Wedemeyer Leads City High With Sixth-place Finish at MVC Super Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
CEDAR RAPIDS – Ani Wedemeyer emerged as a star on the track last spring at the state track and field meet.
Wedemeyer enjoys some variety in her running which is part of why she enjoys cross country in the fall.
“I love track but I really like cross country too,” Wedemeyer said. “I like them both equally just in different ways.”
Wedemeyer also prefers some variation in a cross country course.
While many runners enjoy a flat course like the one at Seminole Valley Park in Cedar Rapids Wedemeyer prefers some hills.
Even on a course that perhaps didn’t fit the perfect model for Wedemeyer the sophomore standout found a way to excel on Thursday at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super meet.
Wedemeyer placed sixth in a time of 18:57.29 on Thursday to help Class 4A No. 10 City High to a sixth-place team finish with 163 points.
“Our team practices hills a lot so when there are a lot of hills on a course I feel like we have an advantage,” Wedemeyer said. “This course is a lot of the same thing and I like to switch it up some but it was fine.”
Top-ranked Dubuque Hempstead dominated the field on its way to the team title.
The Mustangs had the top four finishers and had seven runners in the top 18 while claiming the team title with 24 points.
Dubuque Senior was second with 57 followed by Cedar Falls with 125, Linn-Mar with 126 and Cedar Rapids Prairie with 127.
West High was seventh with 167 and Liberty High was eighth with 260.
Dubuque Hempstead junior Julia Gehl won the individual title in 18:03.26 while teammate Keelee Leitzen was runner-up in 28:03.43.
“I was hoping to go out with Keelee and Julia but I was never with them, they took it out really fast and stayed with that,” Wedemeyer said. “I didn’t really meet my goals for today but I kept going.”
Wedemeyer improved her Super meet finish by 10 spots after placing 16th last season with her sixth-place finish and was less than five seconds out of a top-five finish.
“I went out really fast and I felt tired from the start,” Wedemeyer said. “It wasn’t great, it was pretty windy and I don’t really like the completely flat course. It was cool to experience it.”
Freshman Kate Van Waning led West High placing 24th in a time of 20:02.06 while Cindy Wang was 26th in 20:05.69 and Gabby Moniza was 27th in 20:05.94.
Liberty High was led by Malia Taylor who was 41st in 20:23.3.
Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet
At Seminole Valley Park in Cedar Rapids
Team scores – 1. Dubuque Hempstead 24; 2. Dubuque Senior 57; 3. Cedar Falls 125; 4. Linn-Mar 126; 5. Cedar Rapids Prairie 127; 6. City High 163; 7. West High 167; 8. Liberty High 260; 9. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 278; 10. Cedar Rapids Xavier 288; 11. Cedar Rapids Washington 291; 12. Dubuque Wahlert 310; 13. Western Dubuque 327; 14. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 426
Individual leaders – 1. Julia Gehl (DH) 18:03.26; 2. Keelee Leitzen (DH) 18:03.43; 3. Brooke O’Brien (DH) 18:24.43; 4. Evie Henneberry (DH) 18:45.24; 5. Leah Klapatauskas (DS) 18:52.68; 6. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH) 18:57.29; 7. Rachel Adamson (L-M) 19:03.37; 8. Zoe Zylstra (CF) 19:06.25; 9. Georgia Harms (DS) 19:35.48; 10. Keirra Hess (CRP) 19:34.7; 11. Claire Hoyer (DS) 19:35.48; 12. Alyssa Klein (WD) 19:36.77; 13. Emily Gorton (DS) 19:37.67; 14. Natalie Schlichte (DH) 19:39.94; 15. Makenna Hetrick (CRW) 19:40.33
City High (163) – 6. Ani Wedemeyer 18:57.29; 31. Nina Peterson 20:08.54; 38. Nicole Peterson 20:17.57; 42. Nina Kuhlman 20:27.21; 46. Erin Anderson 20:31.71; 60. Elizabeth Asklof 21:08.92; 64. Sophia Romero 21:20.26;
West High (167) – 24. Kate Van Waning 20:02.06; 26. Cindy Wang 20:05.69; 27. Gabby Moniza 20:05.94; 32. Erinn Varga 20:10.83; 58. Minou Emmad 20:50.15; 72. Violet Clark 21:48.63; 76. Ijin Shim 22:39.57
Liberty High (260) – 41. Malia Taylor 20:23.3; 49. Bridget Canton 20:38.4; 52. Mimi Marquardt 20:44.24; 53. Madelyn Johnson 20:44.69; 65. Clara Welch 21:28.17; 66. Hailey Noel 21:30.52; 68. Emerson Adams 21:33.78
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