at individual regionals and missed the state tournament by one match.

Lauryn Garrett scored one of the team’s three wins during the 5-3 regional loss to Clarke, too.

“Lauryn is among the top players in the conference,” Zehr said. “We will be work-

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Continued from Page 7

Sophomore Lauren Nook, freshman Taytem Seitz and Riney saw significant minutes off the bench.

“We hope to reduce exposure to our defensive line, make better connecting passes and keep our offense as one unit,” Jordan said. “We also want to see more of our plays

ing with the goal of qualifying her for the state tournament, which is within her capability.”

Zehr knows most of his singles’ lineup. The next four spots will be taken by returning players, and the group includes juniors Olivia Hotchkin, Ella Swarts and Madison

in the attacking end of the field. Our squad does well defensively, communicates well together, works hard and is a coachable group of kids.”

The Cardinals were 11-6 last year and finished 3-4 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.

They lost 1-0 to stateranked Bondurant-Farrar in the second round of the regional tournament.

Riney, Briana Shannon

Rinehart and senior Roxanna Almazan.

Hotchkin and Swarts split their time last year between No. 3, 4 and 5 singles and Almazan and Rinehart mostly were at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.

“We have returning players who will get the first crack at

and Brooklyn Shannon all will dual sport with track and field this spring. Rausch also would have dual sported with track and field had it not been for the season-ending injury. Both Altemeier and Jordan are Newton High School alums.

Altemeier graduated in 1990 and she’s been coaching soccer for 16 years. She spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach under former

The Cardinals finished 2-7 in LHC duals and placed fourth in the conference tournament last season.

Before losing 5-3 to Clarke in the regional tournament, Newton defeated Knoxville by that same score in the opening round.

In the win over the Panthers, Hotchin and Swarts claimed a doubles win, while Lauryn Garrett and Almazan earned singles victories.

Almazan and Rinehart joined Lauryn Garrett in the win column during the loss to Clarke, too.

Zehr identified a few offseason emphasis points with some of his returning players. The Cardinals want to have higher expectations of themselves and Zehr also revamped a few things.

the final singles position, but that spot and our doubles lineup is less clear than our top five,” Zehr said. “It will be exciting to watch as the season progresses.”

The roster is back up to 31 this season. There are seven seniors, nine juniors, five sophomores and 10 freshmen.

head coach Abby Lamont.

Jordan is a 2016 Newton alum. She played on the Cardinals’ 2016 state tournament team and spent last season as an assistant coach under Lamont.

“I’m excited to take on this new leadership role with Coach Susan, and I’m excited to see the players’ growth as well as our program,” Jordan said.

The Cardinals opened their

“I figured this was the perfect time to open the floor to the girls and let them make some choices on a few things, new uniforms chief among them,” Zehr said. “This group is frequently asking to be pushed more. This team is one of the most eager I’ve worked with.”

season at Marshalltown on March 27.

They are scheduled for home matches on March 31, April 6, April 13, April 18, April 22, April 25 and May 9.

Newton’s home tournament is slated for April 15 and its regional tournament begins on May 19.

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Newton junior Lauryn Garrett returns to the top of the Cardinal girls’ varsity lineup this spring. She shared the No. 1 spot with her sister last season.

Colfax-Mingo girls track hopes to stay atop SICL

By Troy Hyde Sports Ediitor

The Colfax-Mingo girls’ track and field team won the South Iowa Cedar League championship last season with only three victories because the Tigerhawks piled up second- and third-place finishes.

Long-time head coach Zach Tomas is not sure if his team will repeat as conference champions this spring, but he didn’t go into last season expecting to win the title either.

“I had no idea this time last year that we’d have the season we had,” Tomas said. “Maybe that’s my fault, and I just didn’t realize it. I expect us to have a top three or four finish this year though.”

The Tigerhawks bring back five of their top 10 point scorers from last season. Repeating as conference champions though will be a challenge after losing their second and third most prolific scorers.

But, Colfax-Mingo welcomes back senior Carley Underwood, who competed at state in two individual events and anchored the shuttle hurdle relay team to 18th place on the blue oval.

Underwood finished 11th in the 100-meter hurdles in Class 2A last spring and was 15th in the 400 hurdles. She’s aiming for a state medal or two this season.

“She’s hoping for a state medal in the 100 hurdles and hopes to be part of the team’s shuttle hurdle relay success,” Tomas said. “Carley wants to get back to state in the 400 hurdles and break the school record in the event.”

The school record of 1:07.35 at Colfax-Mingo was

set by Marlene Berg way back in 1982.

Underwood led the Tigerhawks in scoring last year with 229.25 points. The next best returners are sophomore Trinity Smith (83) and seniors McKenna Pleima (78.25) and Caylee Cunningham (68). Junior Rachael Uecker scored 31.25 points, too.

Outside of Underwood in the two individual hurdle events, Tomas expects the shuttle hurdle relay to be the team’s best event. Underwood, Pleima, Cunningham, Smith and freshmen Cadence Linn and Evalyn Anderson are all in contention for the four spots. Pleima joins Underwood as a 400 hurdler.

The Tigerhawks, who placed fifth out of 12 teams at last year’s 2A state qualifier, have exceeded Tomas’ expec-

tations so far.

“I didn’t expect to start the year where we were at last year,” Tomas said. “We lost a pretty versatile senior class. But we’ve ran better than I thought we would. Our freshmen class is pretty talented.”

