HCHS girls track and field looks to build on strong 2025 season
HARLAN — The Harlan Community girls track and field team looks to be competitive again this season in the Hawkeye 10 Conference and at the state meet after placing 18th in Class 3A a season ago.
The Cyclones graduate four key seniors from last year’s team, Lindsey Sonderman, Brylee Schechinger, Jaylee Schmitz and Abby Broeckelman.
All four were major contributors, and two will continue their careers at the collegiate level, with Sonderman competing at UNI and Schechinger at Simpson College.
Despite the losses, Harlan Community returns a wealth of experience and will rely on several athletes to take on leadership roles, according to head coach Jenny Hamilton.“We have many, many gals who will fill leadership roles for us this season,” Hamilton said.
“A few key returners would be Aubree Wegner and Paige Sonderman in the sprints, Ashlyn Rau, Sadie Alberti and Ava Freund in distance, and Ainsley Mages and Ari Daniels in the hurdles. We’re expecting great growth from several athletes including Aspen Bieker in mid-distance, Addie Berndt in the throws, and freshman Julia Heslink and Brie Nelson.”
The Cyclones placed fifth at the Hawkeye 10 meet last season and hope to compete with some of the conference’s top teams again this year. “A successful season would look like a lot of things,” Hamilton said.
“We’d like to see continuous growth in performance numbers. We’d also like to be competing as a team among the top teams in the Hawkeye 10. Above that, we want to develop athletes who are fierce competitors and good people. We want to see courage, grit, consistency and relentlessness on the track and field that carries over into every aspect of life for these gals.”
Hamilton and assistant coach Jacie Stuerman have also been assisting the boys program while head coach Sam Brummer recovers to begin the season.
Hamilton said the collaboration between the two programs has been beneficial. “It’s been really neat combining forces across the boys and girls programs,” Hamilton said.
“We all care about both programs. It has made a lot of sense to divide and conquer our strengths as coaches to give as much meaningful and personal feedback to individual athletes as possible. The athletes’ responses have been fantastic. I think everyone is having fun and getting better every day. I’ve enjoyed getting to know some of the distance guys as athletes and people. They work hard, have excellent attitudes and are hungry to accomplish big goals.”
Hamilton said expectations for the team remain straightforward. “We expect every athlete to show up with a positive attitude, a desire to get better and a willingness to compete,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton believes the Cyclones have strong potential in the distance and mid-distance events. “We have the potential to be quite competitive in the distance and mid-distance events,” Hamilton said.
“We’re excited to put more focus on speed development and sprinting. Once we get these first two indoor meets under our belt, we’ll have a better idea of where we’re at and where we want to start heading.”
Ashlyn Rau returns as one of the Cyclones’ top distance runners after placing ninth at the state meet last season in the 3,000 meters with a time of 10:38.91. Rau also ranks highly in the program’s record books, posting the sixth-fastest time in school history in the 800 meters (2:24.21) and the second-fastest time in the 1,500 meters (4:53.48).
Aubree Wegner also appears throughout the Cyclone record books, ranking in the top 10 in multiple events including the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 400-meter hurdles and the sprint medley relay (SMR 1600).Her rankings include:2nd all-time — 100 meters: 13.29,7th all-time — 200 meters: 28.34, 4th all-time — 400 meters: 1:02.46, and 8th all-time — 400-meter hurdles: 1:14.89
Wegner was also part of the ninth best time in school history in the SMR 1600-meter relay team last season along with Lindsey Sonderman, Abby Broeckelman and Ashlyn Rau, which posted a time of 4:24.79.
The Cyclones will need to replace Broeckelman in that relay but will look to improve on the record this season.
In the hurdles, Ainsley Mages ranks 10th all-time in school history in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.97.
Harlan Community begins its season Thursday at Iowa State University’s Lied Recreation Athletic Centerat the 2026 IATC Indoor Championships, which start at 9 a.m.
The Cyclones’ first outdoor meet will take place March 26 at the Carroll Early Bird Co-Ed Meet, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
