Iowa high school state cross country 2024 preview: Scouting the individual and team races

FORT DODGE — Capsules for the state cross country meet Friday and Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course:

Class 3A girls

Time — 10:30 a.m. Friday

Top individuals — Pella junior Marissa Ferebee, the defending champion, is the best female runner in the state (regardless of class), and has the potential to make a serious run at the state-meet record of 16:48, set by Paytin Noe of Ballard in 2022 (Ferebee ran 16:37 at the Pella regional). With the presumption that Ferebee is out of reach for the field, the race for second place figures to be headlined by Harlan senior Lindsey Sonderman, last year’s runner-up, and Pella sophomore Elsie Brenneman. Grace Estling, a sophomore at Center Point-Urbana, is the top area contender and should finish in the top 10.

Charting the team race — Pella is on the path to dynasty mode. The Dutch have won two consecutive championships, and there appears to be no end in sight. They compiled 18 points (sweeping the top four positions) at the Pella regional, and their top three runners consist of a junior (Ferebee) and two sophomores. Mount Vernon-Lisbon is fully capable of matching last year’s runner-up finish. Led by individual champ Evelyn Moeller, the Mustangs rolled to the Waverly regional title by 42 points. MVL could be joined in the top five by Wamac Conference rivals Solon and Marion, who ran 1-2 at the Solon regional.

How they'll finish — 1. Pella, 2. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 3. Solon, 4. Sioux Center, 5. Marion.

Class 3A boys

Time — 11:15 a.m. Friday

Top individuals — Defending champion Canaan Dunham of Pella and Quentin Nauman of Western Dubuque — both juniors — could conduct the most stirring race of the weekend. Dunham was the champion of the Pella district, running 15:05 and winning by 70 seconds. The sixth-place state finisher last year, Nauman pulled steadily away from Des Moines Christian junior Caleb Ten Pas in the back half of their district race, finished in 15:29 and won by 18 seconds. The chase pack could feature the Gilbert duo of Carson Squires and Logan Bleich, as well as Austin Soldwisch of Waverly-Shell Rock and Grady Olberding of Mount Vernon-Lisbon.

Charting the team race — Home course or not, Gilbert’s district performance was startling. The reigning state-champion Tigers swept the top five spots, with all of them running 16:03 or better. Gilbert edged Pella by six points for the title last year, and the margin should be a little wider this time, though the Dutch remain formidable. Des Moines Christian captured the 2A title last year and should make its way to the clubhouse deck Friday in its new class. The Lions scored a tidy 29 points at the Solon district. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, Decorah and Clear Creek Amana were a tight top three at the Waverly district, and Grinnell was the Wamac Conference champion.

How they'll finish — 1. Gilbert, 2. Pella, 3. Des Moines Christian, 4. Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 5. Decorah.

Class 4A girls

Time — 2 p.m. Friday

Top individuals — Nakia Ollivierre, a junior at Waterloo West, is the top returner from last year, when she ran fourth. Ollivierre has been running back and forth all season with Charlee Gall, a freshman whiz from Cedar Falls. This will be the fourth straight week that the duo has faced off, with Gall edging Ollivierre in two of the prior three high-stakes races (it was a 1-second Gall margin at the Dubuque regional). Johnston junior Alyx Woodley will be in the mix, along with Dallas Center-Grimes sophomore Piper Messerly and Ankeny Centennial senior Anika Mohrhauser. Messerly edged Mohrhauser in a sub-18 race at the Marshalltown regional.

Charting the team race — Defending champion Johnston impressed at the Pleasant Hill regional, scoring 19 points on a 1-3-4-5-6 effort. The Dragons appear to be headed for a showdown with Pleasant Valley, which swept the top four spots on its home course and tallied 17 points. As was the case last spring, when they won the state track and field title, the Spartans are bolstered by the arrival of senior Ani Wedemeyer, who won an individual regional title last week. The race for the final spot on the Lakeside deck consists of regional champions Ankeny Centennial and MVC champion Dubuque Senior.

How they'll finish — 1. Johnston, 2. Pleasant Valley, 3. Ankeny Centennial, 4. Dubuque Senior, 5. Iowa City High.

Class 4A boys

Time — 2:45 p.m. Friday

Top individuals — Five of the top seven finishers from 2023 return, including Ankeny senior Ethan Zuber and Cedar Falls junior Jaden Merrick, who ran 1-2 in 15:07 and 15:13, respectively. Both of them were district champions; Zuber ran 15:21 at Pleasant Hill and won by 29 seconds, and Merrick broke the 15-minute barrier at Dubuque and edged Iowa City Liberty sophomore Keegan Decker by 8 ticks. Jack Flori of West Des Moines Dowling was fourth last year, and edged teammate Owen Wolfe at the Council Bluffs district. In addition to Decker, other top area runners include Linus McRoberts of Iowa City High and the Cedar Rapids Kennedy duo of Slader Buckheister and Adam Gray.

Charting the team race — West Des Moines Dowling is favored to claim its fourth consecutive title, and its seventh in nine years. Five runners are back from last year’s title team, including three that finished in the top 24. The Maroons edged Cedar Falls for the title last year, and the Tigers remain the chief challenger. At the Mississippi Valley Conference meet three weeks ago, Cedar Falls edged Iowa City High by one point and Cedar Rapids Prairie by six, so count the Little Hawks and the Hawks among the list of contenders for a top-five placing.

How they'll finish — 1. West Des Moines Dowling, 2. Cedar Falls, 3. Iowa City High, 4. Cedar Rapids Prairie, 5. Norwalk.

