Breaking Down the Area Girls State Qualifying Cross Country Meets
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The state cross country meet is a little more than a week away.
The annual two-day state cross country meet is schedule for October 31 and November 1 at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
Before the action gets underway next week in Fort Dodge teams and athletes must first secure their spots at the state meet.
That starts on Wednesday with state qualifiers in Classes 3A and 4A around the state with Classes 2A and 1A following on Thursday.
Here is a look at the girls state qualifying meets featuring teams from the Your Prep Sports area.
Class 4A, State Qualifier 2 (Iowa City)
When: Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Where: Kickers Soccer Complex
Teams: City High; West High; Liberty High; Ames; Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Cedar Rapids Washington; Dubuque Senior; Ottumwa
Ranked teams: No. 5 City High; No. 7 Dubuque Senior; No. 13 Ames; No. 17 West High;
Ranked individuals: No. 5 Emma Chesterman, Sr., Dubuque Senior; No. 10 Abigail Burns, Sr., City High; No. 17 Grace Hamann, Jr., City High; No. 19 Emma Stanley, Jr., Ames; No. 28 Eliza Doster, Soph., City High; No. 30 Naya Nakama, Fr., Ames
Team title chase: City High will look for its third consecutive team title of the championship season on Wednesday after claiming titles at the MVC Super Meet and MVC Valley Divisional the past two weeks.
The Little Hawks finished 22 points in front of runner-up Dubuque Senior to claim the MVC Super Meet title on the same course two weeks ago and the Rams should once again provide the top challenge for City High.
Individual race: While the team race should again be a rematch of the MVC Super Meet showdown between City High and Dubuque senior the individual race may be a Super Meet rematch as well as Dubuque Senior’s Emma Chesterman and City High’s Abigail Burns figure to battle for the top spot.
Chesterman finished a little more than 16 seconds in front of Burns in a runner-up finish at the Super Meet two weeks ago while Burns was third in a career-best time of 18:12.
City High junior Grace Hamann (fifth at the Super Meet) and Ames junior Emma Stanley figure to be in the individual mix as well.
Athlete to watch: Burns and Hamann have emerged as the leaders of the City High pack this season but sophomore Eliza Doster has had her own breakthrough season and could be a key to the Little Hawks postseason push.
Doster finished seventh at the MVC Super Meet two weeks ago and followed that up with a sixth-place finish at the Valley Divisional.
A strong finish from Doster on Wednesday could be the key for the Little Hawks claiming the team title.
Breakdown: City High should comfortably secure a spot at the state meet as it looks to improve on eighth-place state meet finish from last season.
Keep an eye on West High as the young Trojans push for a top-three finish and a return to the state meet.
West High was sixth at the MVC Super Meet two weeks ago and third at the Valley Division last week behind a talented freshman foursome of Adrienne Hodge, Ava Twait, Ellie DeWaard and Carly Moreau.
The Trojans have the ability to push for a top-three spot on Wednesday on a course they have seen this season.
Look for Liberty High junior Chelsea VeDepo to continue a strong season and contend for a second consecutive trip to the state meet.
Class 3A, State Qualifier 2 (Pella)
When: Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Where: Central College
Teams: Clear Creek Amana; ADM; Boone; Carlisle; Clarke; Creston; Fairfield; Knoxville; Newton; Oskaloosa; Pella; Saydel; Cedar Rapids Xavier
Ranked teams: No. 1 Pella; No. 9 Boone; No. 13 ADM; No. 19 Cedar Rapids Xavier
Ranked individuals: No. 1 Marissa Ferebee, Sr., Pella; No. 4 Elsie Brenneman, Jr., Pella; No. 14 Elizabeth VandeVoort, Soph., Pella; No. 22 Carleigh Altwine, Soph., Pella; No. 23 Mia Deegan, Sr., Cedar Rapids Xavier; 26. Ruth Dunham, Jr., Pella
Team title chase: Three-time defending state champion and top-ranked Pella is the heavy favorite to win the team title.
The top-ranked Dutch have home course advantage on Thursday along with a deep and talented team that features five runners ranked in the top 26 in Class 3A.
Individual race: Two-time defending Class 3A state champion Marissa Ferebee is a heavy favorite to claim the individual title.
