J-Hawks leave their mark

(RESULTS)DES MOINES -- Rachel Broghammer crossed the finish line for the final time as a high school athlete and turned toward Taylor Jacobson.Then came the tears.Not of disappointment, but of accomplishment and pride."I'm just so happy," Broghammer said. "Think back to where we were four years ago, and the bad reputation that (Cedar Rapids) Jefferson seems to have, and we accomplished a lot."Jefferson grabbed the Metro's first top-five finish in girls track in a decade, placing fifth in Class 4A Saturday at Drake Stadium.Waukee edged Pleasant Valley, 80-78, for its second straight title and its third in five years.West Des Moines Dowling was third with 63 points, followed by Des Moines Roosevelt (62). Then it was the J-Hawks, with 56."It was the best weekend of my life," said Jasmine Blue, a freshman who is destined for more weekends like this.Jefferson was second in the 400-meter relay, third in the 1,600-meter relay and the sprint medley Saturday. On Friday, the J-Hawks set an all-time Iowa best in the 800-meter relay."It definitely was a magical three days," said Jacobson, who -- like Broghammer -- will run at UNI next year. "I don't think anybody understands how hard we worked to get to this point. We spent a lot of time at this together."Linn-Mar freshman Stephanie Jenks closed the book on a brilliant rookie season, winning the 1,500 meters in 4:31.14, a time that ranks No. 4 all-time."I knew I was close to the record (4:26.39). I wanted to see how close I could get," said Jenks, who won the 3,000 Thursday and was second to West Des Moines Valley's Lydia Saggau earlier Saturday."I think people underestimate freshmen's ability. I'm surprised by what I've accomplished; I guess I've shown myself what I can do."Jenks' young resume already includes a state cross country title, two Drake Relays titles and two state track titles.