Breaking Down the Area Class 3A Girls State Qualifying Cross Country Meets
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The cross country postseason begins on Wednesday with spots at the 2024 state cross country meet up for grabs at state qualifying meets in Classes 3A and 4A.
The state meet is set for November 1 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge but first is the qualifying meets.
Before races get underway on Wednesday Your Prep Sports takes a quick look at every state qualifying meet featuring area teams.
Class 3A Meet (Solon)
When: Wednesday 4 p.m.
Where: Solon Nature and Recreation Area
Teams: Solon; Davenport Assumption; Benton Community; Center Point-Urbana; Central DeWitt; Clinton; Des Moines Christian; Independence; Maquoketa; Marion; West Delaware; Western Dubuque; Cedar Rapids Xavier
Ranked teams: No. 3 Solon; No. 8 Des Moines Christian; No. 9 Marion; No. 20 Center Point-Urbana
Ranked individuals: No. 5 Elyse Erzen, Fr., Des Moines Christian; No. 8 Grace Estling, Soph., Center Point-Urbana; No. 10 Isabelle Hardin, Jr., Maquoketa; No. 12 Stella Pothoven, Soph., Des Moines Christian; No. 14 Mia Deegan, Jr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; No. 30 Sydney Dee, Sr., Solon
Team title chase: Solon enters third-ranked, coming off a runner-up finish at the WAMAC meet and is running on its home course making the Spartans the title favorites over last year’s 2A state champion Des Moines Christian.
Individual race: Expect an exciting race as Des Moines Christian standout freshman Elyse Erzen and Center Point-Urbana sophomore Grace Estling lead a strong lead pack.
Erzen enters ranked fifth, Estling was a 3A state medalist last season and won the WAMAC conference crown last week, and Maquoketa junior Izzy Hardin is a talented runner that finished in the top 30 at the state meet a year ago.
Athlete to watch: Solon senior Sydney Dee has been the leader all season for the Spartans and will look to put the finishing touches on a strong senior season and an impressive career.
Dee closed strong last season, placing fifth at the WAMAC Conference meet, fourth at the state qualifier and 18th at the state meet.
She will look to duplicate that late-season push this year and is off to a strong start finishing a career-best fourth at the WAMAC meet last week.
Breakdown: You have to go all the way back to 2017 to find the last time Solon failed to qualify for the state meet.
The Spartans have five top-10 finishes at state during that span including a pair of top-three finishes and should be in the mix for another podium finish next week.
Solon needs to take care of business on Wednesday in a field that features four top-20 teams including WAMAC rivals Marion and Center Point-Urbana.
Freshmen Kinley Mai and Liv Nelson have joined Dee at the front of the pack and Solon has experience in sophomore Ava Rolwes and senior Ella Sheeley.
Class 3A Meet (Waverly)
When: Wednesday 4 p.m.
Where: Max Cross Country Course in Waverly
Teams: Clear Creek Amana; BK-CGD; Charles City; Clear Lake; Decorah; Hampton-Dumont-CAL; Iowa Falls; Mount Vernon-Lisbon; South Tama; Dubuque Wahlert; Waverly-Shell Rock; Webster City; Williamsburg
Ranked teams: No. 2 Mount Vernon-Lisbon; No. 14 Decorah; No. 15 Dubuque Wahlert; No. 16 Clear Creek Amana; No. 19 Williamsburg
Ranked individuals: No. 9 Addison Doughan, Sr., Clear Lake; No. 13 Evelyn Moeller, Soph., Mount Vernon-Lisbon; No. 18 Lucy Murphy, Jr., Dubuque Wahlert; No. 28 Kiersten Swart, Jr., Mount Vernon-Lisbon
Team title chase: Defending 3A runner-up Mount Vernon-Lisbon is the clear-cut favorite in a deep field that features five teams ranked in the top 20.
Individual race: Mount Vernon-Lisbon sophomore Evelyn Moeller has emerged as the Mustangs’ leader this season and is coming off a runner-up finish at the WAMAC meet in which she was nearly 22 seconds in front of teammate Kiersten Swart who was third.
Swart should be in the mix on Wednesday along with Clear Lake senior Addison Doughan who is the highest ranked runner in the field.
Less than a second separated Swart and Doughan at the state meet last season where Doughan finished 29th and Swart 31st.
Athlete to watch: A stalwart in the Clear Creek Amana lineup for the past four seasons senior Kira Barker will look for a strong postseason to wrap a stellar career.
Barker is already a three-time state qualifier and has helped the Clippers to back-to-back team appearances at the state meet.
Barker was 16th at the WAMAC Conference meet last week.
Breakdown: Mount Vernon-Lisbon should cruise to the team title while locking up a spot at the state meet.
After that is when things could get crazy.
As many as five teams could be in the mix for the final two spots at the state meet, a list that includes Clear Creek Amana which is seeking a third consecutive trip to state.
Decorah will be in that mix along with Dubuque Wahlert and Williamsburg.
Clear Creek Amana finished 17 points in front of Williamsburg in a fourth-place finish at the WAMAC Conference meet last week.
Led by Barker look for Clear Creek Amana to lean on its postseason experience as seniors Raegan Wyant and Sara Kinzenbaw have both been part of the past two state meet teams and sophomore Kadence Whitmer was on last year’s team that reached the state meet.
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