Taking a Quick Look at the WAMAC Conference Cross Country Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
Conference cross country meets are here.
The Mississippi Valley Conference got things started with its Super Meet last week and the River Valley Conference held its meet on Tuesday.
On Thursday the conference meet schedule continues with the WAMAC Conference meet in Solon and the Mississippi Valley Conference holding divisional meets in Iowa City and Cedar Falls.
Things really get rolling next week with state qualifying meets on Wednesday and Thursday with the state meet schedule for October 29th and 30th at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
Before the focus turns to the postseason meets here is a quick look at Your Prep Sports area conference meets set for Thursday.
WAMAC Conference Meet
Girls Race
When: Thursday, 4 p.m.
Where: Solon Nature and Recreation Area
Teams: Clear Creek Amana; Solon; Dyersville Beckman; Benton Community; Center Point-Urbana; Independence; Maquoketa; Marion; Mount Vernon; Vinton-Shellsburg; West Delaware; Williamsburg; South Tama
Ranked teams: Class 3A No. 1 Solon; Class 3A No. 11 Marion; Class 3A No. 12 Mount Vernon/Lisbon; Class 3A No. 14 Center Point-Urbana; Class 3A No. 17 Clear Creek Amana; Class 2A No. 5 Williamsburg; Class 2A No. 10 Dyersville Beckman
Ranked individuals: Class 3A No. 3 Kora Katcher, Sr., Center Point-Urbana; Class 3A No. 12 Emma Bock, Sr., Solon; Class 3A No. 13 Laura Swart, Jr., Mount Vernon/Lisbon; Class 3A No. 18 Kayla Young, Jr., Solon; Class 3A No. 25 Gracie Federspiel, Soph., Solon; Class 3A No. 28 Anna Hoffman, Sr., Mount Vernon/Lisbon; Class 3A No. 29 Anna Quillin, Soph., Solon; Class 2A No. 28 Ruth Jennings, Sr., Williamsburg
Team title chase: Class 3A top-ranked Solon is seeking a second consecutive WAMAC title after winning its first conference crown since 2012 a year ago.
Solon has been impressive all season using its tremendous depth and balance at the top of its lineup to emerge as a 3A title contender and enters as a heavy favorite in the team race.
The Spartans have four ranked runners and conceivable could put five finishers in the top 10 on Thursday.
Williamsburg figures to once again be in the battle for a top-two spot.
The Raiders won WAMAC titles in 2018 and 2019 and finished nine points behind Solon in a runner-up finish a year ago.
Athlete to watch: The WAMAC meet always seems to bring out the best in Haidyn Barker.
Already a two-time conference medalist Barker will be seeking an elusive conference title and a third-consecutive top-three finish on Thursday.
Barker was third at the WAMAC meet as a freshman and moved up to runner-up last season behind departed Solon senior Kiersten Conway.
The junior standout is coming off a strong showing at a loaded field at the Jim Hetrick Invite in DeWitt last week.
Breakdown: One of the best conference meets in the state year in and year out the WAMAC meet is loaded again in 2021.
More than half of the 13-team field is ranked with 3A top-ranked Solon and 2A fifth-ranked Williamsburg poised to battle it out for the top spot for a fourth straight season.
Solon is a heavy favorite to repeat as team champion but Williamsburg will have to hold off a group of contenders if it is to post a fourth consecutive top-two finish.
It has been since 2017 since a team other than Solon and Williamsburg finished in the top two but Marion, Mount Vernon/Lisbon and Dyersville Beckman will all be vying for the runner-up spot.
Third-ranked Center Point-Urbana senior Kora Katcher is the pre-race favorite in the individual race after placing seventh at the meet last season but the Solon trio of Emma Bock, Kayla Young and Gracie Federspiel will be in contention along with Barker and Mount Vernon/Lisbon’s Laura Swart.
Keep an eye on the Clippers as a riser in the team race. Clear Creek Amana was seventh a year ago but improved depth and the trio of Haidyn Barker and freshmen Kira Barker and Sara Kinzenbaw have the Clippers poised for a jump.
Boys Race
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Solon Nature and Recreation Area
Teams: Clear Creek Amana; Solon; Dyersville Beckman; Benton Community; Center Point-Urbana; Independence; Maquoketa; Marion; Mount Vernon; Vinton-Shellsburg; West Delaware; Williamsburg; South Tama
Ranked teams: Class 3A No. 2 Marion; Class 3A No. 5 Solon; Class 3A No. 7 Mount Vernon/Lisbon; Class 3A No. 15 Clear Creek Amana; Class 3A No. 18 Center Point-Urbana; Class 2A No. 3 Williamsburg
Ranked individuals: Class 3A No. 3 Eli Larson, Sr., Center Point-Urbana; Class 3A No. 5 Shane Erb, Sr., Marion; Class 3A No. 8 Jedidiah Osgood, Jr., Marion; Class 3A No. 14 Brick Kabela, Soph., Solon; Class 3A No. 20 Gabe Hinman, Sr., Solon; Class 3A No. 30 Gavin Zillyette, Sr., Clear Creek Amana; Class 2A No. 15 Harrison Garber, Sr., Williamsburg; Class 2A No. 21 Sam Rich, Jr., Williamsburg
Team title chase: Solon became the fourth different team to win the WAMAC title over the pat four seasons last fall when it edged Marion for the team title.
The Wolves and Spartans should once again battle for the top spot with 3A second-ranked Marion the early favorite to win its first conference crown since 2018.
Marion and Solon have seen each other previously this season with the Wolves finishing 47 points clear of Solon while winning the North Linn Invitational last Saturday.
Fifth-ranked Solon has home course advantage on Thursday as it attempts to become the first back-to-back conference champion since Mount Vernon/Lisbon in 2016 and 2017.
Athlete to watch: Brick Kabela burst onto the varsity scene last fall with an impressive freshman season and included an 11th place finish at the WAMAC Conference meet.
This season Kabela has taken things to another level.
The Solon sophomore enters the WAMAC meet ranked 14th in Class 3A and poised to push for the first state medal of his career later this month.
First Kabela will seek a strong conference performance on his home course in what figures to be a loaded individual field.
Breakdown: Marion and Solon will battle for the team title with 2A third-ranked Williamsburg, 3A seventh-ranked Mount Vernon/Lisbon and 2019 WAMAC champion Clear Creek Amana capable of pushing for a top-two finish.
Solon hadn’t been higher than sixth at the WAMAC meet since 2011 before winning the team title last season and followed it up with a runner-up finish at the 3A state meet.
Led by Kabela and senior Gabe Hinman the Spartans have legit front of the pack talent but will need strong performances from the likes of Ty Becicka and Michael Yeomans to claim a second consecutive title.
The individual title should be hotly contested with defending individual champion Eli Larson of Center Point-Urbana and the Marion duo of Shane Erb and junior Jedidiah Osgood joining Kabela at the front of the pack.
Erb was third and Osgood fourth at the WAMAC meet a year ago.
Don’t count out Clear Creek Amana senior Gavin Zillyette who was fifth at the conference meet last season and has run enough varsity races to know how to find his way into title contention.
The Clippers were fifth in the team standings a year ago and will contend for a top three spot again this season.
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