Meet Angelica Attinger, Ames' next superstar hurdler in girls track and field

Late in the 2023 season Ames freshman track and field athlete Angelica Attinger went to Little Cyclone coach Erica Lynn Douglas with a suggestion.

She wanted to run the 400-meter hurdles.

Ames already had the best hurdler in the state in current Iowa Hawkeye Ali Frandsen. Attinger had her doubts, but in junior high she won a state title in the 200 hurdles, so she wanted to give it a try.

"I'm always happy when someone asks to run it because it's an event most find an excuse not to try," said Lynn Douglas. "To do this as a freshman was pretty impressive. The 400 hurdles is an intimidating race. She has always approached it ready for the challenge."

Attinger admitted the race was difficult at first. But then she started to get more comfortable running it.

"It’s a very difficult event,” Attinger said. “But it’s a really rewarding event, so I started to enjoy it more.”

Attinger ran the 400 hurdles at the Class 4A state qualifying track and field meet in Marion. She ended up qualifying for state with a time of one minute, 6.13 seconds.

“She (Lynn Douglas) let me run it at a meet and I really surprised myself,” Attinger said. “The support of all the coaches encouraged me to take it further.”

Attinger went on to place 11th in 4A at state with a time of 1:07.85. She also helped Ames place second in the girls shuttle hurdle relay at both the Drake Relays and state (4A).

“She was asked to step up at a lot of big meets, such as the Drake Relays, state qualifying meet and state,” said Frandsen. “She always came to compete and rose to the challenge.”

More: Top 15 Ames-area Iowa high school girls track and field athletes ahead of the 2024 season

Frandsen won both the 100 and 400 hurdles at Drake and in 4A state. As the best female high school hurdler in Iowa, Frandsen was naturally the first person Attinger turned to for advice.

“Angelica is someone who always wants to be better,” Frandsen said. “She asks a lot of questions on her form, performance, etc., because she wants to be as good as possible."

Attinger learned a valuable lesson from Frandsen at state. She got off to an amazing start during the 400 hurdles, but ran out of gas down the stretch.

“I learned this year that I can’t go out like it’s a 200,” Attinger said. “I’ve really got to pace it.”

But despite not finishing as well as she wanted, Attinger's state experience showed she has tremendous potential as a hurdler.

“For my first time running it, I surprised myself a lot,” Attinger said. “It showed me what I can do if I put my mind to it.”

Now as a sophomore, Attinger wants to take her hurdling to the next level.

She will focus on the 400 hurdles and continue running the shuttle hurdle relay. She will also give the 100 hurdles a shot.

"Her biggest strength is that she attacks the race and isn't afraid to take the lead," Lynn Douglas said. "Learning to find her pace and some of the specific race strategy will be more of a focus for her this year than it was last. She's to the level now where she's ready for that."

Attinger put in a lot of time preparing to take her performance to the next level this season.

"I think she's just become more of a student of the sport," Lynn Douglas said. "She really hadn't cleared many hurdles before her freshman season. But she spent all summer and offseason getting reps over hurdles. All our hurdlers did. They've formed a pretty tight bond, which will be a big part of their continued success."

The tight bond with her teammates is something Attinger appreciates. Because of that, she is willing to do all she can to help the Little Cyclones succeed as a unit at every track and field meet.

“She stepped up for us in a lot of different ways,” said Attinger's sophomore classmate Sophia Hatcher. “She can kind of do anything that we put her in. She can do the hard stuff that no one else wants to do.”

Attinger said she will also help with sprints this season, especially the 400.

Ames lost an amazing senior class of sprinters to graduation last year. Those seniors included Frandsen, current Iowa State runner Cameron Moon, Division 1 softball players Ellie Lynch (Drake) and Ireland Buss (Iowa State), and Elaina Deardorff.

Junior Saylor Horras is the only returning runner off Ames' state champion 4x400 team. Hatcher ran the distance medley at state along with the shuttle hurdle at Drake, but the Little Cyclones will need some younger runners to step up in relays this season.

Attinger can fill some of those relay spots.

“She’s doing amazing,” said Horras. “She’s got grit in her. She is really coming into herself as a runner and I’m excited to see where she’s gonna go.”

The Ames girls placed second in 4A as a team at state last year. Attinger wants to do all she can to make sure the Little Cyclones remain among the top 4A programs in 2024.

“Our team slogan is 'Leave your legacy,'” Attinger said. “That’s definitely what we’re trying to do. I think we have a lot of potential as a team.”

That includes Attinger becoming one of the better 400 hurdlers in Iowa.

“I think this year I really want to place (at state),” Attinger said. “I'm really pushing myself and I want to PR at every meet.”

Attinger is ready to follow in Frandsen's footsteps.

More: Ames' Ali Frandsen joins elite company with sweep of the girls hurdle races at Drake Relays

"She is going to be an amazing hurdler and sprinter," said Frandsen. "I am excited to see how she continues to grow. I see a lot of myself in her.”

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: Angelica Attinger is Ames' next great hurdler in girls track and field