AMES — It might have seemed like a central Iowa All-Star meet, when 19 cross country teams answered the starter’s gun Thursday, September 12, in Ames. Solon’s girls finished second to a loaded Pella lineup in an early season test of several schools they will see late in the season…particularly as they approach their Class 3A state qualifier, and then the State Meet.
Pella ran away with the girls title at this one with their five ‘scoring runners’ crossing 1, 2, 4, 7, and 9 for a 23 point low score win on the Iowa State University course. Pella’s Melissa Ferebee was first across, clocked at 16:38, in a field of 147 varsity runners. Another 146 girls took off later in a separate JV race.
For the Lady Spartans, it was a battle for second place. Senior Sydney Dee (19:28) and freshman Kinley Mai (19:29) went 14-15 with teammates Liv Nelson (20:18, 29th), Addison Seamans (20:27, 33rd), and Ava Rolwes (20:48, 43rd ) to lock in Solon’s second place finish with 134 team points. Van Meter’s 164 was good for third place.
“We really challenged the girls to run in packs, run with each other. They did a great job of finding each other on the course,” noted coach Emy Williams. “Sydney did a great job of that, Kinley Mai also. For early in the year, we can see that with Ava Rolwes, Fallon Valstad and Ella Sheely, too.
In team scoring for the girls; Clear Creek-Amana placed fourth with 178, Winterset (184), ADM 191), Gilbert (217), Earlham (227), Forest City (235), North Polk (249), Madrid (259), Clear Lake (265), Pella Christian (304), ACGC (326), Nevada (400), West Marshall (416), Boone (456), Carlisle (476)and South Hamilton (525) rounding out the results. In the 12 school JV race, Solon’s Mia Fordice (sixth, 21:27) and Aly Stahle (ninth, 22:23) broke up a 1 through 10 ‘Dutch Sweep’ to boost their team. Pella freshman Arly Atwine was the individual JV winner there in 19:09.
“This was kind of a bonus meet for us. Of the other 18 girls teams, 14 are ranked 1, 2 or 3 in their (enrollment) class”, said Williams. “Ten or twelve of the boys teams are ranked, too. We want to take this (Gilbert) meet farther away; see how we stack up with them at this time of the year. And almost all of our runners (early in the season) ran their best.”