Linn-Mar High School - Marion, Iowa

Jabe Gonder of Washington watches his tee shot on the sixth hole at Jones Park on Thursday in the MVC Super Meet. Gonder led the Warriors to the team championship with a 1-over-par 71. (MSR photo by Ken Gilchrist).

Gonder leads Warriors to MVC title

Thu - 13 Aug Written by Jim Ecker

Jabe Gonder played in 15 golf tournaments this summer to get ready for his senior campaign with the Washington Warriors.

It paid off handsomely Thursday.

Gonder fired a 1-over-par 71 to finish second in the individual standings and lead Washington to the team championship of the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet at Jones Park.

The Warriors posted a four-man score of 295 and won the tournament by 12 shots over Iowa City West.

Gonder had a stoke average of 81.25 for 18 holes last year, but he hit the links during the summer and came out firing in the first meet of the 2015 campaign.

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Last Updated on Thursday, 13 August 2015 22:01

Linn-Mar boys soccer gets top honors

Wed - 12 Aug Written by Metro Sports Report

The Linn-Mar High School boys soccer team, winners of the Class 3A state title in June, has received high honors from two national groups for its accomplishments during the 2015 season.

TopDrawerSoccer.com has named Linn-Mar the No. 1 team in Iowa for all three classes and the No. 1 team in the Midwest region. The website ranked the Lions No. 43 in the country and named Ben Johnson to the Iowa All-Star Team and to the All-Region Team.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America has ranked Linn-Mar No. 2 in Region III (out of five regions) and ranked the Lions No. 11 in the country. The NSCAA honored Corey Brinkmeyer and his staff as the Iowa Large School Coach of the Year and nominated them for the Region III award that will be announced in January.

Johnson and Daniel Luzindya represented Linn-Mar in the Iowa High School Soccer Coaches Association East-West All-Star Game in Des Moines this summer. Johnson scored a goal for the East team in a 2-0 victory.

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Drake, Jenks sisters not swimming for L-M

Mon - 10 Aug Written by Jim Ecker

The Linn-Mar girls swim team had a chance to compete for the state title this fall, but not anymore.

Kelsey Drake, Jennifer Jenks and Stephanie Jenks will not be swimming for Linn-Mar this season, stripping the Lions of the firepower that helped them finish fifth at the state meet in 2014.

Drake won two individual titles at the state meet last year as a sophomore, but she's told the Metro Sports Report she plans to train for the U.S. Olympic Trials in June and will not compete for the Lions this year.

Drake has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 100 meter butterfly.

Jennifer Jenks placed second in two individual events at the state meet last year as a sophomore, but her mother said she had a rotator cuff injury last year and will not be swimming for Linn-Mar.

"She took some time off to heal and discovered there was a life outside of swimming," Deb Jenks told the Metro Sports Report. "She has just decided to pursue other interests."

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Last Updated on Monday, 10 August 2015 11:11

Drake wins Metro Spotlight Award

Sun - 02 Aug Written by Metro Sports Report

Kelsey Drake of Linn-Mar is the winner of the Metro Spotlight Award for high school girls this week, the Metro Sports Report announced Sunday night.

Drake, entering her junior year at Linn-Mar, has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in the 100-meter butterfly with an outstanding performance at the University of Iowa pool July 25.

Drake was timed in 1:01.17 in the preliminaries of the 100 fly that day, beating the qualifying standard for the U.S. Trials by two-hundredths of a second. The Trials will be held in Omaha this June in preparation for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil next August.

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Last Updated on Sunday, 02 August 2015 19:49

Drake makes U.S. Trials in 100 fly

Mon - 27 Jul Written by Jim Ecker

Kelsey Drake has reached another major milestone in her remarkable swimming career.

Drake turned in an impressive performance at the Iowa state swimming long course championships in Iowa City Saturday and has qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 meter butterfly.

Drake was timed in 1:01.17 in the preliminaries of the 100-meter butterfly Saturday morning to meet the qualifying time for the U.S. Trials of 1:01.19, making the standard by 2-hundredths of a second. She placed second in the finals of the 100 fly Saturday night.

The U.S. Olympic Trials will be held in Omaha next June in preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, next August.

Drake, entering her junior year at Linn-Mar High School, is one of the youngest swimmers to qualify for the Olympic Trials.

"It's an amazing accomplishment," said Brian Ruffles, her coach with the Linn-Mar Swim Club. "It's something that she's wanted ever since she was 12 years old. It's a huge accomplishment in her career."

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Last Updated on Monday, 27 July 2015 16:51