Pella Christian Boys Golf Team Claims First on Day One of LHC Regular Season Series
Breaking their streak of consecutive second place finishes, the Pella Christian boys golf team opened the Little Hawkeye Conference Regular Season Series in First Place.
The Eagles posted a team score of 303 in the first of three regular season conference meets this spring, outpacing second place Pella by 17 strokes. Eliot Menninga claimed the medalist honors in Tuesday’s meet, shooting a 72 at Edmundson Golf Course. Cooper Spronk tied for third place in the meet with a 76, while Isaiah Breems and Deacon Branderhorst followed closely in fifth and sixth place with a 77 and 78, respectively. Landon Fransman and Carter Brand rounded the varsity lineup for Pella Christian, with Fransman recording an 86 and Brand shooting a 92.
The Eagles next compete in the two-day Dutch Masters hosted by the Pella, with 18 holes at Bos Landen on Friday and 18 holes at the Pella Country Club on Saturday.
Pella Christian Boys Track and Field 2nd, Girls 3rd at Home Coed Meet
Competing for just the second time this spring, the Pella Christian boys track and field team took second and girls finished in third place at their home coed meet Tuesday night. The boys posted a team score of 125.5 in the meet, while the girls scored 119 team points.
Highlighting a successful night for the Eagles’ girls squad was one individual and two relay teams qualifying for the Drake Relays. Bailey Vos won the 400 meter dash with a time of 57.49, and broke the Drake Relays’ Blue Standard time of 57.80. In the final race of the night, the Pella Christian 4×400 meter relay team of Rachel Kacmarynski, Meredith Van Wyk, Maisy Meinders, and Vos posted a relay-winning time of 4:03.88, eclipsing the Blue Standard time of 4:04.00. The girls 4×100 meter relay team of Claire Westerkamp, Kacmarynski, Lexi Terpstra, and Van Wyk took second place in the event, but posted a time of 49.96 to break the Blue Standard time of 51.00. Other event winners for the Eagle girls included Van Wyk in the 100 meter dash (12.52), Kacmarynski in the long jump (15’ 8.75”), and the sprint medley relay team of Makayla Nikkel, Amelia Boender, Amaia Agre, and Vos (1:51.41).
For the Pella Christian boys, two individuals claimed top finishes to help propel the team to their second place finish. In the 400 meter hurdles, the Eagles’ Noah Nunnikhoven edged a pair of Pella runners to win the event in a time of 58.74. Nabbing the other first place finish for Pella Christian on the night was Trevor Veenstra in the shot put, recording a throw of 56’ 10.25”.
Find full results from the Pella Christian Coed Meet here. The Eagles track and field teams return to action on Thursday, competing at the Panther Relays in Knoxville.
Pella Christian Soccer Teams Swept by Norwalk
The Pella Christian soccer teams were swept by Norwalk Tuesday night, with the boys falling 4-0 at the Pella Sports Park and the girls suffering a 7-0 defeat on the road.
In Pella, the Eagles and Warriors played a scoreless match for much of the night. Neither boys soccer squad found the back of the net in the first half, and the scoreless tie remained in place through the first 20 minutes of the second half. At roughly the 65 minute mark, Norwalk broke the game open, going on to score four goals in the final 15 minutes to drop Pella Christian to 3-3 overall on the season and 0-2 in Little Hawkeye Conference play.
On the road, the Eagle girls struggled to keep Norwalk’s offense at bay. The Warriors recorded ten shots on goal in the first half, breaking through for goals in the 11th and 39th minutes to carry a 2-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Norwalk pulled away with five goals on 11 shots on goal and dropped Pella Christian to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in conference action.
The Eagles girls soccer team returns to the pitch at Des Moines Christian on Thursday, while the boys soccer squad is off until Monday when they host West Marshall.
Eagles Boys Tennis Team Swept at Pella
Making the short-trip across town Tuesday evening, the Pella Christian boys tennis team dropped to 2-2 on the season after getting swept by Pella 11-0. Eagles head coach Aaron Fitzgerald said that the squad fought hard throughout the match, and added that it revealed areas of growth as a team. Fitzgerald added that the team is hungry to improve following the loss, and that they will begin addressing areas of the game in which they can get better. The Pella Christian boys tennis team returns to the court on Thursday, hosting Newton in a 4:15 pm match.