Your Prep Sports

The state cross country meet may still be more than a month away but the 45th Bobcat Invite offered a sneak peek at a state preview on Thursday.

Top-ranked Johnston emerged from a loaded field that featured 13 of the 15 ranked Class 4A teams in the state to win the team title at the 23-team meet at the Marshalltown Cross Country Course.

Johnston finished with 50 points to easily outdistance second-ranked Waukee which finished second with 94 points.

No. 14 Southeast Polk finished third with 100 points while fourth-ranked West High placed ninth with 232 points at the meet that had all of the top 10 teams in Class 4A.

Sophomore Kiara Malloy-Salgado placed 27th in a time of 20:40 to pace West High while Erica Buettner was 43rdd in 21:11 and Deniz Ince was 45th in 21:12.

Johnston junior Brooke McKee won the individual title in 19:24, edging Waukee sophomore Peyton Kelderman by a second.

McKee was the lone Johnston runner in the top 10 but the Dragons had four runners finish between 10th and 14th en route to the team title.

45th Bobcat Invite

At Marshalltown Cross Country Course

Girls Results

Team scores – 1. Johnston 50; 2. Waukee 94; 3. Southeast Polk 100; 4. West Des Moines Dowling 144; 5. West Des Moines Valley 173; 6. Pleasant Valley 196; 7. Des Moines Roosevelt 198; 8. Ankeny Centennial 201; 9. West High 232; 10. Urbandale 246; 11. Dubuque Hempstead 290; 12. Cedar Falls 323; 13. Ames 369; 14. AGWSR 408; 15. Dike-New Hartford 410; 16. Ankeny 421; 17. Mason City 453; 18. Marshalltown 520; 19. East Marshall 576; 20. Waterloo East and West 612; 21. GMG 684; 22. BCLUW 706; 23. Fort Dodge 727

Individual leaders – 1. Brooke McKee (JON) 19:24; 2. Peyton Kelderman (WAU) 19:25; 3. Camille Jackson (AME) 19:28; 4. Grace Larkins (SEP) 19:33; 5. Aubrie Fisher (AGWSR) 19:33; 6. Sydney Schaffer (WAU) 19:48; 7. Taylor Kvale (D-NH) 19:50; 8. Kate Timboe (WDD) 19:59; 9. Kelsey Schweizer (WDD) 20:00; 10. Aleah Tenpas (JON) 20:01

West High – 27. Kiara Malloy-Salgado 20:40; 43. Erica Buettner 21:11; 45. Deniz Ince 21:12; 57. Maddy Negley 21:24; 60. Katie Hoefer 21:28; 66. Camden Zirker 21:39; 83. Mattie Harms 22:07