March 28, 2024

Lynnville-Sully athletes ready for another banner spring season in track and golf

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SULLY — State qualifiers return to lead the Lynnville-Sully track teams and girls’ golf team in 2019.

The Lynnville-Sully boys’ track team is led by Class 1A state 400-meter hurdle champion senior Tyson Vander Linden. Seniors Nate Stock and Gage Vander Leest earned state medals also.

Hurdles are big for both Hawk track squads. Juniors Abby Gruver and Mallory Loftus return for the Hawk girls earning state medals in hurdle events as individuals and as members of a relay.

Lynnville-Sully’s track teams are coaches by longtime head coaches Darin Arkema for the girls and Mike Parkinson for the boys.

Lynnville-Sully senior Tessa Van Maanen qualified for the Class 1A state girls’ golf tournament in 2018. She’s leads a new group of golfers in 2019.

Also new is the Lynnville-Sully golf coach, Alison Knouse. Knouse brings a strong background of high school and college golf playing experience.

The Hawk boys’ golf team numbers five with four returning golfers.

As with all Iowa high school spring sports teams this season, Lynnville-Sully’s squads have faced the harsh winter weather through the first weeks of practice. Track teams could begin practice on Feb. 11 but snow and bitter cold has held teams inside.

Golf practices could begin a week ago, but snow still covered the ground. Lynnville-Sully’s golfers won’t officially practice as teams until Monday. Lynnville-Sully is on spring break this week.

Lynnville-Sully’s track athletes competed in Monday’s South Iowa Cedar League indoor meet at Grinnell. This week is the first week of conducive weather to practice outside.

Lynnville-Sully’s track teams are scheduled to open up the 2019 outdoor season on March 26. The boys are at East Marshall and the girls go to Belle Plaine.

The Hawk golf season begins with a girls’ home meet on March 28 at Diamond Trail Golf Course in Lynnville.

Golf

Lynnville-Sully’s golf program has a foundation of returning golfers to lead the small squads. They will get strong direction from their new coach.

Alison Knouse is a first-year high school golf coach. She brings plenty of golfing experience to the Hawk program.

“I grew up in Johnston and played all through high school,” Knouse said. “I golfed four years at Central College and competed in the NCAA DIII national tournament.”

Knouse said since she is new to the program and practices haven’t started, she will discover the Hawk golfers’ capabilities the next week or so. The boys’ team numbers five with four returners while the girls have one returner on a squad of eight.

“After our initial interest meeting, it looks like we have a great group of kids who are eager to try something new and learn how to play,” Knouse said.

Lynnville-Sully’s top golfer is Tessa Van Maanen, who has led the team the past couple of seasons. Van Maanen set her goal after finishing her first Class 1A state tournament experience last June.

“I’m excited to work this summer to keep improving and hope to get back to state next year,” Van Maanen said after finished 32nd at the 2018 state tournament. She had a 192 for the 36-hole meet.

Van Maanen had a 9-hole average of 51 with a low 9-hole round of 46 as a junior. She shot a low of90 in the final 18 holes of the state tournament after averaging 95 for 18 holes during the regular season.

Joining Van Maanen on the course for the Hawk girls are senior Shaleah Van Wyk, junior Kenzi Lanser and sophomore Bryar Hill. There are four freshmen out — Elana Newell, Ellie Dunsbergen, Brooke Maston and Dakota Bokhoven.

Back on the links for the Lynnville-Sully boys are seniors Cade DiBello and Ben Van Wyk, junior Logan Ingersoll and sophomore Luke Kramer. New to the program is freshman Miles Mintle.

DiBello had a 9-hole average of 65 and an 18-hole average of 134 last year. Kramer went 66 as a 9-hole average with a low round of 58 for the season. Ingersoll had a 114 average for 18 holes and had a 59 as his low for a 9-hole event.

The Hawk boys open their golf season on April 1 in a coed double dual meet hosted by North Mahaska.

