Seven Your Prep Sports Area Girls Cross Country Runners to Watch This Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The official start of the cross country season is just a few days away.
Practice gets underway for teams across the state on Monday with the first meets of the season scheduled for August 21.
Once again the Your Prep Sports area will be home to some of the best individual competitors and top teams in the state.
Before the season gets underway here is a look at seven Your Prep Sports area runners to watch this season.
Ani Wedemeyer
Junior, City High
Following a pair of strong seasons to start her career Wedemeyer appears poised to move into the ranks of the top cross country runners in the state as a junior.
A fierce competitor that also excels on the track in the spring, Wedemeyer is already a two-time state qualifier with a pair of top 40 finishes.
Wedemeyer was 31st at the 4A state meet as a freshman in 2021 taking more than four seconds off her state-meet time in a 27th place finish last season.
Prior to her state meet performance Wedemeyer placed sixth at both the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet and the 4A state qualifying meet.
Wedemeyer will be at the leader on a City High team that hopes to return to the state meet after finishing 15th a year ago.
Anna Quillin
Senior, Solon
Solon has ascending into one of the top programs in the state in recent years posting three consecutive top-five finishes at the state meet.
Quillin has been a big part of the recent surge for the Spartans helping Solon to a 3A state title in 2021 and third-place finish last season.
A three-time state qualifier, Quillin was 52nd at the state meet as a freshman and 19th as a sophomore before finishing 82nd at state last season while dealing with a late-season injury.
This year Quillin will be looked to as a team leader along with classmates Gracie Federspiel and Ashlyn Williams as the Spartans look to add to their string of state meet success.
Kate Van Waning
Sophomore, West High
The more Van Waning ran, the better the West High freshman got during a stellar debut season las fall.
Van Waning capped a strong freshman season with two of her better races of the year over the final several weeks.
She was the top West High finisher at both the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet and the Class 4A state qualifier.
Van Waning was 24th at the MVC Super Meet and finished 18th at the state qualifier in a time of 19:49.
This season look for Van Waning to take a step forward as she attempts to help the Trojans return to the state meet.
Cori Mac
Senior, Liberty High
A state qualifier as a freshman in 2020 Mac would like nothing more than to end her prep cross country career at the state meet this fall.
Mac finished 59th at the Class 4A state meet as a freshman but has missed out on return trips ach of the past two seasons.
Last season Mac was limited by injury for much of the season but is coming off a strong track season in the spring that was capped by a career-best time in the 1,500 at the state meet.
Mac is a candidate for a big-time breakthrough this fall and has shown the capability on the track and on the cross country course to run with the best.
Cindy Wang
Senior, West High
Wang followed up a breakthrough sophomore season with a solid jump campaign last season.
Now the senior will look to team with sophomore Kate Van Waning to help the Trojans push for a spot at the state meet.
A state qualifier as a sophomore in 2021, Wang was 26th at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet last season before finishing 27th at the state qualifying meet.
Look for a bounce back season from Wang this fall.
Kira Barker
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
Barker helped Clear Creek Amana qualify for the state meet for the first time since 2003 last season.
Now the two-time state qualifier joins classmate Sara Kinzenbaw as the leaders on a Clipper squad seeking to make it back-to-back state meet appearances.
Barker has plenty of big meet experience finishing 86th at state as an individual qualifier 21:08.32 as a freshman before placing 80th at the 3A state meet last season.
Barker was 12th at the WAMAC Conference meet and 14th at the 3A state qualifier last season and will look to improve on those performances in her third varsity season this fall.
Ruby Greving
Sophomore, Regina
It was an impressive debut season for Greving who played an important role in helping Regina to a 13th place finish at the Class 1A state meet.
Greving teamed with classmate Ruby Eastman to give the Regals a solid top three last season and will now look to step into the lead runner role vacated by the graduation of four-time state qualifier Mya Whitaker.
In her first varsity season Grevin showed the ability to be a front of the pack runner.
Greving finished 18th at the River Valley Conference meet and was seventh at the Class 1A state qualifier before placing 76th overall in her state meet debut.
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