Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – At the state cross country meet next week Bailey Nock knows she will have plenty of competition pushing her.  

For most of Thursday’s Class 4A state qualifying meet Nock was limited to imaginary competitors.

Nock pulled away from the field early and cruised to the individual title in 18:34.3 at the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City.

The defending 4A state champion, Nock quickly took a lead and was never challenged on Thursday, finishing more than 51 seconds in front of freshman teammate Kiara Malloy-Salgado who was second in 19:25.7.  

“I kind of pretend there is someone right on my tail because I know next week it’s not going to be like it was today,” Nock said. “I was just kind of imagining that there is someone pushing me and keeping my focus on going the pace I want to be going.”

The 1-2 finish by Nock and Malloy-Salgado helped Class 4A second-ranked West High roll to the team title and secure its 23rd consecutive trip to the state meet.

West High had four runners in the top seven as freshman Erica Buettner was fifth in 19:34.1 and senior Colleen Bloeser finished seventh in 19:36.8.

“This is what we want for us to be peaking at this time,” West High coach Mike Parker said. “We said all week that on Monday was when we had finally pulled the heavy cart to the top of the hill and all the hard workouts were done. Now Tuesday was the first time you got to see the full benefit of what you have been doing every day for months and they showed it today.”

Led by an impressive effort from its senior leader Nock, West High was dominant on Thursday.

Five West High runners placed in the top 14 as the Women of Troy finished with 29 points, 35 points clear of runner-up Cedar Falls.

“Our team did really, really well today,” Bloeser said. “I know that our team is really good so I figured that was a possibility but it is still impressive to see us do it.”

It started with Nock who remained unbeaten against in-state competition this season.

Nock earned the first state qualifying meet title of her career on Thursday in her final race at the course on which her cross country career began as a seventh grader.

“Of course I was staying focused but a couple of times I just kind of took a look around and thought this place has been in my life for six years,” Nock said. “I remember running up that hill as a seventh grader in my Northwest jersey so it was special to run here again today.”

With Nock out to a healthy lead the always intense Parker urged his senior to soak in her final race at the University of Iowa course that West High calls home.

Nock was happy to oblige.

“I told her to look around, take it all in and smile,” Parker said. “I told her to take it in, I know we are all trying to be one second faster but coming in like she was that doesn’t happen to too many people in their entire lifetime and the most important part is she earned every single bit of that. It didn’t come easy she worked very hard for it.”

Nock wasn’t the only West High runner with an impressive performance.

Malloy-Salgado posted the best finish of her career Thursday and took nearly 90 seconds off the time that she posted at the Ashton Course at the West High home meet in August.

The first meet here I was swerving at the end and I passed out, so I think I did much better obviously this meet,” Malloy-Salgado said. “From the first meet to today I feel like I have improved so much and have learned so much. It’s just really amazing when I sit back and think about it.”

The plan for Malloy-Salgado was to stay with the top pack that formed behind Nock.

She followed that plan until she eventually found herself leading that pack. At that point Malloy-Salgado said she just poured it on.  

“When I started my mindset was to stay with the top three or four other than Bailey,” Malloy-Salgado said. “I just kept that mindset throughout and I eventually got ahead and thought there is no turning back now.”

Class 4A State Qualifying Meet

At Ashton Cross Country Course

Girls Results

Team scores – 1. West High 29; 2. Cedar Falls 64; 3. City High 82; 4. North Scott 106; 5. Cedar Rapids Prairie 117; 6. Muscatine 174; 7. Cedar Rapids Washington 174; 8. Western Dubuque 228; 9. Waterloo 283.

Individual Results – 1. Bailey Nock (ICW) 18:34.3; 2. Kiara Malloy-Salgado (ICW) 19:25.7; 3. Mackenzie Michael (CF) 19:27.9; 4. Laurdyn Meyer (CRP) 19:30.2; 5. Erica Buettner (ICW) 19:34.1; 6. Presley Case (NS) 10:34.5; 7. Colleen Bloeser (ICW) 10:36.8; 8. Reagan Gorman (CRW) 19:42.4; 9. Anna Hertz (CF) 19:44.9; 10. Amelia Morrow (ICH) 19:59.7; 11. Moriah Morter (MUS) 20:02.4; 12. Paige Kvale (CF) 10:02.9; 13. Sommer Clydesdale (NS) 20:10.7; 14. Deniz Ince (ICW) 20:20.6; 15. Abbi Lafrenz (NS) 20:21.7.

City High – 10. Amelia Morrow 19:59.7; 16. Esti Brady 20:22.1; 17. Kinsee Brands 20:23.1; 19. Annie Rummelhart 20:34.4; 20. Bridget Brown 20:42.9; 23. Aly Hecker 20:47.8; 24. Anna Lindower 20:52.3.

West High – 1. Bailey Nock 19:34.3; 2. Kiara Malloy-Salgado 19:25.7; 5. Erica Buettner 19:34.1; 7. Colleen Bloeser 19:36.8; 14. Deniz Ince 20:20.6; 32. Katie Hoefer 21:17.7; 36. Lucy Westemeyer 21:41.5.