Iowa 1A state cross country: Kee's Haley Meyer leads a 1-2-3 Upper Iowa Conference charge

FORT DODGE — Her shoes, as usual, were fit to be tied.

But also, as usual, it didn't slow Haley Meyer a bit.

Leading her contemporaries from the Upper Iowa Conference down the final stretch, Meyer raced to the Class 1A girls' title at the state cross country meet Saturday afternoon at Lakeside Golf Course.

'Oh, it feels awesome,' said Meyer, a junior at Lansing Kee. 'I'd been running well all season, and I really wanted to step up and finish it off today.'

It wasn't the fastest race of the weekend, but the 1A girls' race may have been the most entertaining from start to finish. Four runners — three from the UIC — ran together for the majority of the race, then Meyer exhibited her winning kick.

'I was hoping to keep pace with them, then just go at the end,' Meyer said. 'I was afraid Peyton (Pogge, the defending champion from Tri-Center) might have the best kick of all of us.'

Instead, it was Meyer, despite a loose shoestring on her left shoe.

'Happens to her at every meet,' Kee Coach Pat Wagner said.

Billie Wagner of South Winneshiek was the runner-up in 19:19; Jalyssa Blazek of Turkey Valley was third in 19:30. All three were in the top five last year, too.

Meyer, Wagner and Blazek ran their last three races of the season against one another, at the UIC meet, regionals and state. Meyer prevailed each time.

'I wanted to go out a little faster today, but that's OK,' Billie Wagner said. 'Other than that, I ran how I wanted.'

Hudson edged South Winneshiek, 128-130, to grab the 1A girls' championship. earning its second title in four years. Iowa City Regina and Pekin scored 161 points apiece, with Regina claiming the tiebreaker, and thus earning the walk on the deck as the third-place team.

South Winn Coach Kevin Kearney was named the IGHSAU Golden Plaque of Distinction recipient, and it was good timing. In addition to the girls' runner-up finish, the Warriors' boys were third.

Madrid won its third straight boys' title with 58 points, and Earlham was second with 70. South Winn scored 140.

Last year's 2A runner-up, Brady Griebel of Bellevue controlled the boys' race most of the way and won the title in 15:52. Clay Pehl of Madrid was next, in 16:21.

Madrid had three runners in the top 10.

Annalee Bartels led the Regina girls' charge, placing 17th in 20:32.

Class 1A state cross country results

GIRLS

Teams 

1. Hudson 128

2. South Winneshiek 130

3. Iowa City Regina 161

4. Pekin 161

5. Guthrie Center ACGC 163

6. Avoca AHSTW 180

7. Van Meter 184

8. Manson-NW Webster 187

9. Clinton Prince of Peace 216

10. Earlham 226

11. Logan-Magnolia 245

12. Fort Dodge St. Edmond 251

13. Lansing Kee 255

14. Mason City Newman 259

15. Montezuma 278

16. Nashua-Plainfield 321

Individuals 

1. Haley Meyer (Kee), 19:11

2. Billie Wagner (SWinn) 19:19

3. Jalyssa Blazek (Turkey Valley), 19:30

4. Maddie Moline (Manson-NW Web), 19:30

5. Peyton Pogge (Tri-Center), 19:35

6. Courtney Sporrer (Lo-Ma), 19:51

7. Addison Grady (Hudson), 19:53

8. Clare Kelly (Van Meter), 19:56

9. Rylee Sloss (ACGC), 19:57

10. Rylee Dunkin (Twin Cedars), 20:05

11. Greenlee Smock (Lynnville-Sully), 20:14

12. Grace Lidgett (North Tama), 20:14

13. Preslie Oswald (Manson-NW Web), 20:15

14. Emma Ostwinkle (Cascade), 20:16

15. Elie Tuhn (Baxter), 20:17

16. Reese Duncan (Council Bluffs St. Albert), 20:26

17. Annalee Bartels (Regina), 20:32

18. Mary Kelly (Van Meter), 20:40

19. Grace Slater (Audubon), 20:42

20. Lily Dixon (Earlham), 20:42

Iowa City Regina — 17. Bartels, 31. Mya Whitaker, 21:05; 65. Natalie Franklin, 22:01; 67. Josie Pursley, 22:03; 89. Allison Hein, 22:29.

BOYS

Teams 

1. Madrid 58

2. Earlham 70

3. South Winneshiek 140

4. Guthrie Center ACGC 156

5. Bellevue 172

6. Maquoketa Valley 203

7. Ogden 207

8. Hudson 238

9. Pekin 263

10. Nodaway Valley 269

11. East Marshall 275

12. Fort Dodge St. Edmond 277

13. Mason City Newman 296

14. Columbus Community 298

15. Siouxland Christian 298

16. Central Springs 304

Individuals 

1. Brady Griebel (Bellevue), 15:52

2. Clay Pehl (Madrid), 16:21

3. Randy Jimenez (SE Warren), 16:31

4. Brady Millikin (Pekin), 16:33

5. Zach Dixon (Earlham), 16:37

6. Jayden Dickson (Earlham), 16:44

7. Chase Knoche (Calamus-Wheatland), 16:45

8. Gabe Soda (Madrid), 16:48

9. Stephen Flynn (Ogden), 16:51

10. Jason Renze (Madrid), 16:54

11. Brett McGee (Tri-Center), 16:57

12. Sam Hansen (Hudson), 16:58

13. Isaac Natvig (Valley Lutheran), 16:58

14. Bryce McDonough (CentSprings), 16:59

15. Dominic Braet (Earlham), 17:01

16. Jamison Meyer (SWinn), 17:07

17. Payton Griebel (Bellevue), 17:10

18. Doug Berg (NodValley), 17:14

19. Marcus Blount (Prince of Peace), 17:17

20. Ethan Loutzenheiser (Madrid), 17:19

Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com