Keeney Caps Impressive Cross Country Career With Third Consecutive Top-10 Finish
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
FORT DODGE – In four trips to the state cross country meet Ashlyn Keeney has picked up plenty of useful information needed to succeed at the highest level.
Twists and turns on the course, where to push and when to pull back.
At the top of the list of lessons Keeney learned competing at the state cross country meet – how to keep going.
“I think I’ve learned a lot since my first time here,” Keeney said. “Mostly, I learned that no matter how back you feel like you are you can always pull yourself forward.”
The final state meet appearance for Keeney was perhaps a perfect summation of the brilliant prep cross country career for the Liberty High senior.
Keeney got separated from the lead pack early and battled through an admittedly different first mile but as she has throughout her career Keeney pulled herself forward.
Behind a strong final two miles Keeney secured a third consecutive state meet medal with a seventh-place finish at the Class 4A state meet on Friday on a cool and breezy morning at the Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
“There were a lot of girls I saw ahead of me and I thought there was no way I can catch up but you always have something left,” Keeney said. “You can always surprise yourself.”
The seventh-place finish was the third consecutive top-10 finish for Keeney and was two spots better than last season when she finished ninth in 18:34.7.
Keeney’s time of 18:35.44 was her second fastest in four trips to state.
“I was ninth so two better than last year,” Keeney said. “I am pretty happy with that.”
The eternally optimistic Keeney faced plenty of challenges throughout a stellar career starting with a 72nd place finish as a freshman in 2018.
Keeney led for much of that race before faltering late.
She was runner-up in 2019 and ninth last season before capping her career with the seventh-place performance on Friday.
Throughout each of the past two seasons Keeney dealt with a myriad of injuries and illness but always found a way to pull herself forward.
She again did that on Friday.
“The wind was really bad and I feel like the group went out really fast and I kind of got pulled away at the beginning,” Keeney said. “Then I was just trying to slowly pick off people and I think I could have gone a little bit faster but I did my best so I am happy with my effort.
Keeney was outside the top 10 at the mile mark but slowly made her way toward the front of the pack over the final two miles.
She finished five seconds behind sixth-place Julia Gehl of Dubuque Hempstead and was more than eight seconds faster than Roni Quass of Ankeny Centennial who placed eighth.
“The first mile felt really hard and the second mile felt a lot better, I ended up feeling pretty good,” Keeney said. “It was a fun race, all the girls did really well I think. I am just really proud of everyone. It was a good senior season and I’ve gotten to know a lot of the girls and it’s really fun to race all of them.”
City High finished 12th in the team standings with 250 points led by a 22nd place finish from senior Rowan Boulter.
A four-year state qualifier, Boulter finished in 19:27.08 while Ani Wedemeyer was 27th in 19:42.59 and Iris Wedemeyer was 30th in 19:45.34.
West High sophomore Cindy Wang placed 34th in her state meet debut in a time of 19:44.58.
Class 4A State Cross Country Meet
At Lakeside Golf Course
Team scores – 1. Dubuque Hempstead 108; 2. Pleasant Valley 132; 3. Ames 141; 4. Johnston 156; 5. Cedar Rapids 164; 6. Ankeny 166; 7. West Des Moines 177; 8. Des Moines Roosevelt 182; 9. Dubuque Senior 184; 10. Ankeny Centennial 188; 11. West Des Moines Dowling 218; 12. City High 250; 13. Linn-Mar 288; 14. Urbandale 317; 15. Indianola 336
Individual medalists – 1. Addison Dorenkamp (WDV) 17:55.18; 2. Kamryn Ensley (WDV) 18:14.89; 3. Kaia Downs (Sioux City East) 18:18.28; 4. Olivia Verde (JON) 18:23.93; 5. Keelee Leitzen (DH) 18:24.73; 6. Julia Gehl (DH) 18:30.2; 7. Ashlyn Keeney (Liberty High) 18:35.44; 8. Rondi Quass (AC) 18:44.35; 9. Abi Hahn (DMR) 18:55.31; 10. Claire Helmers (AME) 18:57.87; 11. Drew Beason (ANK) 18:59.66; 12. Adrienne Buettner-Cable (DMR) 19:02.03; 13. Keirra Hess (CRP) 19:03.06; 14. Josie Case (PV) 19:10.57.; 15. Leah Klapatauskas (DS) 19:13.79
City High (250) – 19. Rowan Boulter 19:27.08; 27. Ani Wedemeyer 19:42.59; 30. Iris Wedemeyer 19:45.34; 82. Lucy Corbin 21:17.28; 92. Tatum Frazier 21:34.52; 95. Nina Kuhlman 21:43.38; 99. Eva Reynolds 21:50.52
West High – 34. Cindy Wang 19:44.58
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