Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Regina got one final tune-up on Tuesday before turning its attention to state qualifying meets next week.

If its performance at the River Valley Conference meet was any indication Regina is right where it wants to be entering the postseason.

Class 1A fifth-ranked Regina put four runners in the top 20 and finished runner-up at the RVC Meet on a windy afternoon at the Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City.

2A top-ranked Mid-Prairie rolled to the team title with 26 points while Regina was second with 74, six in front of 2A fourth-ranked Monticello.

“I told them I think this meet is going to be a lot tougher than our district meet so this is really about setting us up for next week,” Regina coach Liam Hartley said. “Some of the teams we raced today might even be tougher than the state meet itself so I think we are just really in a good place all together moving forward.”

Annalee Bartels led a quartet of Regals in the top 20 with a sixth-place finish as Regina had all five of its scorers finish in the top 30.

Sophomore Josie Voss was ninth, freshman Mya Whitaker was 11th and senior Kennedy Scott was 18th to pace Regina.

“That one thing that we have really been focusing on especially for that top five is keeping the pack together,” Hartley said. “That top five group run really well together in workouts too and that’s been a big strength for us.”

A tight lead pack has been the key for Regina throughout the season.

With the most important meets of the season looming the focus for the Regals was tightening that pack even more.

On Tuesday Regina did just that.

The top four Regina finishers were separated by just 40 seconds with Voss finishes sixth in 21:16.15 and Scott crossing the finish line in 21:56.97.

Our girls are very close together and that helps us in a race like today and it also helps us at practice,” Bartels said. “We always have someone to push us during practices or meets.”

Voss was just 20 seconds off the pace of Bartels finishing in 21:36.64 while Whitaker was right on her heels at 21:40.4.

“At the beginning of the season our five scorers where further apart but we’ve been closing the gap,” Voss said. “We’ve been working on that in practice and all five of us are coming closer we just need to close the gap even more.”

While Regina wasn’t hosting the conference meet the Regals took full advantage of running on the course it calls its home.

With strong winds howling Regina relied on its knowledge of the surroundings at Kicker Soccer Complex to help edge Monticello.

“We know all the struggles on this course because we have run on it so many times, running up the hill or running in the prairie so many times we know it by heart so that helps,” Bartels said. “I think it helped a lot knowing where everything was and where to save your energy and where to us it.”  

The defending Class 1A runner-up, Regina knows what it takes to be successful this time of year.

Regina is prepared to put that knowledge to use starting October 24 at a Class 1A state qualifying meet at the Kickers Soccer Complex.

“We are still right where we want to be,” Hartley said. “We had a few hiccups here or there over the summer but I think we are still to the caliber that we were last year it’s just that a lot of other 1A teams across the state are just as good but our expectations are still the same.”

The Regina boys placed fifth with 164 points and were led by freshman Joe Maley who finished 17th in 18:20.82.

Class 2A top-ranked Tipton won the team title with 31 points followed by Monticello with 70, Camanche with 123 and Mid-Prairie with 134.

River Valley Conference Meet

At Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City

Team scores – 1. Mid-Prairie 26; 2. Regina 74; 3. Monticello 80; 4. Tipton 118; 5. Cascade 147; 6. Northeast 156; 7. Anamosa 167; 8. North Cedar 185; 9. Wilton 236; 10. Durant 256  

Individual leaders – 1. Marie Hostetler (M-P) 18:31.36; 2. Mitzi Evans (M-P) 20:27.22; 3. Jimena Fierro (WL) 20:37.88; 4. Cenady Soenksen (NE) 20:38.57; 5. Emma Althoff (MON) 20:44.14; 6. Abbagail Evans (M-P) 21:07.04; 7. Annalee Bartels (ICR) 21:16.15; 8. Gabby Williamson (BEL) 21:24.49; 9. Emma Ostwinkle (CAS) 21:27.62; 10. Angelina Evans (M-P) 21:27.68; 11. Josie Voss (ICR) 21:36.64; 12. Sydney Yoder (M-P) 21:38.97; 13. Mya Whitaker (ICR) 21:40.4; 14. Hunter Jones (NC) 21:40.97; 15. Kiley Chapman (NC) 21:41.64

Regina – 6. Annalee Bartels 21:16.15; 9. Josie Voss 21:36.64; 11. Mya Whitaker 21:40.4; 18. Kenney Scott 21:56.97; 30. Josie Pursley 23:33.73; 39. Claire Gaarde 24:11.21; 46. Allison Hein 25:08.81 

River Valley Conference Meet

At Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City

Team scores – 1. Tipton 31; 2. Monticello 70; 3. Camanche 123; 4. Mid-Prairie 134; 5. Regina 164; 6. Northeast 169; 7. Bellevue 169; 8. Cascade 190; 9. Anamosa 210; 10. Wilton 263; 11. West Liberty 283; 12. Durant 319; 13. North Cedar 365

Individual leaders – 1. Caleb Shumaker (TIP) 16:47.52; 2. Dylan Darsidan (CAM) 16:52.84; 3. Brady Griebel (BEL) 16:59.06; 4. Trent Pelzer (TIP) 17:30.73; 5. Andrew Hilgendorf (NE) 17:41.32; 6. Jackson Edens (TIP) 17:46.46; 7. Jasper Nietert (MON) 17:46.95; 8. Andrew Olseen (TIP) 17:57.77; 9. Ashton Burroughs (WL) 18:02.97; 10. Jamison Stutzman (M-P) 18:05.63; 11. Harrison Ahlrichs (MON) 18:07.48; 12. Cody Bohlmann (TIP) 18:10.88; 13. Cole Cruise (MON) 18:12.78; 14. Dodson Melchiori (CAM) 18:14.95; 15. Zach Hein (WIL) 18:16.6

Regina – 17. Joe Maley 18:20.82; 26. Ethan Boileau 18:50.54; 28. Dan Maley 18:52.91; 41. Andrew Miller 19:41.08; 52. Evan Lacina 20:12.07; 64. Adam Boblenz 20:38.73; 69. Jacob Barnett 20:49.33

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