Conway Leads Solon to Team Title at Tipton Invitational
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
TIPTON – Kiersten Conway achieved her top goal and just missed out on another at the Tipton Invitational on Tuesday.
Oh and Conway also won the individual title even if that wasn’t on the top of her goal sheet for Tuesday.
“Not at all did I talk about trying to be first in this race,” Conway said. “My goal is always for our team to win and then let’s put seven in the top 15, that’s what we were talking about on the way here. We don’t talk about individual placement at all.”
The individual title for Conway helped Class 3A sixth-ranked Solon roll to the team title with 29 points.
Class 2A No. 11 Tipton was runner-up with 50 points and 1A top-ranked Regina was third with 84 points.
Conway was one of six Spartans to finish in the top-15, joining teammates Emma Bock (6th), Gracie Federspiel (7th), Meghan O’Neill (8th), Anna Quillin (12th) and Mary Fiala (13th) with top-15 finishes.
“Running as a team, that team aspect, it’s unbelievably important,” Conway said. “For us there is that pack and we always talk about staying together in that pack. To us that is more important than any individual thing.”
The team-first approach and tight pack running has helped Solon reach the Class 3A state meet three of the past four seasons.
This year the Spartans are closer as a team and the front pack even tighter than ever.
“We have talented runners but we don’t have someone that is going to go win the state meet so it is important that we really box up and go together,” Solon coach Emy Williams said. “The cool thing is it changes every meet. There is that competitiveness that they want to be in the top seven and they want to be in that top five but they are supportive of each other and they include everybody.”
Solon showed off its impressive depth on Tuesday with its top finisher and seventh runner separated by less than two minutes and 16 spots.
Conway won the title in 19:32.8, her first individual title since she won the Williamsburg Invite as a freshman.
She finished more than three seconds in front of Regina senior Annalee Bartels who was runner-up in a school-record time of 19:36.4.
Bartels, who had tied the Regina school record twice, beat the previous record by 13 seconds on Tuesday but couldn’t quite catch Conway.
“I didn’t even think about having won a race until now,” Conway said. “To me that’s very special, it really boosts my confidence but it’s not something that we talk about.”
Conway had plenty of company in the top-15.
Bock was sixth in 20:24.4 while freshman Federspiel was seventh in 20:30.9 and O’Neill was eighth in 20:33.1.
“Emy drills in to us to stick together in practice, if one of us goes harder everyone is going to follow,” Bock said. “It really helps all of us individually to have that team mindset.”
Quillin gave Solon two freshman in the top-15, with a 12th place finish in 20:50.4 while Fiala a sophomore was 13th in 20:54.7.
“At the beginning the freshman were a little tentative but they have jumped right in and started to competing,” Bock said. “They are a really good group.”
Tipton Invitational
At Tipton City Park
Team scores – 1. Solon 29; 2. Tipton 50; 3. Regina 84; 4. Northeast 127; 5. Anamosa 130; 6. Cascade 136; 7. Center DeWitt 174
Individual leaders – 1. Kiersten Conway (SOL) 19:32.8; 2. Annalee Bartles (ICR) 19:36.4; 3. Charlotte Brown (Wilton) 19:46.2; 4. Emma Ostwinkle (CAS) 19:49.1; 5. Kallie Wallick (TIP) 20:05.6; 6. Emma Bock (SOL) 20:24.4; 7. Gracie Federspiel (SOL) 20:30.9; 8. Meghan O’Neill 20:33.1; 9. Hunter Jones (North Cedar) 20:36.3; 10. Rebecca Hinderake (TIP) 20:40.1
Solon (29) – 1. Kiersten Conway 19:32.8; 5. Emma Bock 20:24.4; 6. Gracie Federspiel 20:30.9; 7. Meghan O’Neill 20:33.1; 10. Anna Quillin 20:54; 11. Mary Fiala 20:54.7; 17. Kaia Holtkamp 21:31.3
Regina (84) – 2. Annalee Bartles 19:36.4; 12. Mya Whitaker 20:56; 22. Allison Hein 22:29.1; 23. Natalie Franklin 22:30.5; 25. Josie Pursley 22:53; 26. Josie Voss 22:54.7; 28. Keira Sickels 23:21
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