Cardinals Open Outdoor Season with Strong 4th-Place Finish at Tipton

The Maquoketa girls’ track and field team kicked off their outdoor season with a stellar performance at the Tipton Invitational, placing 4th out of 14 teams with a total of 77 points.

Izzy Hardin crushed the competition in the 3000m run, taking first place with a blistering time of 10:05.73, finishing more than a full minute ahead of the second-place runner.

The Cardinals also found gold in the 4x400m relay. The team of Natalie Hackman, Justice Armbruster, Isabel Hopson, and Cora Widel powered their way to a first-place finish with a time of 4:13.06. Not only was this a massive six seconds faster than their previous best, but it also securely landed them at No. 5 on Maquoketa’s all-time list.

Several other Cardinals left their mark on the school’s history books and captured top-three finishes:

• Sprint Medley Relay: The team of Mack McLaughlin, Justice Armbruster, Cora Widel, and Natalie Hackman sprinted to a 3rd-place finish in 1:53.73. This outstanding time now ranks as the 5th best in school history.

• Natalie Hackman: Placed 2nd in the 800m with a personal-best time of 2:19.39. She continues to inch closer to the legendary school record set by Becky (Bradley) Koranda back in 1984.

• Cora Widel: Had a massive night in the open events, finishing 2nd in the 400m with a personal-best time of 1:01.04 (moving her up to 5th all-time at MHS) and adding a 3rd-place finish in the 200m dash (26.58).

• Justice Armbruster: Showed her versatility in the hurdles, taking 2nd place in the 400m Hurdles (1:09.88) and 5th place in the 100m Hurdles (16.74).

• Isabel Hopson: The standout freshman continued her early-career success in the field events, clearing 5-0 in the high jump to secure a 2nd-place finish.

The Cardinals saw contributions across the board to lock in their top-four team finish:

• The 4x800m relay team of Riley Buttz, Charlotte Ihns, Emrie Petersen, and Ella Gibson battled to a 4th-place finish with a time of 11:30.86.

• Charlotte Ihns added an 8th-place finish in the 1500m, crossing the line in 5:39.45.

• Emrie Petersen also grabbed points for the team, placing 8th in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:24.53.

Up Next: The Cardinals will look to carry this momentum into their next meet this Thursday at the Northeast Invitational.