Dee, Quillin Help Solon Secure State Meet Berth With Runner-up Finish at State Qualifier
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
SOLON – If you ask Solon senior Anna Quillin it is the familiarity that provides the biggest advantage to running at home.
For Sydney Dee it’s the energy from the home fans that makes the difference.
Whatever possible advantage there was to competing at their home course for the Wednesday’s Class 3A state qualifying meet the Spartans seemed to seize.
Fifth-ranked Solon ran an inspired race at its home course on Wednesday finishing runner-up to fourth-ranked Mount Vernon-Lisbon to secure a spot at the Class 3A state meet next week in Fort Dodge.
“When you run at home there are so many more people yelling your name and you can’t slow down when someone is yelling your name,” Dee said. “It’s all the fans.”
Dee and Quillin each posted top-10 finishes as Solon put four runners in the top 20 while finishing with 65 points, 12 behind Mount Vernon-Lisbon.
No. 16 Marion finished third with 94 points to earn the final spot at the state meet which is scheduled for October 28 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
The race was the final home race for Quillin, who will make her fourth consecutive appearance at the state meet next week.
“I think knowing the course is big, the woods area can get really crazy for a lot of people but we practice on it and we run meets on it so we know it,” Quillin said. “Our coaches will be yelling at us in races to make moves in that time because we know it so well.”
Dee continued a strong postseason that included a fifth-place finish at the WAMAC Conference meet last week with a fourth-place finish in a time of 19:32.9 on Wednesday.
“Today I felt different than in any other race,” Dee said. “It was a mindset heading into today. There wasn’t pressure. We knew we didn’t have to out perform to make it to state so I was just looking at certain girls and with every girl I passed it just gave me more confidence.”
Marion sophomore Addison Dabroski won the individual title in 19:18.8 while Lucy Murphy of Dubuque Wahlert was runner-up in 19:23.
Dee was less than three seconds off the pace of third-place Grace Estling of Center Point-Urbana.
“You can see the confidence with Sydney,” Solon coach Emy Williams said. “She was not afraid to go run upfront today. I am excited to see what she will do next week with that competition.”
Quillin finished 10th in 19:57 and freshman Falyn Svalstad was 13th for Solon in a time of 20:07.
Freshman Ava Rolwes was 17th and junior Ella Sheeley finished 23rd for the Spartans.
“I think that as a program we’ve learned to run as a team,” Quillin said. “Losing our number one it was a big adjustment for us and this year we had to learn to run as a team. We don’t have a Kiersten (Conway) or a Kayla (Young) with us and so we had to learn to run as a team and pack up.”
Class 3A State Qualifying Meet
At Solon Nature and Recreation Area
Team scores – 1. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 53; 2. Solon 65; 3. Marion 94; 4. Center Point-Urbana 118; 5. Western Dubuque 137; 6. Dubuque Wahlert 147; 7. Davenport Assumption 179; 8. Cedar Rapids Xavier 195; 9. Benton Community 229; 10. Grinnell 263; 11. Central DeWitt 280
Individual leaders – 1. Addison Dabroski (MAR) 19:18.8; 2. Lucy Murphy (DW) 19:23; 3. Grace Estling (CP-U) 19:30.4; 4. Sydney Dee (SOL) 19:32.9; 5. Kiersten Swart (MV-L) 19:43.4; 6. Emma Wilkerson (CP-U) 19:44; 7. Evelyn Moeller (MV-L) 19:52.1; 8. Mia Deegan (CRX) 19:52.6; 9. Emrie Johnson (MV-L) 19:55.9; 10. Anna Quillin (SOL) 19:57; 11. Eastin Whisner (MV-L) 19:58.3; 12. Jaida Lyons (BC) 19:58.9; 13. Falyn Svalstad (SOL) 20:07; 14. Izzy Hardin (MAQ) 20:12.1; 15. Lorilei Smith (WD) 20:21.5
Solon (65) – 4. Sydney Dee 19:32.9; 10. Anna Quillin 19:57; 13. Falyn Svalstad 20:07; 17. Ava Rolwes 20:34.9; 23. Ella Sheeley 20:54.6; 27. Gracie Federspiel 20:59.5 30. Rose McAtee 21:15.8
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