Second-ranked Regina Rolls to Team Title at State Qualifying Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – Last fall Regina returned to the state cross country meet for the first time since 2015.
Once the streak of years without a state appearance stopped the real work started for the Regals.
“Last year we were running really good so we were thinking we could have a very successful year but it had to start in the offseason,” Regina senior Joe Maley said. “We got eighth (at state) last year and we saw a lot of teams were losing a lot of seniors and we really weren’t losing much so we saw that we could have a shot to win it but it had to start with what we do in practice.”
That work has paid off in full for Regina this season.
Second-ranked Regina put five runners in the top 10 to claim the team title at the Class 1A state qualifying meet at Kickers Soccer Park in Iowa City and secure a spot at the state meet for the second consecutive season.
Regina finished with 30 points, 30 points in front of fifth-ranked Bellevue which claimed the second qualifying spot for the 1A state meet that is scheduled for next Friday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
“Last year our first day of time trial I knew they were going to qualify for state and they didn’t believe it,” Regina coach Chad Swope said. “I knew it but they had to do it and when they got that taste of it they all realized what was coming back and they put in the work.”
Regina cut its teeth this season against a challenging schedule that consisted largely of meets against larger schools.
Even faced with a tough schedule the Regals saw results from the start of the season.
“It’s just the work that we put in before this and it all adds up to now,” Regina senior Henry Bottorff said. “Every practice we go hard and we keep building up every day to get to our peak.”
Regina is starting to hit that peak at the right time.
Led by a runner-up finish from junior Aidan O’Neil on Thursday the Regals rolled to a state qualifying meet title for the second year in a row.
“They didn’t have to do anything special today but none of these teams were going to sit down for them, they still have to show up and have that determination and they did,” Swope said. “As a coach I am proud of them and I know what they can do but they still have to do it and they did. They ran great.”
O’Neil finished runner-up to Bellevue junior Payton Greibel in a time of 16:53.7.
Griebel won the individual title in 16:49.
Regina had four runners finish between fifth and 10th at were separated by less than 40 seconds.
Joe Maley was fifth in 17:51.9 while Dan Maley was eighth in a time of 18:24.3.
Bottorff finished ninth in 18:25.4 and sophomore Samuel Welter was 10th in 18:29.1.
“It’s really surprising seeing the improvement from everyone,” Dan Maly said. “Last year we’d have good meets and bad meets and this year everybody performed about as well as I thought they could every meet.”
Junior Riordan Smith finished 15th in a time of 19:01.4 and junior Colin Olney was 24th in 19:41.3 as all seven Regals placed in the top-25.
“We’ve shaved two minutes off our times from the beginning of the year,” Bottorff said. “Our first meet of the year was here and we can compare the times and we’ve all taken the time off and we push each other every single day.
Class 1A State Qualifier
At Kickers Soccer Complex
Team scores – 1. Regina 30; 2. Bellevue 60; 3. Hudson 90; 4. Columbus 104; 5. Winfield-Mount Union 127; 6. Montezuma 145; 7. WACO 188; 8. Durant 223; 9. Wapello 261; 10. Highland 281
Individual leaders – 1. Payton Griebel (BEL) 16:49; 2. Aidan O’Neil 16:53.7; 3. Gage Heyne (English Valleys) 17:33; 4. Aiden Onken (BEL) 17:44.6; 5. Joe Maley (ICR) 17:51.9; 6. Damian Vergara (COL) 17:59.3; 7. Kohlby Newsom (W-MU) 18:15.1; 8. Dan Maley (ICR) 18:24.3; 9. Henry Bottorff (ICR) 18:25.4; 10. Samuel Welter (ICR) 18:29.1
Regina (30) – 2. Aidan O’Neil 16:53.7; 5. Joe Maley 17:51.9; 8. Dan Maley 18:24.3; 9. Henry Bottorff 18:25.4; 10. Samuel Welter 18:29.1; 15. Riordan Smith 19:01.4; 24. Colin Olney 19:41.3
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