Boys Track

Lynnville-Sully’s boys track team has a strong contingent of returning athletes to lead the way in 2019. Starting with Vander Linden, who won an individual state championship and he and Stock are back from the Hawks’ state title sprint medley relay.

Vander Leest and Vander Linden were on the state runner-up shuttle hurdle relay. Vander Leest earned a state medal in the 110-meter hurdles.

“We are very fortunate to return a lot of talent from last year’s state run, but with that being said, we have a large group of underclassmen who are starting out for the first time,” Hawk boys’ head coach Mike Parkinson said. “I’m excited about the leadership we have and the opportunities our team brings to the table.”

Parkinson and assistant coach Jeff Corbett have 28 out this season. He said that’s a good starting point and the team’s strengths are its numbers and work ethic.

Vander Linden, who has signed to compete for Iowa State next year, has the team record in the 400 hurdles at 53.07 seconds. He and Stock helped establish a school record in winning the sprint medley relay in 1:33.83.

Vander Leest ran 15.21 seconds for sixth in the 110 hurdles at state. He and Vander Linden helped run a school record 58.40 seconds in the shuttle hurdle relay.

Also back is senior Rylan James, a two-time state meet qualifier in the shot put. He took 10th at the 2018 state meet.

Wehrle and Evan Squires are senior throwers returning. Juniors Kinnick McFarland is back in the long jump and junior Ethan Wyma is a sprinter. Sophomore Blake Rea is a hurdle competitor.

Senior Nick Rea and sophomore Mason Jansen and Isaac Johnson will help in the distance races. Junior Slater Young adds depth to the sprint events.

Parkinson said the SICL is always a tough conference. The Hawks won three events at the SICL outdoor championships last year.

Girls Track

The Hawk girls claimed the second at SICL outdoor track meet in 2018 and the Class 1A qualifying meet team title. They have six state qualifiers among their 17 returning athletes.

“Certainly a strength for the girls will be the experience of the past years and knowing the level of competition that is out there and what it takes to be champions,” Hawk girls’ head coach Darin Arkema said.

Arkema and his coaching staff of assistants Jill Schuring and Alexa Vander Leest have 30 girls on the roster this season. He said the depth in numbers will allow opportunities to move people around and find what events and relay combinations are best for the team.

The girls have half of their state runner-up and school-record shuttle hurdle relay team back in Gruver and Loftus. Loftus took a medal in the 100 hurdles and Gruver was a medalist in the 400 hurdles at state.

Other state qualifiers back are senior Carson Fisk, junior Kaleah Ehresman and sophomores Korinne Jansen and Caitlin Alberts. Ehresman and Jansen were on the 4x100 relay which placed seventh at state. Alberts and Fisk combined with Loftus and Gruver to qualify in the 4x400. Jansen and Fisk qualified on the 4x200 and Ehresman, Fisk and Alberts qualified on the sprint medley relay.

Also back for the Hawks are seniors Kaylee Maasdam, Makayla Rozendaal and Emily Van Gorp, juniors Janelle Rozendaal and Ashton Thompson, sophomores Dylann Huyser, Megan Van Zante, Cally Gibbs, Jaden Brand, Meleisha Vos and Krystal Van Dyke.

Janelle Rozendaal, Brand and Jansen are throwers. Senior Kayla Van Dyke and freshmen Lily Zylstra and Natalie Nikkel will add depth to the throwing events.

Krystal Van Dyke is the top jumping event competitor back. Expected to help in the jumps are junior Abby Davis, sophomore Cayler Noun Harder and freshman Reagan McFarland.

Lynnville-Sully looks to juniors Brittney Hansen and Potang Loredana, sophomore Riley Terlouw and freshmen Aliya James, Callista Hackert, Sydney Jansen and Aysia Vander Linden to add depth to running events.

“There’s all kinds of potential for our team this season. Our conference continues to be one of the toughest 1A/2A confereence in the whole state,” Arkema said. ‘We expect right at the top again this year challenging for a conference title.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com