Wedemeyer, Burns Lead City High In Fourth Place Finish at Bud Williams Invitational
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – There was a lot for City High to look forward to at the Bud Williams Invitational.
Competing on its home course offered a rare chance for City High to run in front of a large contingent of family and friends.
A field that featured four top-10 ranked teams gave the Little Hawks a look at where it stood against some of the state’s best.
City High’s Ani Wedemeyer and Abigail Burns made the most of those opportunities on Thursday.
Wedemeyer and Burns each posted top-10 finishes as City High placed fourth as a team at its own Bud Williams Invitational at Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City.
“We talk a lot about this meet through the season, we try to get people to come out and watch us so it’s an exciting opportunity for us to compete here,” Burns said. “We look forward to competing against the top teams and seeing how much we can accomplish.”
Class 4A ninth-ranked City High stood up well against a stacked field on Thursday.
Leah Klapatauskas won the individual title lead 4A second-ranked Dubuque Senior to the team title with 45 points, five in front of fourth-ranked Pleasant Valley.
Sixth-ranked Ankeny Centennial was third with 87 points followed by City High with 93 and No. 16 Cedar Rapids Prairie with 153.
Class 3A ninth-ranked Clear Creek Amana was seventh with 189.
“Ani and Abigail ran great and I was proud of our group, I love coaching this team,” City High coach Ryan Ahlers said. “They are a fantastic group that believes in each other.”
Wedemeyer was fourth on Thursday behind three runners that finished in the top 16 at the state meet last season.
Klapatauskas won the individual title in 18:33.67 while Anika Mohrhauser of Ankeny Centennial was runner-up in 18:34.59 and Pleasant Valley junior Grace Boleyn was third in 18:56.79.
Wedemeyer was right behind Boleyn in 18:57.79.
“I am happy with my place,” Wedemeyer said. “I wanted to try to stick with Leah, Grace and Anika. Leah and Anika pulled ahead and I almost caught Grace at the end.”
A two-time state qualifier, Wedemeyer was 27th at the 4A state meet last season.
She has taken a big step forward so far this season.
“I’m happy with how I’ve been progressing this year,” Wedemeyer said. “It’s definitely been a big jump from last year, I’ve been training different, training harder and with a different mindset.”
Wedemeyer has established herself as a consistent front of the pack leader for City High as a junior.
On Thursday Wedemeyer again showed she can compete against the best in the state.
“She has been a rock for us all season,” Ahlers said. “You know that she is going to get herself out early in the race and establish herself. Running against some of the best in the state and getting fourth in this race, with the individuals here and the teams here is fantastic.”
While Wedemeyer has been the steady veteran Burns has been the surprise in the City High lineup.
A varsity runner for the second half of her freshman season last fall Burns was 100th in her debut at the state meet.
She has used that experience to her advantage during a breakthrough sophomore season that continued on Thursday with a seventh-place finish.
“Abigail Burns has had an incredible season,” Ahlers said. “She is someone that has big goals for herself and she understands how to approach them and she is patient and it’s working out.
Burns finished seventh in 19:13.85 while Nicole Peterson was 19th in 20:05.65 and Claire Locher was 30th in 20:39.66 for City High.
“I didn’t have a goal timewise but I was really looking to be in the top 10 or around there,” Burns said. “I was happy with being able to do that.”
Bud Williams Invitational
At Ashton Cross Country Course
Team scores – 1. Dubuque Senior 45; 2. Pleasant Valley 50; 3. Ankeny Centennial 87; 4. City High 93; 5. Cedar Rapids Prairie 153; 6. Des Moines Roosevelt 184; 7. Clear Creek Amana 189; 8. Pekin 200; 9. Ottumwa 252; 10. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 318
Individual leaders – 1. Leah Klapatauskas (DS) 18:33.67; 2. Anika Mohrhauser (AC) 18:34.59; 3. Grace Boleyn (PV) 18:56.79; 4. Ani Wedemeyer (ICH) 18:57.79; 5. Chloe Glosser (PEK) 19:05.12 6. Claire Hoyer (DS) 19:10.17; 7. Abigail Burns (ICH) 19:13.85; 8. Maddie Millage (PV) 19:26.4; 9. Briel Bechen (DS) 19:27.37; 10. Brynn Edgin (PV) 19:28.33; 11. Elena Gentry (DMR) 19:28.4; 12. Vivian McCombs (PV) 19:35.41; 13. Bella Hodges (AC) 19:38.52; 14. Nevaeh Kessler (DS) 19:43.33; 15. Emily Gorton (DS) 19:48.41
City High (93) – 4. Ani Wedemeyer 18:57.79; 7. Abigail Burns 19:13.85; 19. Nicole Peterson 20:05.65; 30. Claire Locher 20:39.66; 33. Grace Hamann 20:49.61; 34. Naomi Downing-Sherer 20:50.16; 38. Madeline Fischer 21:11.34
Clear Creek Amana (189) – 32. Kira Barker 20:49.56; 36. Sara Kinzenbaw 21:01.28; 39. Kadence Whitmer 21:30.24; 40. Kiera Rogers 21:34.26; 42. Harper Tecklenburg 21:42.73; 48. Summer Stiltner 22:36.95; 51. Eva Leighton-Dick 23:19.14
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