A Quick Look at the Class 1A State Qualifying Cross Country Meets Featuring Your Prep Sports Area Teams
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The cross country postseason got underway on Wednesday with state qualifiers in Classes 4A and 3A.
On Thursday the field for the state cross country meet will be finalized with state qualifying meets being held in Classes 2A and 1A.
In Class 4A, 3A and 2A the top three teams and top 15 individual finishers qualify for the state meet.
In Class 1A the top two teams and top 10 individuals qualifying for the state meet.
The Class 2A and 1A state meets are set for Saturday October 30 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
Here is a quick look at the Class 1A state qualifying meet featuring Your Prep Sports area teams.
Class 1A Qualifier (Regina)
Girls Race
When: Thursday, 4 p.m.
Where: Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City
Teams: Regina; BGM; Columbus; English Valleys; Highland; Hillcrest Academy; HLV; Fort Madison Holy Trinity; Iowa Valley; Lone Tree; Lynnville-Sully; Montezuma; North Linn; Sigourney; Tri-County; WACO; Wapello; Winfield-Mount Union
Ranked teams: No. 7 Regina; No. 8 North Linn; No. 20 Montezuma
Ranked individuals: No. 6 Meghan Wheatley, Soph., North Linn; No. 13 Greenlee Smock, Jr., Lynville-Sully; No. 22 Mya Whitaker, Jr., Regina;
Team title chase: Seventh-ranked Regina and No. 8 North Linn are heavy favorites to claim the two state qualifying spots but the team title should come right down to the wire.
Regina edged North Linn by three points at the Lynx home invitational less than two weeks ago and have the luxury of running its home course on Thursday.
There isn’t much separation between the two teams so this one should come down to a few points.
Athlete to watch: Regina junior Mya Whitaker is already a two-time state qualifier with a pair of top-35 state meet finishes to her credit.
This season Whitaker has taken over for departed senior Annalee Bartels as the undisputed number one runner for the Regals and has thrived in her role as that front of the pack leader.
Whitaker enters the postseason ranked No. 22 in Class 1A and should push for a top-five spot on Thursday and could contend for the individual title.
Breakdown: Regina and North Linn are expected to snag the two state meet spots with Montezuma lurking as a team to keep an eye on that could surprise.
North Linn sophomore standout Meghan Wheatley is the favorite to win the individual title and enters ranked sixth in the 1A individual rankings.
Experience in postseason races could be the edge for Regina on Thursday and next week at the state meet.
In addition to Whitaker, seniors Natalie Franklin, Josie Pursley and Allison Hein were all on the Regals’ state meet squad from a year ago and Pursley and Hein are multi-year state participants.
In tight races experience can be a key factor and the Regals are as experienced as any team in Class 1A.
Boys Race
When: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City
Teams: Regina; BGM; Columbus; English Valleys; Highland; Hillcrest Academy; HLV; Fort Madison Holy Trinity; Iowa Valley; Lone Tree; Lynnville-Sully; Montezuma; North Linn; Sigourney; Tri-County; WACO; Wapello; Winfield-Mount Union
Ranked teams: No. 11 Regina; No. 14 Columbus
Ranked individuals: No. 15 Bryson Grove, Sr., English Valleys; No. 16 Aidan O’Neil, Soph., Regina; No. 19 Freddy Vergara, Sr., Columbus
Team title chase: After missing out on the state meet each of the past five seasons Regina is poised to not just return to Des Moines but to do so as a state qualifying meet champion.
The Regals are the favorite to claim the team title on its home course on Thursday with Columbus the top challenger for the Regals.
It is a crowded field behind Regina and Columbus but those two appear to be favorites to secure spots at the state meet.
Athlete to watch: In his first season of high school cross country Regina sophomore Aidan O’Neil has wasted little time emerging as a legit state medal contender.
O’Neil enters the postseason ranked 16th in Class 1A and is coming off a fourth-place finish at the River Valley Conference meet last week.
The sophomore will be making his postseason debut on Thursday but showed at the RVC meet he is capable of running at the front of the pack at big meets finishing behind a trio of runners ranked in the top 13 in their respective classes.
Breakdown: One of the premier small school programs in the state for the past several decades Regina is seeking its first team trip to the state meet since 2015.
Everything sets up for the Regals to snap their five-year state meet drought on Thursday with Regina running on its home course as the highest ranked team in the field.
The addition of O’Neil gives the Regals a standout at the top of the lineup but it is the improvement up and down the lineup that makes Regina a state meet contender.
Senior Adam Boblenz and junior Joe Maley have made major strides and each posted top-25 finishes at the RVC meet last week.
Sophomore Riordan Smith and Sam Welter have come on strong late in the season along with sophomores Colin Olney and Joe Polyak.
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