Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – With its top seven runners separated by a little more than 16 seconds at Regina showed it could keep a tight pack in its first race of championship season on Tuesday.

The task for the Regals next week is to move that pack closer to the front of the race.

Regina had five runners separated by less than 12 seconds finish in the top 36 on Tuesday while placing seventh as a team at the River Valley Conference meet at Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City.

“If you’ve got a pack you can move it up,” Regina senior Evan White said. “We all know that we can run faster, we all know that we can push each other. It’s all about moving that pack up, that’s the biggest thing.”

All seven of Regina’s top runners finished in the top 40.

There was just 16.1 seconds separating Corbin Daniel who finished 24^th and Wyatt Kaeding who was 39^th for the Regals.

That tight pack is the key to postseason success for Regina which hosts a Class 2A state qualifier October 23 at Kickers Soccer Complex.

“It’s crucial to keep our group tight,” White said. “When you are seeing the guys you see in the hallway, the guys that you see at practice every morning you know you can run with them and that gives you the extra motivation to go out and run with them.”

Daniel, a junior, led the way for Regina on Tuesday placing 24^th overall in 18:27.8 as the Regals finished with 152 points.

Class 1A sixth-ranked Dyersville Beckman won the team title with 70 points followed by 2A No. 10 Tipton with 88 and Class 2A No. 20 Anamosa with 98.

Class 2A No. 15 Monticello was fourth with 117 points followed by Alburnett with 131 and West Liberty with 137.

“We can compete against these guys,” White said. “We can compete against Anamosa and Tipton and Monticello and we proved that today and we are going to go into next week and be even stronger.”

The balance throughout the pack for Regina was key on Tuesday.

Junior Hugh Loening was the second Regal finisher behind Dnaiel placing 28^th in 18:30.5.

The next four Regals finished 34^th, 35^th, 36^th and 37^th and were just five seconds apart.

Freshman Nik Polyak was 34^th in 18:35.3, freshman Cristiano Pratt was 35^th in 19:39.5, sophomore Huck Zahasky was 36^th in 18:39.9 and White was 37^th in 18:40.4.

“The grit and the determination that these kids are showing is amazing,” Regina coach Chad Swope said. “We are a younger team and how far they’ve come in a short time I so excited for these kids they are competing their butts off.”

Sophomore Wyatt Kaeding finished 39^th in 18:43.9 and Brendan Olney was 49^th in 19:08.7.

Junior Jack Kaeding was 50^th in 19:08.9.

“We want to keep working together and start moving up.” Swope said. “They got out and got in the race and the fun of it is there is a different kid each time stepping up. Corbin stepped up today, it’s who every is feeling strong and they feed off each other.”

The Regina girls team finished ninth with 219 points.

Class 2A No. 9 Mid-Prairie won the team title with 45 points followed by 2A No. 16 Tipton with 74 and 2A No. 14 Monticello with 79.

Wilton was fourth with 140 and Alburnett was fifth with 141.

“We call this the championship season even though today is more bragging rights in the conference but a lot of these teams are going to be here next week for the state qualifying mee,” Swope said. “This is a good measuring stick for us.”
Harper Erwin placed 25^th in a time of 22:21 to lead Regina while Etta Winders was 40^th in 23:09.4.

Ellie Johnson finished 56^th in 24:14.2 and Caroline O’Rourke was 69^th in 25:34.4.

“Mid-Prairie is ranked high, Tipton, Monticello are ranked and great teams. This has been one of the toughest 1A, 2A conferences in the state for decades now,” Swope said. “It’s just always been tough but that’s why I love this conference meet. We didn’t get the results maybe that we wanted but we aren’t done yet. We have another race next week and will be ready for it.”

River Valley Conference Meet

At Kickers Soccer Complex

Boys Results

Team scores – 1. Dyersville Beckman 70; 2. Tipton 88; 3. Anamosa 98; 4. Monticello 117; 5. Alburnett 131; 6. West Liberty 137; 7. Regina 152; 8. Mid-Prairie 154; 9. Bellevue 241; 10. Maquoketa 287; 11. Wilton 302; 12. Durant 319; 13. Northeast 344

Individual leaders – 1. Max Swartzentruber (M-P) 17:03; 2. Andrew Schlarmann (DB) 17:11; 3. Carlos Meraz (WL) 17:13.5; 4. Caleb Bohlmann (TIP) 17:18.2; 5. Aedan Althoff (MON) 17:23.2; 6. Hayden Gustafson (ALB) 17:28.6; 7. Nolan Weers (ANA) 17:38.7; 8. Jackson Burrell (ANA) 17:40.5; 9. Danny Dudzik (DB) 17:47.1; 10. Steffen Goerdt (DB) 17:48.9; 11. Everett Giese (TIP) 17:49.6; 12. Cyson Miller (TIP) 17:52.2; 13. Liam Adlfinger (WIL) 17:53.1; 14. Alan Arriaga-Rangel (MON) 17:53.8; 15. Parker Lasack (ANA) 17:56.9

Regina (152) – 23. Corbin Daniel 18:27.8; 28. Hugh Loening 18:30.5; 34. Nik Polyak 18:35.3; 35. Cristiano Pratt 18:39.5; 36. Huck Zahasky 18:39.9; 37. Evan White 18:40.4; 39. Wyatt Kaeding 18:43.9

Girls Results

Team scores – 1. Mid-Prairie 45; 2. Tipton 74; 3. Monticello 79; 4. Wilton 140; 5. Alburnett 141; 6. Cascade 174; 7. Anamosa 181; 8. Northeast 188; 9. Regina 219; 10. Dyersville Beckman 220; 11. Bellevue 286

Individual leaders – 1. Izzy Hardin (Maquoketa) 17:58.6; 2. Mary Grace Lyons (MON) 19:23.9; 3. Brooklyn Stutzman (M-P) 19:43.3; 4. Hallie Kelchen (CAS) 19:58.5; 5. Delany Homan (CAM) 20:07.1; 6. Mason Lloyd (ANA) 20:50.8; 7. Ella Hein (TIP) 20:51.3; 8. Peyton Ries (MON) 20:57.8; 9. Riley Buttz (MAQ) 20:58; 10. Tessa Brokaw (M-P) 20:58.6; 11. Mya Bodecker (TIP) 21:06.5; 12. Addison Guerra (WL) 21:07.3; 13. Audrey Cummings (WIL) 21:17.8; 14. Rachel Hostetler (M-P) 21:22.2; 15. Natalie Wagaman (WIL) 21:22.3

Regina (219) – 25. Harper Erwin 22:21; 40. Etta Winders 23:09.4; 56. Ellie Johnson 24:14.2; 69. Caroline O’Rourke 25:34.4; 70. Sofia Contreras 25:42.3; 73. Josie Hartzler 25:57.7; 78; Ciara Goldsmith 26:16.6

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