Third-Ranked Solon Wins Team Title at Home Invitational
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
SOLON – In cross country the opportunities to compete ‘at home’ are very limited.
Most teams get one home meet each season while other teams may not have a chance to run on a home course.
When Solon got the opportunity to run at home on Monday the Spartans made the most of the occasion.
Class 3A third-ranked Solon edged second-ranked Mount Vernon-Lisbon by nine points to win the team title its own invitational in front of a large contingent of fans at the Solon Nature and Recreation Center.
“I always look forward to this meet,” Solon senior Sydney Dee said. “We get a lot of community members to come out and cheer for us, the football team comes to support us, just people that wouldn’t typically be at a cross country meet are here and we get a lot of Solon support. There is always somebody cheering for you.”
Dee finished fourth overall to lead four Spartans that finished in the top 13 as Solon won the team title with 49 points.
Mount Vernon-Lisbon was runner-up with 58 and 2A third-ranked Tipton was third with 86 points behind an individual title from senior Noelle Steines.
“I like the home meet, it’s special for us,” Dee said. “I like having somebody there to cheer for me.”
The team title was the fourth in five meets for Solon this season which was runner-up to top-ranked Pella at the Gilbert Invitational on September 12.
Those challenging early meets helped prepare Solon for Monday as the Spartans performed well in front of the home fans that turned out.
“I think our meet at Iowa State really helped prepare us for this meet but even our meets before that we were trying to prepare,” Dee said. “We’ve talked a lot about competitiveness, passing the girl in front of you and how every point counts and I think learning that early this season really helped us today.”
With a large crowd on hand Solon showed why it is ranked among the top teams in Class 3A.
Dee was fourth in a time of 19:34.6 and was joined in the top 10 by freshmen Liv Nelson and Kinley Mai.
Nelson was eighth in 21:15.5 and Mai was ninth in 20:18.6.
Falyn Svalstad finished 13th in 20:29.6 and freshman Addison Seamans was 16th in 20:48.9.
“We have some great leaders on the team and the freshman listen to what those leaders tell them and they are not afraid,” Solon coach Emy Williams said. “We ran without one of our top seven tonight and we run as a pack and they feed off of each other.”
Solon finished fourth in the boys race that was run by Class 3A fourth-ranked Mount Vernon-Lisbon with 43 points.
Class 2A No. 17 Tipton was runner-up with 67 points followed by Cedar Rapids Xavier with 111 and Solon with 122.
Freshman Anders Holmes led Solon placing 13th in 17:45.2 while Evan Burg was 19th in 18:12.1 and Rene Meza was 24th in 18:23.7.
“We are running without our top runner who is probably out for the season so that was a blow but I think we are seeing some really great things with some other runners stepping up into roles and being good leaders,” Williams said. “We are going to really need that through the rest of the season.”
Solon Invitational
Girls Results
Team scores – 1. Solon 49; 2. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 58; 3. Tipton 86; 4. Williamsburg 87; 5. Clinton 114; 6. Cedar Rapids Xavier 130; 7. Davenport North 210
Individual leaders – 1. Noelle Steines (TIP) 18:27.9; 2. Kiersten Swart (MV-L) 19:30.4; 3. Mia Deegan (CRX) 19:31.8; 4. Sydney Dee (SOL) 19:34.6; 5. Channing Becker (WIL) 19:40.1; 6. Evelyn Moeller (MV-L) 19:43.9; 7. Laura Owen (TIP) 19:53.5; 8. Liv Nelson (SOL) 21:15.5; 9. Kinley Mai (SOL) 20:18.6; 10. Aubrey Rivers (CLI) 20:24.3; 11. Carryn Sattler (CLI) 20:26.9; 12. Rose Pisarik (MV-L) 20:27.1; 13. Falyn Svalstad (SOL) 20:29.6; 14. Edie Axmear (WIL) 20:38.9; 15. Addison Merritt (SPR) 20:46
Solon (49) – 4. Sydney Dee 19:34.6; 8. Liv Nelson 21:15.5; 9. Kinley Mai 20:18.6; 13. Falyn Svalstad 20:29.6; 16. Addison Seamans 20:48.9; 23. Ella Sheeley 21:33.; 24. Rose McAtee 21:40.1
Boys Results
Team scores – 1. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 43; 2. Tipton 67; 3. Cedar Rapids Xavier 111; 4. Solon 122; 5. Williamsburg 123; 6. Springville 124; 7. Davenport North 133; 8. West Liberty 197; 9. Clinton 210
Individual leaders – 1. Grady Olberding (MV-L) 16:03.5; 2. Dawson Scheil (MV-L) 16:36; 3. Clay Bohlmann (TIP) 16:51.6; 4. Andrew Allen (CRX) 17:04; 5. JC Nuci (DN) 17:05.5; 6. Jack Stamp (SPR) 17:06.3; 7. Adam Wiese (DN) 17:16.1; 8. Caleb Bohlmann (TIP) 17:19.1; 9. Zander Hagen (TIP) 17:35.2; 10. Chase Caskey (MV-L) 17:35.3; 11. Kaleb Wilgenbusch (CRX) 17:36.6; 12. Carlos Meraz (WL) 17:40.4; 13. Anders Holmes (SOL) 17:45.2; 14. Zane Van Regenmorter (MV-L) 17:51.7; 15. Nile Busch (WIL) 17:52.4
Solon (122) – 13. Anders Holmes 17:45.2; 19. Evan Burg 18:12.1; 24. Rene Meza 18:23.7; 30. Preston Raasch 18:40.7; 39. Camden Lyons 19:01.3; 40. Deacon Waddel 19:11.4; 42. Owen Young 19:16.8
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