Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – A single overriding fear kept Annalee Bartels from running cross country during her first year of high school.

“I was too afraid to go out because I thought I would be too slow and I’d finish last,” Bartels admitted.

It took Bartels just one meet to overcome that fear.

After a top-20 individual finish in her first varsity meet Bartels was hooked.

“Going into the first meet I thought I would finish last,” Bartels said. “I survived that meet and I realized it wasn’t so bad when you get into it.”

Bartels is no longer the same runner that feared a last place finish before the Bob Brown Invitational in August

At the Class 1A state qualifying meet on Thursday at Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City Bartels showed just how far removed she is from that last place prediction.

Bartels finished second in a time of 21:10.35 as Class 1A second-ranked Regina rolled to the team title.

“I was afraid at the start of the season but I’ve improved so much,” Bartels said. “Now I really love cross country.”

The runner-up finish by Bartels led three Regals that placed in the top 10 as Regina won the team title with 36 points to finish 40 points in front of runner-up Starmont.

Freshman Josie Voss was fourth in 21:32.27 while senior Maeve Dunne was eighth in 22:05.57.

“I knew that everyone had it in them,” Dunn said. “They’ve all worked so hard and we just built a team relationship where we want to do it for ourselves but more for each other and I think that really pushed us today.”

North Mahaska junior Cheyenne Shaw broke away from the pack in the first mile and cruised to the individual title in 20:35.59.

The next five finishers were separated by 35 seconds and it was Bartels that broke away from that pack over the final mile.

“I was just thinking one step at a time,” Bartels said. “I just wanted to do the best that I could.”

Bartels finished 16th in her first varsity meet on the same course back on August 30.

On Thursday Bartels improved that time by more than a minute and 26 seconds while finished nearly 12 seconds in front of third place Elise Boulton of Montezuma.

I really feel like our team has improved throughout the season and I am proud of all of us,” Bartels said. “I’m proud of everyone that competed.”

It was the Regina depth that carried the Regals on Thursday.

Voss was fourth in 21:32.27 while Dunne was eighth in 22:05.57.

Regina had all five of its scoring runnes in the top 12 as junior Kennedy Scott was 11th in 22:13.12 and senior Molly Vittetoe was 12th in 22:13.75.

“Our coach told us we could place really well and that’s what we were going for was to get everyone in the top 15,” Voss said. “That was kind of our goal.”

The Regals took advantage of near perfect weather conditions and the familiarity of competing on their home course to return to the state meet for the second consecutive season.

Regina was seventh at the Class 2A meet last season.

“It was nice to have it at our home course,” Voss said. “We are used to it here, we practice here and we know the course really well.”

Class 1A State Qualifier

Girls Results

At Kickers Soccer Park in Iowa City

Team scores – 1. Regina 36; 2. Starmont 76; 3. Pekin 81; 4. Prince of Peace 129; 5. Highland 172; 6. Wilton 173; 7. Iowa Mennonite 212; 8. English Valleys 219; 9. Montezuma 254; 19. Durant 256; 11. Wapello 259; 12. Cardinal 278; 13. BGM 288; 14. Sigourney 311.

Individual State Qualifiers – 1. Cheyenne Shaw (North Mahaska) 20:35.59; 2. Annalee Bartels (Regina) 21:10.35; 3. Elise Boulton (Montezuma) 21:22.18; 4. Madison Thomann (Highland) 21:32.06; 5. Josie Voss (Regina) 21:32.27; 6. Kenna Meisgeier (Starmont) 21:45.98; 7. Sophie Griffin (Prince of Peace) 21:54.36; 8. Kaelyn Goodsman (Prince of Peace) 21:54.59; 9. Maeve Dunne (Regina) 22:05.57; 10. Makenzie Plagman (Starmont) 22:08.01; 11. Lauren Derscheid (Pekin) 22:12.26; 12. Kennedy Scott (Regina) 22:13.12; 13. Molly Vittetoe (Regina) 22:13.75; 14. Leah Bontrager (Iowa Mennonite) 22:14.6; 15. Emily Laumeyer (Pekin) 22:20.61

Regina – 1. Annalee Bartels 21:10.35; 4. Josie Voss 21:32.27; 8. Maeve Dunne 22:05.57; 11. Kennedy Scott 22:13.12; 12. Molly Vittetoe 22:13.75; 16. Mary Catherine Graff 22:37.86; 32. Josie Pursley 24:00.02

Class 1A State Qualifier

Boys Results

At Kickers Soccer Park in Iowa City

Team scores – 1. Calamus-Wheatland 46; 2. Maquoketa Valley 95; 3. Pekin 134; 4. Durant 136; 5. Wilton 156; 6. Wapello 187; 7. Starmont 194; 8. Prince of Peace 211; 9. Fort Madison Holy Trunity 289; 10. Iowa Mennonite 308; 11. Columbus 326; 12. Regina 331; 13. Sigourney 334; 14. Winfield-Mount Union 336; 15. Lone Tree 367; 16. North Mahaska 425; 17. WACO 439; 18. Easton Valley 464; 19. Cardinal 491; 20. Highland 550

Individual State Qualifiers – 1. Hunter Rickels (Calmus-Wheatland) 17:10.9; 2. Chase Knoche (Calamus-Wheatland) 17:16.98; 3. Brady Millikin (Pekin) 17:40.51; 4. Colten Glosser (Pekin) 17:40.74; 5. Buddy Darting (Wilton) 17:52.23; 6. Chance Downs (Maquoketa Valley) 17:53; 7. Jack Voss (Durant) 17:53.79; 8. Chandler Gannon (Calamus-Wheatland) 17:55.07; 9. Aiden Housman (Wapello) 17:56.2; 10. Jacob Glandon (English Valleys) 17:59.73; 11. Matt Hellige (Fort Madison Holy Trinity) 18:03.96; 12. Zach Hein (Wilton) 18:06.45; 13. Magnus Sands (Calamus-Wheatland) 18:10.17; 14. Mason Moore (Sigourney) 18:12.39; 15. Easton Botkins (Durant) 18:17.01.

Regina – 50. Zach Kratz 20:06.04; 59. Ethan Boileau 20:32.38; 62. Jacob Barnett 20:42.26; 78. Nick Kratz 21:07.66; 82. Adam Boblenz 21:16.88; 88. Nicholas Abusada 21:31.17; 102. Jack Keating 22:15.21

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