Speaking of versatile, Tomas can use Smith in many different events. She can and will run anything from a 100 to the 3,000. She posted the top 800, 1,500 and 3,000 times from last year and had one of the best times in the 400 and one of the best leaps in the long jump.

Pleima has the top returning times in both the 200 and 400, Cunningham is one of the best 200 runners on the team and is the top high jumper and Uecker is back with one of the best 800 times from last year.

Jenah Jones.

Wilkins could be the team’s top distance runner after an impressive cross country season in the fall. Schroeder also has been impressive during the early stages of the season.

The Tigerhawks bring back plenty of talent from most of last year’s relay teams, but Tomas expects Snyder, Linn, Jones and Buchman to be factors, too.

C-M golf starts fresh with new coach, large numbers

The Colfax-Mingo golf program welcomes its third head coach in three years.

But numbers may have never been higher than they are this season as first-year head coach Mack Van Zante welcomes 15 girls and 17 boys this spring.

Senior Holland Robinette and sophomore Emma Cook are the top Tigerhawks in the shot put and Robinette and sophomore Lily Arndt could be the two best discus throwers.

The roster features eight seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores and nine freshmen.

Cunningham, Robinette, senior Felicity Woods and junior Charlotte Donahue will dual sport with golf, while sophomore Karmylia Snyder also will play soccer for Central Iowa United.

Outside of Underwood, Cunningham, Pleima, Smith and Uecker, Tomas expects big varsity roles from Woods, Donahue, Snyder, Linn, junior Adalai Schroeder, sophomore Shae Wilkins and freshmen Emmalyn Buchman and

“We have a lot of excited team members ready to get started,” Van Zante said. “I have very high team goals for both the boys and the girls. My goal has always been to provide the best experience for anyone who wants to participate in any extracurricular activity.”

The 2022 girls’ roster featured seniors Holland Robinette and Caylee Cunningham and junior Charlotte Donahue.

That Tigerhawk trio is back but the 2023 roster includes five freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors and three seniors.

Donahue led the squad last year with averages of 55 (nine holes) and 107 (18) and Robinette was next with averages of 59 and 114.33, respectively.

They were at their best at the end of the season.

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Colfax-Mingo senior Carley Underwood, right, headlines the Tigerhawk girls’ track and field team after qualifying for the state meet in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles last season.

State returners, deep roster leads Mustang boys track team

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

As an assistant coach for the PCM girls track and field team the past two seasons, Logan Bieghler watched the boys’ squad from close by.

That should help with his transition this spring as he moves over to the boys’ program as their new head coach.

Bieghler has 48 athletes to work with in his first season and a handful of them are back after competing on the blue oval last season.

“Our main goal right now is getting bigger, faster and stronger and going out and competing,” Bieghler said. “If we to do that, then we will see where our chips fall come the beginning of May.”

The roster features 10 seniors, 10 juniors, 16 sophomores and 12 freshmen.

The top returners are senior Gavin Fenton and junior Griffin Olson. They both were part of the 4x100-meter relay team which qualified for the Drake Relays last season and each were part of the 4x100 and shuttle hurdle relay teams at the state meet.

Fenton competed in four events at the state level, also qualifying in the 400 hurdles and the 4x200 relay.

Fenton placed 16th in the Class 2A 400 hurdles. Olson and Fenton helped the 4x100 team place 12th, Fenton and junior Gabe Hobbs were part of the 15th-place 4x200 squad and Fenton, Olson and sophomore Gavin Van Gorp placed 22nd in the shuttle hurdle relay.

Hobbs has the top returning time in the 200 at 23.85 seconds. Olson’s top 200 time was 24.98 and he also went 57.15 in the 400 and 57.96 in

the 400 hurdles.

Fenton brings back the top times in both the 400 (56.7) and 400 hurdles (57.4) and Van Gorp’s leap of 18 feet, 8 inches is the top returning mark in the long jump.

The Mustangs bring back at least two members of each relay this spring. They welcome back all four runners from the 4x800 and three from the shuttle hurdle relay.

Senior August Stock is back after being out with an injury last season. He was part of the state-qualifying shuttle hurdle relay team as a sophomore and is back in the mix for one of the four spots this spring.

The others competing for position on the hurdle relay team include Fenton, Olson, Van Gorp, sophomore Adrien Robbins and Jake Winters and freshman Gavin Steenhoek.

Fenton, Van Gorp and Winters are a few who could compete in the 110 high hurdles and Fenton, Olson and Van Gorp are candidates for the 400 hurdles.

Bieghler identified several Mustangs who will help

juries like Stock and Robbins will give us some depth in relays.”

A lot needs to be settled in the field events. Freshman Chase Wagaman appears to be the leading candidate at high jump, and Van Gorp, Jones and Camu all are options at long jump.

The throwers are seniors William Vanderpool, Gavin Hegwood and Joel Greiner, juniors Mark Bussan and Jacob Burns and sophomores Kaden Clark, Aden VanEkeren and Tate Birkenholtz.

is the lone returner who qualified for the state meet last spring.

Gallaher finished 17th in the 2A shot put a year ago. She was second at the conference meet and placed third at the state qualifier. Her best throw covered 35 feet, 8 inches.