Class 1A girls

Time — 10:30 a.m. Saturday

Top individuals — With three-time champion Noelle Steines up into 2A, along with last year’s third-place finisher Alyssa Richman of Manson-NW Webster, it opens the door for a new crew of contenders. Lili Denton, a junior at Council Bluffs St. Albert, is top-ranked and won the Guthrie Center regional race by 1 minute, 40 seconds. Fourth last year, Alta-Aurelia senior Nora Peterson won the Jewell regional title, and Madrid has a pair of top-six returners in sophomore Madelyn Grothus and junior Katelyn Brandhorst. The top two runners at the Troy Mills regional — Starmont’s Lauren Krogmann and Cascade’s Hallie Kelchen — are top-10-caliber.

Charting the team race — The last team to win back-to-back 1A girls’ titles was Logan-Magnolia in 2018-19, and Madrid certainly is equipped to repeat. Led by Grothus and Brandhost, six runners are back from last year’s squad that won the championship by 24 points. The champion in 2022, Earlham has five returners from 2023 and is the most likely challenger. Led by freshman Anna Luers, English Valleys has literally come out of nowhere this season. The Bears weren’t even state qualifiers last year, and look like a legitimate top-three team. Maquoketa Valley upset 2023 state runner-up South Winneshiek by two points at the Troy Mills regional.

How they'll finish — 1. Madrid, 2. Earlham, 3. English Valleys, 4. Maquoketa Valley, 5. South Winneshiek.

Class 1A boys

Time — 11:15 a.m. Saturday

Top individuals — Four 2023 top-10 finishers return, led by fifth-place Lincoln Bainbridge of Van Buren County, now a junior. Two area guys are at the top of the list of favorites: English Valleys senior Gage Heyne and Maquoketa Valley senior Matthew Schaul. Heyne (ninth last year) was the champion of the Iowa City district, running in 16:46 and topping a field that included Bainbridge. Schaul (seven in ‘23) claimed the Troy Mills district title in 16:38, winning by 15 seconds. Guthrie Center district champion Parker Heisterkamp, a senior at Council Bluffs St. Albert, could be a dark horse.

Charting the team race — Lake Mills graduated its No. 1 runner from last year’s title team, but the Bulldogs bring back everybody else, and rate as the favorite to repeat. They had four runners in the top eight and ran away with the Manly district title by 46 points. The other two trophy teams are more challenging to define. Ogden (Holstein district champion) and Earlham (Pleasantville district champ) appear to have the inside track, along with Woodbine and Oakland Riverside, who dominated the field at Leon (Woodbine won, 31-34).

How they'll finish — 1. Lake Mills, 2. Ogden, 3. Earlham, 4. Woodbine, 5. Oakland Riverside.

Class 2A girls

Time — 2 p.m. Saturday

Top individuals — Tipton senior Noelle Steines bids to become the second girl in Iowa history to claim four state championships. She won three 1A titles in a row for Calamus-Wheatland before transferring the week after last year’s state meet. Steines fit the role of favorite at the Monticello regional, running 17:52 and winning by 45.8 seconds over Union Community senior Amilia Condon, a potential top-five finisher in her own right. Last year’s 1A third-place finisher, Manson-NW Webster senior Alyssa Richman, also moves to 2A and was the champion of the Pella regional. Albia junior McKenna Montgomery and Jesup senior Mackenzie Wilson were second and third in 2A last year.

Charting the team race — With Des Moines Christian (now in 3A) out of the picture, the role of favorite shifts to Van Meter, the 2022 champion and 2023 runner-up. Sophomore Laura Streck and senior Emma McCoy are returning top-20 finishers, and the Bulldogs posted a 30-point tally in winning the Red Oak regional. Mid-Prairie won five consecutive titles from 2017 through 2021, and the River Valley Conference champion Golden Hawks should climb from their fourth-place perch of a year ago. Speaking of climbing, expect Steines’ arrival to help Tipton jump from 11th in 2023 into the top five.

How they'll finish — 1. Van Meter, 2. Mid-Prairie, 3. Tipton, 4. Unity Christian, 5. Denver.

Class 2A boys

Time — 2:45 p.m. Saturday

Top individuals — Last year’s 1A runner-up, Grundy Center junior Emerson Vokes is up a class this year and is, at the very least, a co-favorite to win the title. Vokes ran 15:47 at the Pella district, building a 38-second margin over defending state champion Emmett Swartzentruber, a senior at Mid-Prairie. Vokes’ climb to 2A further deepens an already strong 2A boys’ pool that includes Spirit Lake senior Brandon Hughes, Clarinda senior Kyle Wagoner, plus the top three of the Oelwein district — Oelwein senior Conall Sauser, Crestwood senior Nathan Ahern and Vinton-Shellsburg junior Alex Torres.

Charting the team race — Same story as the girls’ race. Two-time defending state champion Des Moines Christian is in 3A now, so there will be new blood at the top of the 2A team race. Two area teams head the list of title hopefuls. Led by a 2-3-6 finish, Mid-Prairie ran to the Pella district title. The Golden Hawks were 10th last year. Meanwhile, Oelwein is expected to make a giant jump after placing 13th in 2023. Sauser led the Huskies’ 1-5-9-10 district showing on their home course. Two weeks ago, Oelwein edged Denver for the North Iowa Cedar League title, and Denver could enter the title picture Saturday, as well.

How they'll finish — 1. Mid-Prairie, 2. Oelwein, 3. Denver, 4. Spirit Lake, 5. Waukon.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com