Breaking Down the Area Class 4A Girls State Qualifying Cross Country Meets
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The state cross country meet is just 10 days away.
Before teams converge on Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge for the 2024 state cross country meet schedule for November 1 and 2 state meet spots must be earned.
That starts on Wednesday with state qualifying meets in Classes 4A and 3A.
Classes 2A and 1A will hold state qualifying meets on Thursday.
Before races get underway Your Prep Sports will take a quick look at every state qualifying meet featuring an area team.
Here is a look at the Class 4A girls state qualifying races.
Class 4A Meet (Dubuque Senior)
When: Wednesday 4 p.m.
Where: Dubuque Soccer Complex
Teams: Iowa City Liberty; Cedar Falls; Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Dubuque Hempstead; Dubuque Senior; Cedar Rapids Prairie; Waterloo East; Waterloo West
Ranked teams: No. 3 Dubuque Senior; No. 8 Cedar Falls; No. 11 Dubuque Hempstead; No. 17 Liberty High; No. 18 Cedar Rapids Prairie
Ranked individuals: No. 1 Nakia Ollivierre, Jr., Waterloo West; 3. Charlee Gall, Fr., Cedar Falls; No. 12 Emma Chesterman, Jr., Dubuque Senior; No. 17 Evie Henneberry, Sr., Dubuque Hempstead; No. 18 Claire Hoyer, Sr., Dubuque Senior; No. 29 Emily Gorton, Sr., Dubuque Senior
Team title chase: After the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet two weeks ago and MVC Divisional meets last Thursday this will feel like another mini MVC meet. Dubuque Senior won Super Meet and Mississippi Divisional titles and is the favorite to finish in front of Cedar Falls for a state qualifying meet crown.
Individual race: Two of the best in the state will square off as Waterloo West junior Nakia Olivierre and Cedar Falls freshman Charlee Gall go head-to-head for the third week in a row.
Gall won the MVC Super Meet by more than 16 seconds over Olivierre two weeks ago with Olivierre winning the most recent meeting by nearly 10 seconds at the Valley Divisional last week.
Athlete to watch: Liberty High sophomore Chelsea VeDepo will look to continue a late-season surge with another strong performance against familiar competition on Wednesday.
VeDepo was 18th at the MVC Super Meet two weeks ago and finished seventh at the Valley Divisional last week.
Look for another big run from VeDepo on Wednesday.
Breakdown: Liberty High knows the sting of finishing fourth at a state qualifying meet all too well.
The Lightning will once again try to reverse that fourth-place fortune this season.
Dubuque Senior and Cedar Falls are heavy favorites to finish in the top two spot with Dubuque Hempstead fighting with Liberty High and Cedar Rapids Prairie for the final spot.
Hempstead finished fourth at the MVC Super Meet, 82 points in front of sixth-place Liberty High while Prairie was seventh.
Class 4A Meet (Pleasant Valley)
When: Wednesday 4 p.m.
Where: Crow Creek Park in Bettendorf
Teams: City High; Bettendorf; Burlington; Davenport North; Davenport West; Linn-Mar; Muscatine; North Scott; Pleasant Valley; Waukee
Ranked teams: No. 1 Pleasant Valley; No. 6 City High; No. 13 Waukee; No. 16 Linn-Mar
Ranked individuals: No. 9 Michelle McConkey, Jr., Waukee; No. 11 Grace Boleyn, Sr., Pleasant Valley; No. 13 Maddie Millage, Soph., Pleasant Valley; No. 20 Ani Wedemeyer, Sr., Pleasant Valley; No. 30 Vivian McCombs, Soph., Pleasant Valley
Team title chase: Top-ranked Pleasant Valley has title aspirations following a fourth-place finish at the state meet last season and is the favorite to head to Fort Dodge with a state qualifying meet title under its belt.
Individual race: This should come down to Waukee junior Michell McConkey and the Pleasant Valley pack of Ani Wedemeyer, Grace Boleyn, Maddie Millage and Vivian McCombs battling for the top spot.
McConkey was a state medalist a year ago placing 14th while Wedemeyer was 12th at state a year ago and Boleyn 23rd.
Athlete to watch: City High junior Abigail Burns just keeps on pumping out top-five finishes.
Burns was fourth at the MVC Super Meet behind Gall, Olivierre and No. 12 Emma Chesterman of Dubuque Senior.
A week later Burns was fourth at the MVC Divisional behind Gall, Olivierre and No. 17 Evie Henneberry of Dubuque Hempstead.
Look for Burns to again push into the top five after spending the last several weeks testing herself against some of the state’s best.
Breakdown: City High is positioned well to make a fourth consecutive appearance at the state meet.
If Pleasant Valley is the favorite in the team race the Little Hawks lead a pack of three teams that also includes Waukee and Linn-Mar battling for the final spot.
City High easily outdistanced Linn-Mar at the MVC Super Meet two weeks ago.
Burns leads a Little Hawk squad that has flashed impressive potential.
Seniors Nina and Nicole Peterson are experience and sophomore Grace Hamann and freshman Eliza Doster are emerging as big time varsity contributors at the right time.
Class 4A Meet (Southeast Polk)
When: Wednesday 4 p.m.
Where: Southeast Polk Cross Country Course
Teams: West High; Ankeny; Cedar Rapids Washington; Des Moines East; Des Moines North; Des Moines Roosevelt; Indianola; Johnston; Southeast Polk; Urbandale
Ranked teams: No. 2 Johnston; No. 7 Ankeny; No. 14 Indianola;
Ranked individuals: No. 2 Alyx Woodley, Jr., Johnston; No. 6 Drew Beason, Sr., Ankeny; No. 7 Ele Wharton, Soph., Johnston; No. 8 Grace Beasley, Soph., Johnston; No. 14 Payton Crabb, Soph., Johnston; No. 21 Audrey Dummermuth, Jr., Johnston; No. 23. Jordyn Brown, Sr., Indianola; No. 28 Makenna Madetzke, Jr., Ankeny
Team title chase: Defending 4A state champion Johnston enters ranked second and as the favorite to earn the team title.
Individual race: Johnston junior Alyx Woodley was 34th at the state meet last season but has made a major jump this year and is coming off a title at the CIML meet last week. Ankeny junior Drew Beason was fifth at the state meet last season and will try to push Woodley along with Johnston sophomores Ele Wharton and Grace Beasley.
Athlete to watch: West High junior Kate Van Waning is seeking a second consecutive state meet appearance after making her debut in Fort Dodge last season.
Van Waning was 10th at the MVC Mississippi Divisional last week after finishing 17th at the MVC Super meet two weeks ago.
Breakdown: West High is seeking its first state meet appearance since 2018 and is up against a field that features three teams ranked in the top 14.
Johnston headlines the field along with seventh-ranked Ankeny and No. 14 Indianola.
West High will look to Van Waning and senior Kalli Titus for strong efforts on Wednesday to bolster its team chances.
Titus was 47th at the MVC Super Meet and 16th at the MVC Divisional meet.
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