According to Karr, junior Rylie Muck and sophomore Chloe Greiner also could score points as throwers this season.

the team in sprinting events this year. Hobbs, junior Jacob Wendt and freshman Evan Jones will focus on 100s and 200s, while Fenton, Stock, Olson, Robbins, Van Gorp, seniors Aydan Camu, Caden Bouwkamp and Mickey Mackewich, juniors Carter Burns and Justin Johnson and sophomore Sawyer Bouwkamp will run anything from a 100 to a 400.

Sophomore Carson Hansen and Riley Graber are two of the returning members from the top 4x800 relay team. They both, along with sophomores Coby DeRaad, Gavin DeRaad and Brevin DeRaad, will compete in 400s and 800s.

The longer distance runners are senior Gage Messerli and sophomore Wyatt Vannoy.

“We are trying to figure out what events kids can run/ do as we have some boys who have not been out for track and field before, returning from injuries or exploring new events from previous years,” Bieghler said.

“Having guys back from in-

“We have a good mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen and will mix our veterans with some new people as we got some boys out for the first time ever,” Bieghler said.

Bieghler spent the past two seasons as a PCM girls assistant track and field coach.

Fast start brings excitement to PCM girls track team

The PCM girls’ track and field team has already posted faster times during the indoor season than it did during any point of the outdoor campaign in 2022.

That is why fifth-year head coach Eric Karr feels strong about this year’s squad.

“As long as we keep a positive attitude, work hard through all the spring weather conditions and stay healthy, we should be just fine,” Karr said.

“There are a lot of aspects of this sport that are out of our control. We have a lot of athletes who can compete in a variety of events so we’ll just have to see how things progress this spring.”

The Mustangs’ roster goes 35 deep. The six seniors are the smallest of the four classes. But senior Rylee Gallaher

PCM graduated four seniors from last year’s state-qualifying shuttle hurdle relay team. Four freshmen have replaced them and that group is off to a strong start this spring.

The new group includes Morgan Karr, Tori Lindsay, Jorja Teeter and Lillian Humpal. Any of those four could compete in the 100 hurdles and sophomore Addison Steenhoek headlines the 400 hurdlers.

“Relays seldom remain the same from season to season,” Coach Karr said. “To have to start from scratch in the shuttle would have been terrifying if I didn’t know the hurdlers coming up from middle school. They all know it’s a long process. It starts with speed though, and they are all really fast.

“Addison had a pretty good freshman season learning the 400 hurdles race. I believe she will have more success in that event this season.”

The Mustangs bring back a lot of sprinters from last year’s squad. That group includes senior Sophia Steenhoek, juniors Ryan Bennett and Elle Davis and sophomores Stella Stravers and Addison Shannon.

Troy Hyde/Newton News PCM senior Gavin Fenton competed in multiple events at last year’s state track and field meet. He headlines this year’s deep and talented Mustang roster.

Talent is aplenty for Baxter’s boys track and field team

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

A big point scorer from last season’s Baxter boys’ track and field team is gone, but plenty of talent returns for second-year head coach Colby Wagner.

Three members from last year’s state-qualifying 4x800 relay team are back. And at least three members of three different relays return from a group that won the Iowa Star Conference championship.

“With all the returning guys coming back stronger than last year, I believe we will be able to fill the gaps we lost to graduation,” Wagner said. “We have lots of athletes who are hungry to get to state after watching the open 800-meter and 4x800 relay make it. This will help athletes work hard to hopefully clutch another conference title, too.”

Senior Cody Damman, junior Cody Samson and sophomore Perrin Sulzle are back from the 4x800 relay team which placed 12th at state and set a new school record.

That group also gets sophomore James Esqueda back and he ran on the conference-winning 4x800 relay team. Junior Logan Jones is another candidate for one of the four spots.

“I firmly believe our 4x800 relay will be just as competitive as last year if not more competitive,” Wagner said.

“Our three returners know what it’s like to run at state and they want to go back. We will have options for that fourth runner because lots of athletes want to go to state.”

Senior Carson Scroggins has the top returning times in the 100-meter dash (11.88), 200 (23.21) and 400 (52.41). Sulzle (2:13.44) has the top

returning 800 time, but Damman (2:14.76) and Samson (2:15.54) were not far behind. Both Damman and Samson have two of the better returning 400 times, too.

Wagner identified Scroggins, senior Jake Travis and sophomores Cainan Travis and Cade Robinson as the team’s top sprinters. Sophomore Alex Dille had one of the top 100 times last season, too.

“I believe we’ll have a very well-rounded team with multiple athletes having a wide range of abilities,” Wagner said. “With our group of sprinters, we believe the 4x100 could have a great chance of qualifying for state.”

The top distance runner

Jones and junior Ashton Kerwin are two others who will join Rainsbarger in hurdles.

Baxter welcomes back plenty of talent in the field events.

Junior Treyton Travis had a mark of 6 feet, 0 inches in the high jump last spring, Cainan Travis led the long jumpers with a leap of 18-9 3/4 and senior Trice Clapper headlines the throwers.

Clapper reached 42-1 in shot put and 116-5 1/2 in discus last spring.

Wagner said Rainsbarger will be another long jumper and sophomore Carter Smith provides depth in the throwing events behind Clapper.

Baxter girls track gets new leader, new direction Senior Mandee Selover is a two-time state qualifier in the long jump. But the Baxter girls’ track and field team as a whole needs to learn what it takes to be successful.

nior Jo Harder and sophomore Addison Kerwin — are out for the season because of injuries.

“The girls are working hard and there is a lot of effort and desire,” Russell said. “We won’t be the deepest team, but we will be the hardest working team.”

