Susan Harman

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Ottumwa took three of the top four spots at Thursday’s Bud Williams Invitational, but City High had the depth and staying power to win the meet at Iowa’s Ashton Cross Country course.

Sophomore Esti Brady led the Little Hawks with a third-place finish and Annalise Rummelhart was fifth.

“It was pretty hard mentally, more so than physically,” Brady said. “It felt good; my teammates pushed me a lot.”

Ottumwa’s seventh-ranked Kylie Latham was the winner, and teammate Grace Brooken-Nosbisch was second. The two Bulldogs didn’t take the lead until about halfway through the race.

“Those Ottumwa girls ran really smart,” Brady said.

Liberty’s dynamic freshman duo of Camille Mac and McKenzie Logan, the only two varsity runners in this race for the Lightning, finished sixth and seventh. City High had the next four finishers.

Brady has led the Little Hawks in two other big meets this season and is having a breakout season after having fought anorexia last year.

“I was on the varsity every race, but I was not doing too well,” she said. “At the halfway point of the season last year I had a doctor’s appointment because I’d been struggling with anorexia since I was pretty young. My weight was too low so we cut my workouts into about half. I ended the season not quite peaking as I should have.

“But this year has just been golden. So I’m really excited. I feel much stronger, happier, healthier. My team helped me out a lot last year. This year I feel like I’m paying them back.”

The temperatures were in the upper 70s with sunshine so it was warm but not oppressive.

“My plan was just to attack,” Rummelhart said. “I know our team runs as a pack. My main goal was just to get out and have a strong start and keep that going.

“It was my best race of the season.”

The Liberty runners had a strong start.

“I was definitely trying to stay up with them (City runners),” Mac said. “It got really hard toward the end though. It was warm. I liked the first 2-1/2 miles (of the course), but the last half mile felt awful. It’s like it was going on forever.”

Liberty coach Tonya McDonough noted that her runners made significant progress against City’s lineup from the Cedar Rapids Invitational a couple weeks ago.

“They’re just learning so much every single race,” she said. “These guys go back and forth too. We never really know who’s going to be the stronger runner.”

Like many of the runners, Logan thought she may have gone out too fast. She said she realized as much just one mile into the 4K race.

“I think I was just trying to get out front,” she said. “I like being in front.

“I was really tired at the end. My legs were super tired. I also had a side stitch.”

Logan also fights fall allergies and the rolling hills and tall grasses of the Ashton course present a lot of triggers.

Bud Williams Invitational

Ashton Cross Country Course (UI)

Girls varsity team results: 1. City High 29; 2. Ottumwa 34; 3. Pekin 84; 4. C.R. Jefferson 108; 5. Durant 146; 6. Iowa Mennonite 168. Liberty ran two varsity runners.

Individual leaders: 1. Kylie Latham (O) 20:02.3; 2. Grace Bookin-Nosbisch (O) 20:14.6; 3. Esti Brady (ICH) 20:22.9; 4. Carollin Mellin (O) 20:30.5; 5. Annalise Rummelhart (ICH) 20:34.7; 6. Camille Mac (ICL) 20:36.6; 7. McKenzie Logan (ICL) 20:45.0; 8. Aly Hecker (ICH) 20:52.3; 9. Amelia Morrow (ICH) 21:02.1; 10. Kinsee Brands (ICH) 21:02.7.

1. City High (29)—3. Esti Brady 20:22.9; 5. Annalise Rummelhart 20:34.7; 6. Aly Hecker 20:52.3; 7. Amelia Morrow 21:02.1; 8. Kinsee Brands 21:02.7; 9. Bridget Brown 21:08.5; 11. Janet Nyamboneka 21:34.9.