CMB’s Hinegardner, Ratliff put a cap on Raider track and field

DES MOINES — The last two Collins-Maxwell/Baxter track and field athletes ran on the blue oval for the final time as Raiders this weekend.

Sophomore Lauren Ratliff wanted her final experience in the black and silver to be better, but she learned a lot in her first appearance at Drake Stadium.

Junior Sailor Hinegardner was 17th in the 100-meter hurdles on Friday, and Ratliff placed 20th in the 800-meter run on Friday at the Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships on the Jim Duncan Track.

“I didn’t run as well as I wanted to. My goal coming in was a 2:24,” Ratliff said. “My legs felt heavy right away. I tried to stay with the girls I ran with at districts, but they just took off. It was a learning experience for me. A lot of us have already started talking about goals we have for when we get to Class 1A next year.”

It was a bittersweet weekend for the Raiders in general.

Hinegardner admitted after her long jump performance Thursday that the entire situation has been emotional on a lot of people. Ratliff echoed that statement after her 800 race Saturday.

“Coach Meinerts has been my only coach for a long time. He’s been my coach since seventh grade,” Ratliff said. “Unfortunately, he won’t be my coach after this year. This meet is our last one as Raiders so we wanted to give it our all. I am disappointed because I don’t think I ran my best today.”

Ratliff turned in a time of 2 minutes, 30.72 seconds in the first of two sections. That put her 20th overall. Her goal of 2:24 would have won her a medal. Mid-Prairie junior Anna Hostetler, who won the 3,000 on Thursday, claimed the 800 title in 2:14.75.

“Lauren might get the state award for most improved 800 runner,” CMB coach Jerry Meinerts said. “Last year, her best time in the 800 was 2:48. This year, her season-best time was a 2:26.99, which sets a program record that will never be broken.

“I have done a few things to help Lauren, but 99 percent of the improvement is Lauren. She changed her mindset and really started believing she was able to run faster. I wish she could have run faster at the state meet, but some days you have it and some days you don’t. She still had an amazing season and will forever be in the history books.”

Hinegardner competed in her second event of the weekend on Friday. She did not advance to the long jump finals Thursday and was not a top-eight qualifier in the hurdles Friday.

She ended her season with a 17th place finish with a time of 16.46 seconds. She was fifth in the third and final heat.

Hinegardner ran a 16.96 and placed 18th at the state meet last year.

“Sailor ran her season- and career-best time at the state meet,” Meinerts said. “We spent the week after districts working on some form drills and trying to keep her arms in a little more and she looked pretty good during that race.”