Selover has the top returning time in the 200 at 28.42 seconds. She also registered a personal-best leap of 16 feet, 9 1/2 inches in the long jump at last year’s state qualifying meet.

The Bolts were third in the Iowa Star Conference meet last season after finishing second in 2021. They were second in two relays, Selover placed second in the long jump and Buswell and junior Regan Russell were third in the 100 hurdles and 1,500, respectively.

is sophomore Matt Richardson, who is coming off a state cross country appearance in the fall. He posted a besttime of 5:14.18 last season in the 1,600 but went a personal-best 5:10 at the team’s first indoor meet this season. He also has the best returning time in the 3,200.

Samson provides the Bolts with some depth in the distance events. He posted a best-time of 5:18.11 in the mile last season.

Wagner expects the Bolts to have a strong hurdling group. The leader is sophomore Logan Rainsbarger, who has gotten off to a strong start. He posted best times of 16.54 in the 110 highs and 1:02.84 in the 400 lows last season.

That is one of new head coach Josh Russell’s focuses this spring as he takes over the girls’ program from the departed Jason Aker.

“They want to get better,” said Russell, who switches to the girls’ program after being a part of the boys’ program for several seasons. “It’s a rebuilding year, but only because we need to learn what it takes to be successful.”

Selover headlines the roster after placing 14th in the Class 1A state meet last season. She is one of four seniors on this year’s squad, joining Bree Buswell, Abby McReynolds and Lilyan Headlee.

There are five juniors, four sophomores and seven freshmen. Unfortunately, two of the team’s 17 athletes — ju-

Selover will run 200s and 400s and be heavily involved in relays, Buswell and Headlee will focus on relays and hurdles and McReynolds should play a role in sprints and relays. Junior Lydia Pierce is another high jumper.

“Lots of points return and lots of our leadership from last year is back,” Coach Russell said. “We are not going to worry about our times and distances right now. We are focused on peaking when the championship meets come.”

Baxter returns at least three members of four relays last year and all four members of the shuttle hurdle relay are back.

Freshman Camryn Russell figures to play a huge role this season as the team’s top high jumper and hurdler.

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Baxter senior Cody Damman, left, is one of three returning members of the Bolts’ 4x800 relay team which ran at the state meet last season.

Good Luck Local Sports Teams

Talented Hawks have high expectations in 2023

By Troy Hyde Sports Editor

The Lynnville-Sully boys track and field team won a state title and placed in the top eight in four other events at the state meet last spring. But the Hawks want more.

Seniors Conner Maston, James Gruver and Kyle Squires and junior Corder Noun Harder headline a roster that features plenty of talent and the Hawks seek a third straight South Iowa Cedar League title and maybe even a top five state finish in Class 1A.

“We have high expectations,” fourth-year head coach Darin Arkema said. “The bar has been high for a number of years for our program and they want to continue that and try to raise it a bit further.”

A bit further would be a top five finish in 1A. The Hawks scored 25 points and finished ninth at state last year.

With Maston, Gruver, Squires and Noun Harder all back, Lynnville-Sully should realistically be in the mix for a trophy finish.

The squad features seven seniors, six juniors, three sophomores and 10 freshmen.

Maston has the team’s top returning times in the 200-meter dash (24.0), 400 (51.35) and 800 (2:17.37) and trails only Noun Harder in the 100 (11.95).

He’s already posted a 400 time of 50.81 this indoor season after finishing seventh at state in the 400 last year with a time of 51.35. He also had a mark of 6 feet, 2 inches in the high jump last spring.

Gruver’s best time in the 400 last year was 54.07 and he posted a 52.53 at the confer-

ence indoor meet last week.

He’s coming off a fourthplace medal in the 400 hurdles at last year’s state meet.

Noun Harder has the top returning time in the 100 at 11.54 seconds.

Squires qualified for the state meet in the shot put last season and is one of the team’s top sprinters.

Noun Harder and Maston were part of the state-championship winning 4x200 relay last season. Gruver helped that duo place third in the 4x400 and Squires helped Noun Harder and Maston take seventh in the sprint medley relay.

“This group of three seniors and one junior is a key place to start when looking at our team,” Arkema said. “They

others,” Arkema said. “So far, they each appear to be off to a good start and are excited to strive for more this year.”

The Hawks’ sprinting group goes deeper than those already mentioned. The rest of them include juniors Mitchell Miller, Valentijn Niet and C.J. Nikkel, sophomore Austin Larson and freshmen Jack Bowlin, Kendric Johnson, Jaiden Richards and Isaac Ver Ploeg.

“You can never have too many sprinters or too much speed, and we’ve got a good size group,” Arkema said. “I’m looking forward to experimenting with lots of relay lineups and combinations and finding out who is best suited for open events.”

I’d expect we see faster times in those events this spring.”

Gruver leads the hurdlers. His main individual event will be the 400 lows and he may be included on the shuttle hurdle relay team at times. The other four guys working hurdles during the early part of the season are Rea, Gosselink, Larson and Deal. Arkema expects Rea and Larson to be the primary candidates for the 110 highs.

Maston headlines the high jumpers. He qualified for state as a sophomore. Rea is back out for track this year and has already hit a personal record in the event. Gosselink and Deal also could factor into the event.

have been key contributors each season and bring the experience of multiple state qualifying and place winning to the rest of the team.”

