Burns Helps City High to Runner-up Team Finish at MVC Super Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – With the biggest meets of the season approaching City High has big goals for the next three weeks.
The Little Hawks showed on Thursday they are capable of cashing in on those goals.
Class 4A seventh-ranked City High put four runners in the top 15 on its way to a runner-up finish at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet on Thursday at Seminole Valley Park in Cedar Rapids.
“What we did today really showed we can run with the top teams in the state,” City High junior Abigail Burns said. “We showed today how we can compete.”
A fourth-place finish by Burns led three City High runners in the top 11 on Thursday as the Little Hawks finished with 57 points.
Third-ranked Dubuque Senior won the team title with 34 points while sixth-ranked Cedar Falls was third with 95, No. 11 Dubuque Hempstead was fourth with 98 and No. 16 Linn-Mar was fifth with 147.
Liberty High was sixth with 180 points and West High with ninth with 255 points.
“That’s the part of the season where we are racing on tired legs and almost every team is doing that and you just have to think about team racing and it came together today,” City High coach Ryan Ahlers said. “We executed every single plan that each girl had talked about with our coaching staff. They did it today.”
As City High showed it could compete with the best around so did it’s leader Burns.
Burns finished fourth in a time of 18:28.8.
Top-ranked Cedar Falls freshman Charlee Gall won the individual title in 18:07.9 while fourth-ranked Nakia Olivierre of Waterloo West was runner-up in 18:24.4 and seventh-ranked Emma Chesterman of Dubuque Senior was third in 18:25.4.
“She worked herself right up into that contention spot with Nakia Olivierre who is a stud runner,” Ahlers said. “She has put herself in a spot to be right there at the state meet in a few weeks.”
Burns led City High on Thursday but it was the pack behind the junior standout that stood out.
Sophomore Grace Hamann finished 10th in a time of 19:09.5 and freshman Eliza Doster was right behind in 11th place in a time of 19:09.9.
“Grace told me after her race that about half way through she said she was stepping on the gas pedal and going, and Eliza went with her,” Ahlers said. “She ran confident and Eliza ran confident.”
Nina Peterson finished 15th in a time of 19:16.8 and Nicole Peterson was 22nd in 19:30.2 as the Little Hawks had five runners in the top 25.
“Nina Peterson ran very well tonight,” Ahlers said. “She’s been at that point in her career and her goal was to get back there and today she did.”
Each of the top five finishers for City High ran 19:30.2 or faster and City High had seven runners finish in the top 33 on Thursday.
“During our workouts we really strive to work together,” Burns said. “Our coaches have really stressed working together as a team. We did that well today.”
Kate Van Waning finished 17th in a time of 19:21.9 to lead West High while sophomore Chelsea VeDepo finished 18th in a time of 19:24.2 to lead Liberty High.
Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet
At Seminole Valley Park
Team scores – 1. Dubuque Senior 34; 2. City High 57; 3. Cedar Falls 95; 4. Dubuque Hempstead 98; 5. Linn-Mar 147; 6. Liberty High 180; 7. Cedar Rapids Prairie 200; 8. Dubuque Wahlert 210; 9. West High 255; 10. Cedar Rapids Xavier 290; 11. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 318; 12. Western Dubuque 319; 13. Cedar Rapids Washington 371; 14. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 412
Individual leaders – 1. Charlee Gall (CF) 18:07.9; 2. Nakia Olivierre (WW) 18:24.4; 3. Emma Chesterman (DS) 18:25.4; 4. Abigail Burns (ICH) 18:28.8; 5. Evie Henneberry (DH) 18:40.6; 6. Claire Hoyer (DS) 18:44.9; 7. Emily Gorton (DS) 18:49.3; 8. Hailey Kozloski (L-M) 18:58.5; 9. Nevaeh Kessler (DS) 19:00.6; 10. Grace Hamann (ICH) 19:09.5; 11. Eliza Doster (ICH) 19:09.9; 12. Harper Groteluschen (CRP) 19:12.5; 13. Lucy Murphy (DW) 19:13.5; 14. Briel Bechen (DS) 19:16.2; 15. Nina Peterson (ICH) 19:16.8
City High (57) – 4. Abigail Burns 18:28.8; 10. Grace Hamann 19:09.5; 11. Eliza Doster 19:09.9; 15. Nina Peterson 19:16.8; 22. Nicole Peterson 19:30.2; 28. Calissa Fruin 19:51.7; 33. Madeline Fischer 20:07.4
Liberty High (180) – 18. Chelsea Vedepo 19:24.2; 25. Mimi Marquardt 19:42.9; 39. Clara Welch 20:31.1; 50. Elsie Bisgard 20:56.9; 55. Peyten Eide 21:06.6; 58. Carleigh Maher 21:17.5; 65. Madelyn Johnson 21:46.9
West High (255) – 17. Kate Van Waning 19:21.9; 47. Kalli Titus 20:53.7; 53. Susanna Olson 21:04.7; 72. Mia Ahn 22:03.4; 87. Sadie Abbas 22:58.1; 91. Stella Hunter 23:07.1; 100. Savannah Mathias 23:49.9
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