Cyclone girls capture team title at Denison-Schleswig Co-ed

DENISON — The Harlan Community girls track and field team used depth, versatility and strong relay performances to claim the team title Friday night at the Denison-Schleswig Co-ed meet, finishing with 140 points to top a competitive field.
The Cyclones leaned on contributions across the lineup, with 22 different athletes scoring points in the victory.
Head coach Jenny Hamilton said the meet was a long time coming for her team.“We were long overdue for a track meet, and the girls were focused and ready to compete,” Hamilton said.
HCHS found early success in the field events, where Addie Berndt led the way with a third-place finish in the discus at 92 feet, 6 inches. 
Mazlyn Nielsen continued her progression with personal-best throws in both the shot put and discus.
On the track, the Cyclones showed a willingness to adapt, as several athletes stepped into new roles.“We asked several girls to get out of their comfort zones in new races,” Hamilton said. 
“Ellerie gave us a great anchor leg in the sprint medley, Brie and Olivia ran their first 400s of their high school careers, and Merry ran her first 800. All did great, and we appreciate their willingness to do what is asked.”
HCHS dominated the distance events, led by stand-out performances from Julia Heslink and Ashlyn Rau.
Heslink captured the 800-meter run in 2:19.81, while Rau won the 1500 in 5:27.74 and added a runner-up finish in the 3000 (11:23.20). 
The Cyclones also swept the top three spots in the 1500, with Ava Freund placing second and Allie Anderson third.
In the hurdles, Ari Daniels delivered a milestone performance, finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles in 17.09 seconds.
“In the 100 hurdles, Ari cracked into the HCHS all-time top-10 list, knocking off Patrice Crall of 2011,” Hamilton said. 
“This is a huge accomplishment and well deserved.” HCHS also showed strength in the 400-meter hurdles, placing two athletes in the top three with Brinley Van Baale finishing second (1:16.48) and Ainsley Mag-es third (1:18.60).
Relays once again proved to be a difference-maker for the Cyclones.
Harlan captured gold in the 4x800 relay (11:08.08) and closed the night with a win in the 4x400 (4:25.15). 
The Cyclones also added a runner-up finish in the 4x200 (1:58.08) and third-place finishes in both the sprint medley and distance medley relays.
Hamilton pointed to the 4x400 relay as a key moment, particularly the effort from Van Baale, who doubled back after the 400 hurdles.
“We asked Brinley to step up and make the turn from her 400 hurdles to the 4x400,” Hamilton said. 
“That’s a workout, but we wouldn’t ask her to do something if we didn’t believe she could. Her relay did an excellent job of giving her a lead, and she executed beautifully to anchor our winning 4x400.”
The Cyclones also picked up key individual points in the sprints, where Aubree Wegner placed in both the 100 and 200, and Paige Sonderman took third in the 400.
With strong performances across events and a deep roster contributing, Hamilton said the meet was an encouraging sign of what’s ahead.
“We put a lot of quality things out on the track,” she said. 
“It was great to see the girls compete the way they did and come away with a team win.”
HCHS returned to action on Monday night at home with the Koos/Ken Carstens Relays.