Last year’s 4x100 relay team placed 14th at the state meet with a time of 44.77 seconds. That group, which also qualified for the Drake Relays, included Squires and Noun Harder. The Drake Relays time last year was clocked in 44.65.

The Hawks’ have already ran 45.92 in the 4x100 during the indoor season with Squires, seniors Bryce Richards and Caleb Rea and Maston.

“We need this group to not only go out and compete well in what they are in, but help lead, encourage and teach the

The distance crew is led by senior Zach Morningstar and sophomore Hendrick Lowry. Morningstar has the team’s top returning times in both the 1,600 (5:07.6) and the 3,200 (11:14.87) and trails only Maston in the 800 (2:17.95).

Lowry has already posted a 5:07.02 in the 1,600 this indoor season, too.

The rest of the group includes senior Gentry Walston, sophomore Terran Gosselink and freshmen Connor Deal, Ethan Dunsbergen and Michael Spooner. Maston and Gruver will runs 800s, too.

“(Morningstar) has carried the load in the distance events the past few years so it’s great to have a group that can help take some of those responsibilities away from him,” said Arkema, who spent 12 years as the L-S girls track and field coach. “(Lowry) had a strong freshman season last year in 800s and the mile and after a strong cross country season,

The Hawks graduated a state qualifier in the long jump so the event is wide open this spring. Candidates include Bowlin, Dunsbergen, Johnson, Walston, Deal and Spooner.

The throwers are led by Squires, who was a 2022 state qualifier in the shot put. The other candidates for varsity throwing spots are juniors Isaac Vos and Davis Utech and freshmen Dawson James, Wyatt Mathis, Ben Squires and Ver Ploeg.

L-S girls track and field seeks climb to top of SICL Greenlee Smock highlighted the Lynnville-Sully girls’ track and field team last season.

This spring, she hopes a 100 percent commitment to the program propels her to a state medal. And she has a few of her friends back who also seek success at the state level, too.

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Lynnville-Sully senior James Gruver, left, helped the Hawks earn two state medals last season and he starts 2023 as one of the favorites to win the 400-meter hurdles title.

Baxter

Continued from Page 13

Of the seven freshmen, Coach Russell expects more than half of them to be in events that will score.

Freshman

Grace Anderegg will be a top sprinter and compete in long jump, while freshmen Alyvia Burdess and Caydence Sulzle will focus on 200s, 400s and 800s. Burdess is expected to high jump and Sulzle also could long jump.

Freshman Callie Cross could be a varsity thrower and fill in for the injured Harder.

Sophomore Adison Bonney is another thrower seeking varsity time.

The distance group includes Regan Russell, junior Morgan Ratliff and sophomores Emie Tuhn and Zoey Gliem.

Familiar face takes over Baxter girls’ golf program

Baxter head girls golf coach Greg Pickett knew what he was getting into when he took the job this offseason from former head coach Zach Hasselbrink.

Pickett served as Hasselbrink’s assistant coach for the past five seasons and now takes over the girls’ side of the golf program and has eight golfers on his first roster.

The returners are senior Calleah Wall, junior Leah Shanks and sophomores Abbie Meyer and Karlee Koehler. Meyer and Koehler are the

top returners. Meyer led the team last year with a ninehole average of 55.83. Her low for nine holes was a 49. Koehler averaged 59.4 and her low was 54.

“These two have been showing improvement already from last year to this year and I’m looking forward to a great season with them,” Pickett said. “It will be good to see how they can transition their swings out on the course.”

Shanks and Wall played five varsity nine-hole rounds last spring. Wall’s best score was a 59 and Shanks had a 64.

The rest of the roster features seniors Ellie Gruis and Jesse Zeimen and sophomores Hannah Huffaker and Jaci McMinamen.

“My No. 1 focus is consistently making good contact with the ball,” Pickett said. “I have several girls out this year

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who have not had a lot of experience golfing so my goal for them is to build confidence by making contact and making it down the fairway.”

Putting and reading greens are other focuses for Pickett. He will look for his four returning golfers to lead the other four, too.

Pickett serves as the technology director and librarian at Baxter Community Schools. He’s been at Baxter for 13 years.

Baxter boys golf hopes to improve under new coach

For the first time since becoming Bolts, the Baxter golf programs have two head coaches. And Kyle Stribe takes over the boys’ roster which includes three golfers.

Junior Cameron Petermeier and sophomore Hudson Bethards are back. Freshman

Staden Vansice is the latest addition to the program.

“I would expect Cameron and Hudson to be improved from last year,” Stribe said. “The first focus was to just see kids’ swings, make a few adjustments to those and then get reps in.”

Bethards and Petermeier were part of last year’s varsity team. They held nine-hole averages of 70.67 and 66.33, respectively.

“We really need to work on our golf game from 100 yards and in,” Stribe said. “That’s where a lot of strokes come from.”

Stribe begins his 13th year coaching golf. He previously coached the sport at East Sac County and Madrid.

Selover

Colfax-Mingo

Continued from Page 11

Donahue posted a career-best 105 at the conference meet and finished ninth, while Robinette’s career-best 107 came at regionals.

Robinette placed 11th at conference and 11th at regionals. Donahue finished 12th at regionals.

“The three girls from last year ended the season with a lot of momentum,” Van Zante said. “My challenge with them is to focus on the areas of their games they have told me they want to work on. If we continue to improve on each individual area of weakness, the girls will reach their individual goals.”

The top returners from last year’s boys team are senior Cavan Magnuson and sophomore Owen Ament.

