Sophie Nicol and Erin KerkhoffYour Prep Sports

Prior to the season Solon coach Emy Williams touted the team element within her Solon cross country team.

The Spartans put that team mentality to good use on Saturday.

Solon didn’t have a top 15 finisher but had each of its top five runners finish in the top 31 on the way to a runner-up finish at the 19-team North Linn meet in Troy Mills.

Class 2A top-ranked Monticello won the team title with 60 points while Solon was second with 124 points.

2A seventh-ranked Mid-Prairie was third with 145 while 2A No. 4 South Winneshiek was fourth with 161 points.

Regina finished 10th with 247 points.

For the second straight meet Solon got key performances from its freshman.

Freshman Ella Duster led Solon with a 18th place finish in a time of 20:37. The next four Spartan runners all finished with 11 places and 30 seconds of Duster.

Sophomore Erin Kerkhoff was 21st in 20:43 while junior Sophie Nicol was 24th in 20:46. Freshman Nicole Shafer and Aira Foster finished 30th and 31st respectively.

Regina had its own strong showing by a freshman on Saturday as Kennedy Scott finished 22nd in 20:44.

North Linn Cross Country Meet
Team scores – 1. Monticello 60; 2. Solon 124; 3. Mid-Prairie 145; 4. South Winneshiek 161; 5. Benton Community 192; 6. Williamsburg 209; 7. Marion 215; 8. North Linn 223; 9. Cascade 233; 10. Regina 247; 11. Vinton-Shellsburg 282; 12. Hudson 309; 13. Grundy Center-Gladbrook-Reinbeck 313; 14. Mount Pleasant 341; 15. Bellevue Marquette 341; 16. Tipton 363; 17. Dike-New Hartford 366; 18. Edgewood-Colesburg 379; 19. Starmont 516.

Individual results – 1. Anna Hostetler (MP) 17:58; 2. Marie Hostetler (MP) 18:15; 3. Sophia Gilbert (BC) 18:39; 4. Paige Holub (Mont.) 18:58; 5. Josie Kriener (SW) 19:11; 6. Alayna Kollasch (DNH) 19:35; 7. Gracie Horst (VS) 19:42; 8. Felicity Taylor (SW) 19:46; 9. Becca McDermott (Cas.) 19:49; 10. Jordyn Patterson (Mont.) 19:53.

Solon (109) – 18. Ella Duster 20:37; 21. Erin Kerkhoff 20:43; 24. Sophie Nicol 20:46; 30. Nicole Shafer 21:03; 31. Aira Foster 21:04; 92. Calista Haasl 22:45; 109. Haley Kluesner 23:40.

Regina (247) – 22. Kennedy Scott 20:44; 51. Molly Vittetoe 21:45; 54. Natalie Shank 12:52; 57. Nourah Abusada 21:54; 63. Breanna Balke 21:58; 75. Elizabeth Klesner 22:10; 96. Mary Catherine Graff 22:58.