Solon Edges Sixth-ranked Mount Vernon For Second WAMAC Cross Country Title In Past Four Seasons
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
MARION – In the days leading up to the WAMAC Conference the word stressed constantly by Solon head coach Emy Williams was ‘compete’.
“Compete was our word of the day, we had to go compete,” Williams said. “If you run a good time that’s great but we have to compete and go beat people.”
By Thursday evening championship had replaced compete as the word of the day for the Spartans.
Senior Brick Kabela finished third overall as Class 3A No. 13 Solon edged 3A sixth-ranked Mount Vernon-Lisbon by two points to win its second WAMAC title in the past four seasons on a windy and overcast afternoon at Antioch Church in Marion.
Kabela led four Solon runners that finished in the top 21 as the Spartans finished atop a field of nine ranked teams with 85 points.
“Times are times and that’s great to see for you ego but at this point its just about going out there and competing your butt off,” Kabela said. “We did a very good job of that so I’m super happy with how we all competed and it’s good to see our team go out there and grit it out.”
Sophomore Spencer Michels finished 15th and seniors Collin Bumsted and Michael Yeomans were 20th and 21st as Solon claimed its first WAMAC crown since winning the first in program history in 2020.
“As a team we really had to all come together,” Bumsted said. “We had a conversation yesterday that as a team we had to come together because individually we weren’t going to win a meet today and we came together.”
3A No. 11 Clear Creek Amana finished third in the loaded field with 98 points and was followed by No. 12 South Tama with 100, 2A seventh-ranked Vinton-Shellsburg with 140 points and 3A No. 17 Center Point-Urbana with 154 points.
Brock Hilsman finished ninth to pace Clear Creek Amana while Isaac Sorensen and Nicholas Schieltz each added top-20 finishes to earn all-conference honors for the Clippers.
“I couldn’t be more happy with how they ran,” Clear Creek Amana coach Ben Robison said. “We pulled our number four mid-race with a lost shoe, our number two has been sick for what they did I am very happy. It was tight and they ran a good race.”
It was Solon that competed itself to the front of the WAMAC pack on Thursday.
The third consecutive top-four WAMAC meet finish from Kabela led the way for Solon to end a string of consecutive conference titles by Marion.
Solon was runner-up in 2021 and third last season before returning to the top of the conference standings on Thursday.
“A conference championship is always an amazing thing to accomplish,” Kabela said. “We haven’t always seen the results that we wanted to this season but we didn’t cry, we didn’t give up we just kept coming to practice and grinding it out and it’s starting to pay off at the right time.”
Kabela was third in a time of 16:31.7 placing behind only Grady Olberding of Mount Vernon-Lisbon who won the individual title in 16:13.2 and runner-up Tommy Tyynismaa of South Tama who edged Kabela down the stretch finishing in 16:29.8.
“This is the best I have felt all season,” Kabela said. “The time I still hope to drop a little but with the conditions out here on the last mile with the rain it was just a fun race with some great competition.”
Solon got a big performance from Michels who placed 15th in a time of 17:29.
“We had Spencer Michels step up huge for us to be our number two runner,” Williams said. “He’s been our seventh or eighth runner the last few meets and that just shows when you are ready to compete and you have the right mindset that cross country is a sport where you can really do amazing things.”
Yeomans earned all-conference honors for the third time finishing 20th in 17:38 while Bumsted was right behind in 21st at 17:42.6.
Evan Burg placed 26th for Solon in a time of 17:47.8.
“These are the meets you are going to remember,” Bumsted said. “We’ve been working really hard to get to this moment and it’s really paid off.”
Hilsman led Clear Creek Amana with a ninth-place finish in a time of 17:07.4.
Sorensen was 14th in 17:24.9 and Schieltz finished 18th in 17:29.7 for the Clippers.
WAMAC Conference Meet
At Antioch Church
Team scores – 1. Solon 85; 2. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 87; 3. Clear Creek Amana 98; 4. South Tama 100; 5. Vinton-Shellsburg 140; 6. Center Point-Urbana 154; 7. Grinnell 156; 8. Marion 159; 9. Williamsburg 196; 10. West Delaware 197; 11. Benton Community 301; 12. Independence 362
Individual leaders – 1. Grady Olberding (MV-L) 16:13; 2. Tommy Tyynismaa (ST) 16:29.8; 3. Brick Kabela (SOL) 16:31.7; 4. James Brant (ST) 16:38.4; 5. Alex Torres (V-S) 16:38.6; 6. Dawson Scheil (MV-L) 16:44.4; 7. Eli Page (V-S) 16:51.7; 8. Cooper Cook (MAR) 16:59.6; 9. Brock Hilsman (CCA) 17:07.4; 10. Liam Crites (GRI) 17:14.4; 11. Jordan Fischer (MAR) 17:16; 12. Zach Wenger (WD) 17:16.8; 13. Bennett Kautz (MAR) 17:20.7; 14. Isaac Sorensen (CCA) 17:24.9; 15. Spencer Michels (SOL) 17:29.2
Solon (85) – 3. Brick Kabela 16:31.7; 15. Spencer Michels 17:29; 20. Michael Yeomans 17:38; 21. Collin Bumsted 17:42.6; 26. Evan Burg 17:47.8; 30. Grant Bumsted 17:55.8; 47. Lawsin Sinnwell 18:28.6
Clear Creek Amana (98) – 9. Brock Hilsman 17:07.4; 14. Isaac Sorensen 17:24.9; 18. Nicholas Schieltz 17:29.7; 25. Thomas Stiltner 17:45.7; 33. Logan Kafer 17:59.3; 62. Jackson Van Horn 19:02.7
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