Ament and Magnuson held averages of 61.25 and 65.86, respectively. Their 18-hole averages were 132 and 133.5, respectively.

Sophomore Jashawn Fleming also competed in four nine-hole varsity meets.

“A majority of last year’s golfers stated they needed help on the tee box and fixing their swing to hit the ball straighter,” Van Zante said. “My focus with each of them is going to be on course management and getting them to understand when it is appropriate to hit each club.”

Seven of the 15 girls out for golf are playing the sport for the first time. The rest of the team includes freshmen Cadence Linn, Lillie Jones, Lily Brenner, Emily Dyer and Chloe Clements, sophomores Chloe Baker, Kaylee Collins, Madison Stackhouse, Faith Allen and Sophia Hunsberger, junior Alice Brown and senior Felicity Woods.

Linn, Collins, Robinette, Cunningham, Donahue and Woods all will dual sport with track and field this spring.

Magnuson is the only senior on the boys’ squad. The three juniors are Cael Bracewell, Luke Allen and Donnie Baucom.

The rest of the roster features freshmen Alex Teed, Cason Fitch, Gus Engle, Jacob Riddle and Konner Bennett and sophomores Brock Nichol, Sean Ament, Luke Padgett, Aiden Sloan, Ray Osborn, Gavin Sydnes and Michael Camp.

Padgett and Owen Ament will dual sport with track and field this spring.

“The main goal for both programs is to grow the game of golf so that after they Colfax-Mingo High School, they have an activity they can continue to do for the rest of their lives,” Van Zante said. “My

will ‘load up’ any particular relays due to our low numbers. Everyone has been willing to try new events in order to improve themselves personally and also help our team as a whole.”

The roster is headlined by lone senior Carter Gibson and sophomore Xavier Woods. Ben Keeney is the only junior.

Gibson brings back the top returning time in the 400-meter at 54.81 seconds. He also has the top returning time in the 110 high hurdles at 16.46.

Woods is next in the 110 high hurdles with a returning time of 17.86. He has the top returning time in the 400 hurdles (1:02.74) and the top mark in the high jump at 5 feet, 8 inches.

Keeney’s mark of 41-3 is the top returning distance in the shot put and his throw of 114-9 ranked second on the team last year.

leads the distance crew. Freshman Kyle Wood also is expected to make an impact.

Keeney and freshman Luke Padgett will be the team’s throwers, Woods is the primary high jumper and Thornton has shown some early-season promise in the long jump.

The rest of the freshmen include Brian Hernandez, Davion Long and Sullivan Wilkins.

“Seventy percent of our roster is in their first year of high school track and field so there will be a natural learning curve,” Barkalow said. “However, all of these boys have been very coachable and willing to push themselves out of their comfort zones.”

focus for the this first season is breaking the golfers up based on skill level and really putting a focus on course management for the advanced group, swing development for our intermediate group and learning the game of golf for our beginners.”

Gibson, Woods headline C-M boys track team

More than half of the roster for the Colfax-Mingo boys’ track and field team is made up freshmen. The majority of the remaining athletes are sophomores.

Long-time head coach

Matt Barkalow has another small roster, which again will make versatility a huge factor this spring.

“That’s a must with a small squad,” said Barkalow, who begins his 17th season as head coach. “We will have to pick and choose which meets we

The Tigerhawks did not compete in the state meet last year but Woods and Gibson were part of a shuttle hurdle relay team which placed fourth at both the conference meet and their 2A state qualifying meet. Gibson finished fifth in the 110 highs at the state qualifier, too.

Barkalow said Gibson and Woods are one-half of the squad’s shuttle hurdle relay team. Now he just needs to find the middle two runners, which likely comes down to sophomore Shane Hostetter and freshmen Wyatt Thornton and Izaiah Lewis.

Joining Gibson and Woods in the sprinting group are Hostetter, Lewis and Thornton.

“Carter and Xavier could be decathletes in all honesty,” Barkalow said. “If we could only enter them in more than four events. They are the leaders of this team.”

Sophomore Owen Ament

Troy Hyde/Newton News

Contact Troy Hyde

Troy Hyde/Newton News Colfax-Mingo senior Carter Gibson is expected to lead the Tigerhawk boys’ track and field team this spring.

PCM

Continued from Page 12

Junior Tiffani Koonce also will run more sprints this season and Coach Karr expects Morgan Karr, Teeter, Humpal and Lindsay to contribute, too.

Bennett led the sprinters in the 100 and 200 dash events last year and was part of PCM’s state-qualifying 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams in 2021.

The Mustangs’ 4x800 relay team is already drastically faster than anything from last year’s outdoor season. The team of freshman Abi Teeter, Koonce, Addison Steenhoek and senior Paige Steenhoek put together a fantastic relay at the Iowa State indoor and the goal is nothing short of the blue oval.

“I saw a belief and excitement in them that I haven’t seen in a while,” Karr said. “This group knows what it will take to get to state, and I believe they can do that.”

Karr said Abi Teeter, sophomore Makayla True and senior Jillian Fairbanks will run the 1,500 and 3,000 throughout the season.

Freshman Raegan Vannoy will contribute to the distance events, too.

PCM boys golf expects to make big jump in 2023

Senior Grant Van Veen played some of the best golf of his prep career at the end of last season.

Van Veen shot back-toback career-best scores at sectionals and districts to clinch a spot in the Class 2A state tournament.

