Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

FORT DODGE – Kennedy Scott got a taste of the state cross country meet last season as a freshman.

Scott was back on Saturday and this time she had some company.

A year after finishing 37th at state as an individual qualifier, Scott finished 18th to help Regina to a seventh-place team finish in Class 2A at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

“Last year helped a lot just because I knew the course but this year I had my team behind me and that was a big confidence boost,” Scott said. “It was so much fun to come with my team. It was much better than last year as an individual.”

Scott cut more than eight seconds off her state meet time from a year ago finishing in a time of 20:32.1 on Saturday.

The performance by Scott helped Regina finish with 218 points, 23 points behind sixth place Williamsburg.

“She was never worried about where she was in the race she just kept moving, moving up, moving up,” Regina coach Chris Murdock said. “I think she was about 15 places higher than last year so it was an excellent job by her.”

The seventh-place finish by Regina capped a strong end to the season for the Regals.

Regina was unranked midway through the season but closed strong with a fourth-place finish at the River Valley Conference meet and a runner-up performance at the state qualifier last week.

On Saturday the Regals continued their end of the season push, as one of four RVC teams to finish in the top seven.

Mid-Prairie won the team title with 65 points while Monticello was second with 72 and Cascade was fifth with 165.  

“They just bought into it,” Murdock said. “We started out the season 12th or 13th and went through some growing pains with a new group of kids and new coaching and we just kept telling the girls to trust it and it will come.”

Scott was joined in the top 30 by junior Molly Vittetoe who placed 28th in 20:52.3.

Senior Nourah Abusada was 43rd in 21:301.

“It’s a great ending point on the year and we get most of our core back next year,” Murdock said. “We are ready for the next step.”

Regina senior Nathan Meyer capped his career with a 38th place finish in 17:24 in his third trip to the state meet.

Freshman Anthony Knepper was 103 in 18:31.

“Nathan is someone who I doubt you could find someone that works harder than him,” Murdock said. “He gave it his ball, he didn’t have it today. He had his head up the whole time and he said I gave nothing by my best and that is what we always ask them to do.”

State Cross Country Meet

At Lakeside Golf Course

Class 2A Boys

Team scores – 1. George-Little Rock/Central Lyon 79; 2. Mid-Prairie 93; 3. Tipton 143; 4. Sioux Center 149; 5. Garner-Hayfield-Ventura 169; 6. South Hamilton 178; 7. Williamsburg 179; 8. South Hardin 224; 9. Aplington-Parkersburg 230; 10. Unity Christian 233; 11. Des Moines Christian 235; 12. Sheldon 240; 13. Monticello 251; 14. Okoboji 172; 15. East Marshall 301.

Individual medalists – 1. Gable Sieperda (George-Little Rock/Central Lyon) 15:18.6; 2. Reece Smith (Garner-Hayfield-Ventura) 16:03.9; 3. Joe Anderson (George-Little Rock/Central Lyon) 16:21.4; 4. Spencer Moon (South Central Calhoun) 16:32.7; 5. Lake LeBahn (Union) 16:37; 6. Blake Johnson (George-Little Rock/Central Lyon) 16:40; 7. Logan Peters (South Hamilton) 16:42.8; 8. Ethan Albright (Okoboji) 16:45.5; 9. Peyton Miller (Mid-Prairie) 16:46.2; 10. Floyd Evans (Mid-Prairie) 16:47.8; 11. Ben Lamparek (Williamsburg) 16:49.8; 12. Wyatt Schmidt (Northeast) 16:50.2; 13. Sam Harrison (Sioux Center) 16:50.4; 14. Peter Shippy (Sioux Center) 16:51.2; 15. Ben Ellis (Tipton) 16:52.6.

Regina – 38. Nathan Meyer 17:24.4; 103. Anthony Knepper 18:31.

Class 2A Girls

Team scores – 1. Mid-Prairie 65; 2. Monticello 72; 3. Woodbury Central/Kingsley-Pierson 103; 4. Crestwood 131; 5. Cascade 165; 6. Williamsburg 195; 7. Regina 218; 8. Okoboji 240; 9. Waukon 242; 10. Unity Christian 259; 11. Emmetsburg 261; 12. Danville/New London 283; 13. Shenandoah 289; 14. Aplington-Parkersburg 318; 15. PCM 356.

Individual medalists – 1. Marie Hostetler (Mid-Prairie) 17:51.2; 2. Anna Hostetler (Mid-Prairie) 18:06; 3. Ellie Friesen (Crestwood) 18:36.2; 4. Paige Holub (Monticello) 19:03; 5. Sophia Jungling (Aplington-Parkersburg) 19:03.1; 6. Madeline Rhomberg (Cascade) 19:03.3; 7. Karley Larson (Underwood) 19:25.6; 8. Rylee Wright (Woodbury Central/Kingsley-Pierson) 19:31.5; 9. Suzanne Putze (Woodbury Central/Kingsley-Pierson) 19:39.7; 10. Ana Fleming (Mid-Prairie) 19:43; 11. Cassidy Ihns (Crestwood) 19:47.8; 12. Magan Christopherson (Okoboji) 19:57.3; 13. Hope Dohlman (Crestwood) 20:01.7; 14. Emma Kolb (Pella Christian) 20:02; 15. Madison Kelchen (Cascade) 20:07.8.

Regina – 18. Kennedy Scott 20:32.1; 28. Molly Vittetoe 20:52.3; 43. Nourah Abusada 21:30.1; 62. Lauren Gaarde 22:05.8; 67. Natalie Sueppel 22:11; 78. Emma Welter 22:32.3; 79. Bee Balke 22:37.5.