The 2023 Your Prep Sports Area Boys Cross Country Team
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The 2023 cross country season was another impressive fall for Your Prep Sports area athletes and teams.
All four Your Prep Sports area teams that qualified for the state meet in Fort Dodge finished in the top 10 in their respective classes and Liberty High senior Aidan Decker posted an individual top-10 finish placing ninth in the Class 4A race.
The annual Your Prep Sports area cross country team is a way to honor area runners for their outstanding effort this season.
This year team features eight highly-decorated runners from six different area schools.
Liberty High senior Aidan Decker is the captain of the 2023 Your Prep Sports area cross country team after closing an impressive prep career with his first state meet medal.
Aidan Decker (Captain)
Senior, Liberty High
The most decorated runner in Liberty High history Decker capped an incredible career with his best prep season highlighted by a top-10 finish at the Class 4A state meet.
A four-time state qualifier Decker earned his first career state medal this season placing ninth at the 4A state meet in a time of 15:44.
The ninth-place finish at state was the fourth top-42 finish for Decker and his time of 15:44 was nearly 40 seconds faster than his state meet time from 2022.
Decker led Liberty High to one of the most successful seasons in program history helping the Lightning to a third-place finish at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet, a runner-up performance at the state qualifying meet and a sixth-place finish at the state meet.
Decker posted career-best finishes at the MVC Super Meet and at the state qualifying meet before securing his first state medal.
He was eighth at the MVC Super Meet, sixth at the Mississippi Divisional meet and fourth at the 4A state qualifier in Ames.
Keegan Decker
Freshman, Liberty High
While his older brother was wrapping up one of the best cross country careers in Liberty High history Keegan Decker was putting together the best freshman season ever for a Lightning runner.
The younger Decker nearly matched his older brother stride for stride during an impressive debut campaign that concluded with a 17th place finish at the Class 4A state meet.
Keegan Decker was impressive from the opening race of his career placing ninth at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet, third at the Mississippi Divisional and fifth at the 4A state qualifier before missing a state medal by two spots in his debut at the state meet.
The 17th place finish at state was the best finish for a freshman in the Class 4A field this season and the highest a freshman has placed in the 4A state meet since Ethan Eichhorn of Council Bluffs Lewis Central was 16th in 2020.
Decker’s state meet time of 15:54.8 was the fastest by a freshman at the state meet in any class this season.
Brick Kabela
Senior, Solon
Among the most decorated runners in Solon history Kabela capped an incredible prep career with a fourth top-26 finish at the Class 3A state meet.
A four-time state qualifier Kabela was instrumental in helping Solon post four consecutive top-11 finishes at the 3A state meet, a stretch that included a pair of top-five finishes highlighted by a runner-up finish in 2020.
Kabela was a state medalist as a sophomore in 2021 but never finished outside the top 26 in his four trips to Fort Dodge placing 18th in his final appearance at the state meet this fall.
The time of 16:25.2 for Kabela at the 3A state meet this fall was a state meet personal best, more than 10 seconds faster than the time that earned him a 14th place finish in 2021.
Kabela was a four-time all-WAMAC performer, posting his third straight top-four finish at the WAMAC Conference meet with a career-best third-place finish that helped Solon to a WAMAC team title.
Kabela placed third at the 3A state qualifying meet this season helping Solon to a runner-up team finish.
Noah Gregoire
Junior, Liberty High
As the Decker brothers garnered plenty of well-deserved attention while running at the front of the Liberty High pack this season Gregoire was busy turning in his own breakthrough season that featured a second consecutive top-40 finish at the 4A state meet.
Already a three-time state qualifier, Gregoire cut significant time off his state meet performance for the second straight season finishing 38th in a time of 16:15.7 to help the Lightning to a sixth-place finish at the 4A state meet.
Gregoire finished 107th at the state meet as a freshman and 32nd as a sophomore last season but ran 14 seconds faster in his 38th place effort in Fort Dodge this fall.
It was a season of overall growth for Gregoire who improved his finishing position at the MVC Super Meet, MVC Divisional meet and state qualifying meet.
Gregoire was 14th at the MVC Super Meet before placing top-10 finishes at both the MVC Mississippi Divisional (seventh) and 4A state qualifier (ninth).
Owyn Noble
Senior, City High
After learning the ropes on a talented and senior-dominated City High team last season Noble emerged early as a key senior leader for a young City High squad this season.
Noble flourished in his new role enjoying the best season of his prep career while advancing to the 4A state meet for the second consecutive season.
A year after placing 73rd in his state-meet debut Noble capped a strong senior season with a 60th place finish at the 4A state meet in a time of 16:34.7.
The time of 16:34.7 for Noble was nearly 30 seconds faster than his state meet time of 17:03.67 from 2022.
Noble emerged as the front of the pack runner for City High early in the season and was strong all year posting a 16th place finish at the MVC Super Meet and a sixth-place finish at the Valley Divisional meet before finishing 11th at the 4A state qualifier.
Moustafa Tiea
Junior, West High
A three-time state qualifier Tiea continued to climb the standings at the Class 4A state meet this season.
After placing 73rd and 51st in his first two trips to the 4A state meet as an underclassmen Tiea finished 47th at the state meet this fall in a time of 16:24.1.
The time of 16:24.1 was the best state-meet time yet for Tiea and was nearly 20 seconds faster than his previous career-best time at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
Tiea’s top-50 finish at state followed a strong regular season for the West High junior that included top-10 finishes at the three meets leading up to state.
Tiea finished fourth at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super meet and was seventh at the MVC Valley Divisional meet before placing sixth at the Class 4A state qualifying meet at Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City.
Brock Hilsman
Junior, Clear Creek Amana
After helping Clear Creek Amana snap a two-year stretch without a state meet appearance last season Hilsman continued help the Clippers climb this fall.
Hilsman helped Clear Creek Amana return to Class 3A state meet this season where he finished 30th for the second consecutive season as the Clippers moved up from 14th to ninth in the 3A standings.
After a strong finish to his sophomore season that included a third-place finish at the 3A state qualifier and 30th place effort at state Hilsman picked up where he left off this fall.
Hilsman finished ninth at the WAMAC Conference meet and a week later placed seventh at the 3A state qualifier.
He finished 30th at the 3A state meet in a time of 16:44.7, which was more than 15 seconds faster than his state meet time from a year ago.
Samuel Welter
Junior, Regina
Welter continued his climb in Class 1A this season while leading Regina to a third straight top-10 finish at the state meet.
A three-time state qualifier Welter improved his state meet finishing position and time for the second consecutive season placing 67th in a time of 17:54.8 to help the Regals to a sixth-place team finish.
Welter, who was 93rd at the state meet as a freshman and 85th last season, made his biggest state-meet jump to date this fall while trimming more than 13 seconds of his previous best time at the state meet.
It was a career-best season for Welter who improved his placing at both the River Valley Conference and 1A state qualifying meets.
Welter finished ninth at the RVC meet to help Regina to a runner-up team finish and placed sixth at the 1A state qualifying meet as the Regals won the team title.
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