He takes that momentum into 2023 but also has a bit of motivation after not playing as well as he would have liked at state.

was a 39.

He shot an 83 at the Heart of Iowa Athletic Conference tournament and carded backto-back personal-best 76s at sectionals and districts.

Van Veen’s first state meet did not go as planned as he finished 58th with a two-round score of 184.

Harrison is unsure how the rest of the roster will shake out, but he expects seven players to battle for the final five spots. There are 19 on the roster in all.

Those seven players include junior Nick Farver, sophomores Jeffrey McDanel, Easton Van Veen, Tate Tangeman and Pete Kiernen and freshmen Charlie Ford and Gavin Steenhoek.

golfers out are beginners and new to the sport.

“There are a few new girls going out this year, but my team is full of mostly beginners who are still learning the game of golf,” Dunn said. “Some of them have never played golf before. I believe my varsity spots are pretty wide open for the taking this year.”

Seniors Eleigh Davis and Riley Johannes led the squad last year and have the inside track on varsity spots this season.

Davis averaged a team-best 55.5 and 108 for nine and 18 holes, respectively, last spring. Her best nine-hole score was a 52 and she carded a low of 105 for 18 holes.

PCM soccer must replace top two scorers this spring

The PCM soccer team won five matches last season, but long-time head coach Darrin Telfer will be tasked with replacing his top two scorers from last season.

The Mustangs do bring back a pair of players in both the offensive and defensive zones. The rest of the varsity lineup features new faces and new combinations.

“The kids are working hard,” Telfer said. “We must play together and trust each other. We are looking forward to another season.”

“He wants to return to state this season and be better than the year before,” PCM head boys golf coach Collin Harrison said. “I think that’s the motivation right now.”

Van Veen is not the only Mustang motivated for a big season.

The PCM boys’ golf team welcomes back five of its six players from last season’s sectional tournament and most of them spent a lot of time at the golf course this offseason.

“We have a team who lives at the golf course,” Harrison said. “We will expect to be competitive in every meet, but we do hope to compete at districts and make some head way. But it’s hard to know because we don’t know who we are going to be paired with.”

The roster is headlined by Van Veen, who finished sixth at the conference tournament, third at sectionals and tied for fourth at districts last spring. He averaged 84.43 for 18 holes and his one nine-hole round

McDanel also played the best golf of his career down the stretch last season. He finished 10th at the conference meet with an 86 and placed ninth at sectionals with a career-best 82.

His 18-hole average was 93, Tangeman averaged 95.67 and Easton Van Veen had an average of 96.33. Easton Van Veen shot a 42 in his only nine-hole meet and Tangeman carded a 47.

“We improved throughout last season and got more comfortable,” Harrison said. “We are still a young team, but we have experience and are more confident now. We understand the game better, too.”

PCM girls golf hopes improved numbers lead to more success

PCM’s third-year head girls golf coach Dylan Dunn welcomes back his top two golfers from last season and has an improved number of golfers to work with this spring. Unfortunately, most of the

Johannes had averages of 67 (nine holes) and 123.25 (18) last season. The other varsity returner is sophomore Brelee Berger.

The Mustangs placed eighth of eight at both the HOIAC and regional meets last season.

Davis led the squad in both meets with a 108 and a 109, respectively.

The roster goes 11 deep. The rest of the team includes senior Isabelle Lorton, junior Eliana Buswell, sophomores Meredith Chipps, Reese Palm and Emilyn Davis and freshmen Charlotte Landwehr, Kathryn VanDerKamp and Gretchen Uitermarkt.

Dunn identified work around the greens as something that needs improvement from last season. He thought last year’s squad did well with learning the rules of the game and becoming more comfortable on the golf course.

“We work a lot on trying to manage the golf course and not letting it get the best of us,” Dunn said.

The two biggest returners in the offensive zone are senior Caden Bouwkamp and junior Justin Johnson. Junior Terrell Wood and sophomores Cutler VandeLune and Tristian Fry also should help replace the production lost last year to graduation.

Johnson started 13 of the 14 matches last spring and registered a team-best four assists, four goals and 12 points, which ranked third on the squad.

Two of Johnson’s four goals came in the 5-3 postseason loss to state-ranked West Liberty.

Bouwkamp also started 13 of the 14 matches and finished with one goal, three assists and five points.

Senior Darrell DeVries and junior Jacob Elrod are back on the defense. DeVries chipped in two assists last year. Senior William Vanderpool is another candidate to play defense, according to Telfer.

There’s an open competition at the goalkeeper position taking place during the early-season practices, according to Telfer.

Troy Hyde/Newton News PCM senior Rylee Gallaher is a returning state qualifier in the shot put for the Mustang girls’ track and field team.

Van Veen

Lynnville-Sully

Continued from Page 15

“Greenlee is a great athlete, competitor and leader,” said L-S head girls track and field coach Kevin Johnson, who begins his fourth season at the helm. “The goal is for her to enjoy her senior year and continue to build on the past three seasons.”

Smock is the two-time defending Class 1A state golf champion but decided to put all of her focus this spring on track and field. She was 10th in the 1A 3,000 last season and qualified for state in the 4x800 and distance medley relays, too.

The Hawks bring back Smock, sophomore Olivia Norrish and senior Kinsley Tice from last year’s state-qualifying 4x800 relay team. And junior Morgan Jones, Tice and Smock are back from the state-qualifying distance medley relay foursome.

