How Angelica Attinger and Sophia Hatcher give Ames a dynamic duo in girls track and field

Angelica Attinger and Sophia Hatcher are ensuring the Ames girls track and field team has a bright future.

One is carrying on the legacy of a legend and the other can do almost any event asked of her, as evident by how they did during the 114th Drake Relays on Friday and Saturday at Drake Stadium in Des Moines.

Attinger is following in the footsteps of Ali Frandsen, who won the 2023 Gerry Cooley Award as the most outstanding high school girls performer at the Drake Relays. Frandsen ran in the 100 and 400-meter hurdle races, shuttle hurdle relay and 4x400 relay at Drake last season, and Attinger took part in two of those events this weekend at Drake.

She made her mentor proud by placing fifth in the 400 hurdles and helping the Ames girls shuttle hurdle team place fifth in the prelims, falling just one spot shy of qualifying for the finals.

“I think Ali taught her a lot of things,” said Hatcher. “She’s carrying it like a proud mini-Ali.”

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Hatcher and Attinger have been competing together since fourth grade.

“We work out together,” Hatcher said. “We’re always like ‘you got this.’ It’s really nice having her there to carry me through the season, even when I’m hurting."

While Attinger took care of business in the hurdle races at Drake, Hatcher did a little bit of everything.

On Saturday Hatcher joined Attinger, Elia Varghese and Camryn Johnson in the shuttle hurdle, and she also ran in the 4x100 prelims with Destiny Davis, Edyn Cowles and Alli Ryan. She did the long jump on Friday and ended up placing seventh after coming in seeded 21st.

“It’s a lot, but the coaches spread it out well enough so there’s a certain date for everything,” Hatcher said. “It’s not that bad.”

Her teammates are in awe of how well she does in multiple events that each require a different skill set.

“Seeing her from the start of the season to now, she’s improved so much,” said Attinger. “I know she’s going to keep on going because she’s got that grit in her. We’re really lucky to have someone like her on our team who can do everything.”

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Attinger and Hatcher are not just outstanding athletes. They lead by example on the track.

“They’re very hard working,” said Johnson. “They’re always trying to cheer on everybody and they're always supportive.”

Even though they are just sophomores, Attinger and Frandsen act like veterans. They are a calming presence to their inexperienced teammates.

“Nerves come with it, but they tell us that we’re just going to run our best,” said Varghese. “No matter where we’re running, it’s a team.”

Last year's Ames senior class led the Little Cyclone to second place in the 4A girls team standings at the 2023 state track and field meet.

Losing Frandsen, an Iowa Hawkeye women's track and field athlete, along with current Iowa State Cyclone women's track and field athletes Cameron Moon and Katie Strotman, and speedy Division 1 softball stars Ellie Lynch and Ireland Buss was a huge blow to the Ames program. But Attinger and Hatcher hope to lead a Little Cyclone resurgence over the next two years.

"Last year seeing the success they had, because they earned it, really inspired a lot of us," Attinger said. "Our sophomore class, we have a lot of potential. We also have the determination it will take to fulfill that potential. I think by our senior year we should be similar to where we were last year."

Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Sophomore tandem gives Ames a bright future in girls track and field