CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Xavier girls’ golf team hit the ground running this season and they haven’t looked back.
The Saints continued the success they had at the end of the 2009 regular season and have experienced some unprecedented success.
The season opened with some big expectations, and the Saints delivered.
“At the beginning of the year we knew we had a lot of potential,” Xavier junior Kim Askelson said. “It played out well.”
Xavier has been nearly perfect this season, posting a 34-1 mark before Monday’s MVC Mississippi Division meet. The …

MARION — Kyle Dunn owned the spotlight. Cedar Rapids Washington and Cedar Falls shared a title.
A junior at Linn-Mar, Dunn ran the fourth-fastest time in state history in the 400-meter hurdles at the MVC Valley Division boys’ track meet Friday at Armstrong Field.
He was clocked in 51.64 seconds on a less-than-optimal day.
“That’s what I was looking for,” he said. “I’d kind of been on a Drake (Relays) hangover. I couldn’t get motivated.”
That effort highlighted a triple-crown day for Dunn. He also won the 110-meter highs and anchored the triumphant 1,600-meter …

ARLINGTON — Even as a little girl, Madeline Otdoerfer ran at the state track meet.
“I’d race on the (Drake Stadium) track every year after it was over,” she said.
“I was kind of jealous of my older sisters, because they got to run there for real.”
An era will end for the Starmont girls’ track program later this month. The Otdoerfer sisters — all nine of them — have been a constant since the eldest, Jessica, was a freshman in 1989.
That’s right. This is the 22nd straight season that Coach Roger Reed …

Linn-Mar’s Chelsea Burkle has signed to play volleyball at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, an NCAA Division II program.
Burkle averaged 4.36 kills per game as a senior as the Lions advanced to the state tournament.
Here is more from the UMSL website.

(From Iowa men’s basketball writer Scott Dochtermann)
MARION – Two of Iowa’s three most prolific scorers in school history will boast sons on next year’s men’s basketball team.
Darius Stokes, a 6-foot-8 forward from Linn-Mar, will join the Hawkeyes as a walk-on this fall. Stokes’ father, Greg Stokes, ranks third all-time in scoring at Iowa with 1,768 career points. Darius Stokes will join Devyn Marble, son of Iowa’s all-time leading scorer Roy Marble, on next year’s team.
The thought of following his dad’s Iowa legacy was pivotal for Darius Stokes in deciding to walk on …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Some dreaded the wind. Courtney Fritz embraced it.
“I like it when it’s coming in from the right,” she said. “With the right wind, you can really catch it.”
Fritz caught it.
The Iowa City West thrower broke the Prairie Relays discus record Thursday at John Wall Field, flinging her final attempt 152 feet,  8 inches.
“When it’s windy, you just have to adjust, but you don’t want to change too much,” Fritz said. “If you do, then you’re dealing with a bigger issue.”
A strong wind from the south aided Fritz, but …

From the Iowa Soccer Coaches Association:
B Soccer_WE-5 1 10_Rankings

By Marc Morehouse, originally published at his blog, “On Iowa”
Austin Blythe’s dance with the University of Iowa began about a year ago, when he received an offer to play football for the Hawkeyes.
Yes, Blythe, 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, grew up in Williamsburg, about a half hour west of Iowa City. His parents, Curt and Mary, took him to Hawkeye football games and wrestling meets pretty much all of his life.
But no, it wasn’t as easy as you’d think to say yes to the Hawkeyes. It’s a life decision, and Blythe wanted …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Megan Furnish can compete with the best golfers.
The Cedar Rapids Jefferson sophomore proved that well before she swung a club for the J-Hawk varsity team.
Last summer, Furnish showed her potential and she’s continued her solid play in competition during her first season of varsity competition.
“It’s been really fun so far,” Furnish said. “My game’s been pretty good. It’s had its ups and downs, but it’s a good learning experience.”
The ups have outnumbered the downs. She’s contended for medalist honors in almost every event, capturing the top prize …

Carissa Berger, who helped lead Waukon to the girls’ state basketball tournament each of the last two years, has signed to play at William Penn University.
Waukon was the Class 3A state runner-up this year.