Your Prep Sports Area Girls Cross Country Runners to Watch This Season
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The start of the 2024 cross country season is right around the corner.
Practices officially start for teams across the state on Monday with the first competitions getting underway on August 26.
Every team and runner has the same goal as the season starts, earning a spot at the 2024 State Cross Country Meet scheduled for November 1 and 2 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
Classes 4A and 3A will compete on November 1 with Classes 1A and 2A wrapping up the 2024 state meet on November 2.
Before the action gets rolling this fall we take a look at some Your Prep Sports area girls cross country runners to watch this season.
Sydney Dee
Senior, Solon
The emergence of Dee as a front of the pack runner was a huge boost for Solon last season which posted a fifth consecutive top-10 finish at the Class 3A state meet.
Following a breakthrough season last fall Dee will look to put the finishing touches on a strong career with her first state medal this season.
Dee was among the best stories in the area last season as she ascending into one of the top runners in 3A.
She finished fifth at the WAMAC Conference meet and was fourth at the Class 3A state qualifier.
In her second appearance at the state meet Dee finished 18th last season in a time of 19:31.4 which was nearly a minute faster than the 20:26.27 she clocked while finishing 40th as a sophomore.
Kira Barker
Senior, Clear Creek Amana
Barker has already left her mark on the Clear Creek Amana program and will be attempting to add to what is already an impressive career resume with a strong final season.
A three-time state qualifier, Barker has helped Clear Creek Amana to back-to-back team appearances at the Class 3A state meet.
Since reaching the state meet as an individual as a freshman Barker has improved her state-meet finish while lowering her time each of the last two seasons while running with her teammates.
After placing 86th as a freshman (21:08.32) and 80th as a sophomore (21:01.86) Barker finished 68th at the 3A state meet last season in a time of 20:32.2.
Barker was 15th at the WAMAC Conference meet and 17th at the Class 3A state qualifier las season in her breakthrough junior campaign.
Abigail Burns
Junior, City High
Last season Burns was among the most improved runners in Class 4A going from a varsity contributor as a freshman to the number two runner for a City High squad that placed eighth at the Class 4A state meet.
Now an upperclassman with two years of experience Burns will look to take on an even bigger role for City High as the Little Hawks seek another state meet appearance.
Burns finished in the top 10 in each of the three races leading up to the state meet improving her finishing position from her freshman season in each of those meets.
She was 10th at the MVC Super Meet, fifth at the MVC Valley Divisional and 10th at the Class 4A state qualifying meet.
In her second trip to the state meet Burns showed her improvement, jumping from 100th as a freshman to 41st last season in a time of 19:16.67 which was nearly 50 seconds faster than her state meet time as a freshman.
Kate Van Waning
Junior, West High
Van Waning has put together back-to-back strong seasons to open her career and will now look to take another step forward this season.
A two-time member of the Your Prep Sports all-area cross country team, Van Waning is coming off a stellar sophomore season in which she finished in the top-10 at both the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet and Valley Divisional meet and earned her first trip to the Class 4A state meet.
Van Waning finished eighth at the MVC Super Meet and was sixth at the Valley Divisional meet before placing 16th at the 4A state qualifying meet to earn a spot at the 4A state meet where she finished 100th in a time of 20:12.
Look for a big season from Van Waning as West High seeks to return to the state meet.
Ruby Greving
Junior, Regina
Just as Regina always seems to do the Regals return talent again this season.
The Regals had four sophomores in their top seven on a squad that finished eighth at the Class 1A state meet last season.
Headlining the list of talented returns is Greving, who is already a two-time state qualifier.
Greving finished a team-best 22nd at the always competitive River Valley Conference meet last season and led the Regals with a ninth-place finish at the 1A state qualifier.
In her third consecutive state meet appearance Greving finished 82nd in a state-meet best time of 21:26.8.
Grace Hamann
Sophomore, City High
While teammates like Burns and Peterson sisters were making big jumps in their second or third varsity seasons last fall Hamann was busy putting together a strong debut campaign.
Hamann, who attends West Branch but runs for City High, had an impressive debut season that included top-30 finishes in her final three races before placing 80th in 19:55.6 in her debut at the Class 4A state meet.
Hamann was 29th at the MVC Super Meet as a freshman, 13th at the Valley Divisional Meet and 24th at the 4A state qualifier.
Coming off a strong track season for West Branch in the spring look for a Hamann to make major strides as a sophomore.
Nicole and Nina Peterson
Seniors, City High
City High returns six of its seven varsity runners from last season but will have just three seniors in the mix for top seven spots making the leadership and experience of the Peterson sisters vital to another Little Hawk postseason run.
Both two-time state qualifiers, Nicole and Nina have each made major improvements over the past several seasons and are coming off the best seasons of their careers last fall.
Nicole Peterson emerged as a front of the pack runner last season finishing 17th at the MVC Super Meet, eighth at the Valley Division and 13th at the state qualifier before recording a career-best 26th place finish at the 4A state meet.
The state meet time of 18:56.9 for Nicole Peterson was nearly two full minutes faster than the 20:56.58 she ran as a sophomore in 2022.
Nina Peterson made similar strides last season.
She placed 55th at the MVC Super Meet and was 25th at the state qualifying meet before improving 41 spots from her state meet debut with a 61st place finish last fall in 19:42.
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