Both relays won the SICL title last spring and Smock also claimed conference championships in the 800, 1,500 and 3,000.

Smock won the 800 and 1,500 at the SICL indoor meet on March 20 at Grinnell College.

The Hawks won the 4x800 relay at the SICL indoor meet with Tice, freshman Kate Harthoorn, junior Elise Alberts and Norrish. Harthoorn and Norrish were 3-4 in the open 800.

The winning distance medley relay team at the SICL indoor meet included Jones, freshman Tatum Huyser, Alberts and Smock.

“We will continue to see how the pieces work together this season as we begin to look at all of our relays,” Coach Johnson said. “We do have experience in those two relays so that will help moving forward.”

Junior Carsyn McFarland is the lone returner from last year’s 4x100 relay team which finished 10th at the state meet. She also has the fastest returning times in both the 100 (13.83) and 200 (28.2).

Coach Johnson said Jones will be one of the returners who will fill in on the sprint relays.

McFarland was the runner-up in the 100 and 200 at the SICL indoor

and Huyser finished first in the 400.

The 4x200 relay team of sophomore Alaina Roberts, freshman Morgan Hay, Jones and McFarland finished second at the SICL indoor.

“We will work to assess each athlete and event as we work to move throughout the season,” Johnson said.

Joining Smock in the distance races are expected to be Tice, Norrish and Alberts, according to Coach Johnson. He said others will be added as the season progresses, too.

Tice has one of the top returning times in both the 400 (1:09.77) and 800 (2:45.82). Norrish has a top returning time in the 1,500 (5:56.23).

Senior Allie Van Wyk was the top hurdler for the Hawks last season. She will be joined this spring by Roberts, Hay and Harthoorn.

Senior Abby Squires headlined the field events last season as she qualified for state in the discus. She had marks of 31 feet, 2 inches and 107-2 in the shot put and discus, respectively, last season. She will be joined in the throwing events by junior Abby Rob-

erts, sophomore Sophia Squires and freshman Tylie Wood.

Van Wyk has the top returning leap of 4-6 in the high jump, but Huyser won the SICL indoor title with a jump of 4-10. Freshman Laura Fikse also will compete in high jump.

Smock’s leap of 15-6 is the top returning mark in the long jump. Sophomore Corrina Rozendaal and others have been working on the long jump early this season, too.

“We have been able to work mostly on throwing shot, but the throwers have been working hard and it will be fun to see how they progress,” Coach Johnson said. “We’ll continue to assess athletes and see who may be able to contribute to the field events.”

The Hawks’ roster includes four seniors, six juniors, four sophomores and five freshmen. The other juniors are Brooke Conover and Natalie Roberts.

L-S boys golf hope to build off last year’s finish

Keegan DeWitt came as close to a state berth as one can get last season. Falling just shy of that feat motivated the Hawk junior this offseason and he hopes to break through in 2023.

The Lynnville-Sully boys’ golf team goes 11 deep and the Hawks seek another trip to the district tournament and potentially a spot in the 1A state tournament in Ames.

“We’ve got a large squad with varying abilities,” L-S head golf coach Jeff Knouse said. “I could see a rotation of potentially eight guys working in and out of the six varsity spots. There’s a hunger on this boys’ team, and I think come the postseason we’ll be a dangerous team to match up against.”

DeWitt likely will be the Hawks’ No. 1 golfer after posting averages of 42.71 (nine holes) and 86.33 (18 holes) last season. He was second at the conference tournament with an 84, placed fifth at sectionals with an 86 and shot an 89 at districts. That tied him for fourth, which was not quite good enough to advance to state.

“Each year Keegan becomes a much more confident golfer,” said Knouse, who begins his third season as head coach. “That’s truly the key to success

in the game of golf. He has spent a lot of time with the club in his hand since that disappointing outcome in Iowa City last year. I have no doubt you’ll see his name at the top of the leaderboard pretty frequently this year.”

The rest of the boys’ roster includes juniors Lucas Sieck, Karter Smead, Klayton Van Dyke, Deven Liekweg, Garrett Jansen and Kyler Agan, sophomores Gavin Smead and Carson Maston and freshmen Boston Agan and Max Morvant.

The L-S girls’ roster features sophomores Renzi Ingersoll and Hopelynn Sanders.

“They are both new to golf so the goal for them is to simply have fun and try to improve as much as possible,” Knouse said. “I’m excited to see their games develop over the course of the season.”

The glaring omission from the girls’ squad is two-time defending 1A state champion Greenlee Smock, who chose to put all of her focus this spring with the track and field team.

“I’ve always supported Greenlee 100 percent and will continue to do so,” Knouse said. “I will miss being her coach not because of her golf ability but because of the genuine person that she is.”

Of the 11 golfers out for the boys’ team, four played at least five ninehole rounds of varsity golf last season. That group includes DeWitt, Sieck, Maston and Liekweg.

The Hawks were fourth in the SICL tournament and placed second at sectionals last season. Sieck finished eighth at sectionals after shooting a career-best 88 and four golfers in all shot under 100.

Knouse said the team’s biggest focus during the early-season practices will be on the short game.

“I tell our team that lower scores come on and around the green,” Knouse said. “Our boys can hit the ball well when it comes to driving and approach so if we can dial in our wedges and putters their scores will naturally start to drop.”

Troy Hyde/Newton News Lynnville-Sully senior Greenlee Smock is back for the Hawks this spring and will put all of her focus on track and field.

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