Ferebee will be seeking her third consecutive state title and a fourth straight top-five state meet finish next week after placing fifth as a freshman before winning each of the past two 3A titles.
Athlete to watch: Clear Creek Amana freshman Ali Seidl has already put together and impressive debut season.
Seidl will look to put the finishing touches on her stellar freshman season with big performances at the state qualifier and state meet.
The freshman standout was sixth at the WAMAC Conference meet last week in a time of 19:39 and should push for a top-five finish on Wednesday.
Breakdown: With Ferebee-led Pella at the front of the pack there isn’t expected to be much drama in the team or individual races on Wednesday.
The excitement should be in the final two team qualifying spots where Boone, ADM and Cedar Rapids Xavier should battle for the final two spots in Fort Dodge.
Clear Creek Amana has run well down the stretch, finishing seventh at the WAMAC Meet last week and will look for a strong finish on Wednesday.
Class 3A, State Qualifier 4 (Manchester)
When: Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Where: Hart Ridge Golf Course
Teams: Solon; Benton Community; Charles City; Decorah; Independence; Maquoketa; Marion; Mount Vernon/Lisbon; Vinton-Shellsburg; Dubuque Wahlert; Waverly-Shell Rock; West Delaware; Western Dubuque
Ranked teams: No. 3 Mount Vernon/Lisbon; No. 6 Decorah; No. 10 Solon; No. 20 Dubuque Wahlert
Ranked individuals: No. 2 Evelyn Moeller, Jr., Mount Vernon/Lisbon; 3. Isabelle Hardin, Sr., Maquoketa; No. 16 Addison Dabroski, Sr., Marion; No. 17 Lucy Murphy, Sr., Dubuque Wahlert; No. 18 Kiersten Swart, Sr., Mount Vernon/Lisbon; No. 21. Falyn Svalstad, Jr., Solon
Team title chase: Mount Vernon/Lisbon has finished in the top five at the state meet each of the past four seasons after a third-place finish a year ago.
The Mustangs appear poised for another strong state meet showing after a dominating effort at the WAMAC Conference meet last week.
Mount Vernon/Lisbon outdistanced Solon by 40 points on its way to the WAMAC Conference title and enters as the favorite on Wednesday with sixth-ranked Decorah and No. 10 Solon the top challengers.
Keep an eye on Dubuque Wahlert which will attempt to push into the top three and earn a spot at the state meet.
Individual race: Mount Vernon/Lisbon junior Evelyn Moeller moved up from 39th at the state meet as a freshman to 10th last season and appears poised for another big jump next week in Fort Dodge.
Moeller won the WAMAC Conference Meet by nearly a minute last week in a time of 18:09.3 and will battle with Maquoketa senior Isabelle Hardin for the individual title on Wednesday.
Hardin won the River Valley Conference title last week in a time of 17:58.6.
Athlete to watch: Solon junior Falyn Svalstad has enjoyed a fantastic junior season emerging as the front of the pack leader for the tenth-ranked Spartans.
Svalstad will look to continue her impressive postseason push on Wednesday that began with a runner-up finish at the WAMAC Conference meet last week.
Svalstad finished runner-up to Moeller at the WAMAC meet in a time of 19:04.5.
Breakdown: Solon has finished in the top four at the 3A state meet in three of the past four seasons after a fourth-place finish a year ago.
The Spartans will look to secure another trip to Fort Dodge on Wednesday in a strong field at the state qualifier.
Solon will rely on Svalstad and a balanced pack that includes sophomores Liv Nelson, Addison Seamans and Quinn Armentrout and freshman Mailee Schmidt.
Class 2A, State Qualifier 4 (Iowa City)
When: Thursday, 4 p.m.
Where: Kickers Soccer Complex
Teams: Regina; Anamosa; Camanche; Central Lee; Chariton; Grundy Center; Mediapolis; Mid-Prairie; West Burlington/Notre Dame; Northeast; Tipton; West Liberty; West Marshall; Wilton
Ranked teams: No. 1 West Marshall; No. 9 Mid-Prairie; No. 12 Grundy Center; No. 16 Tipton;
Ranked individuals: No. 5 Brooklyn Stutzman, Jr., Mid-Prairie; No. 8 Grace Storjohann, Sr., Grundy Center; No. 9 Addie Thompson, Sr., West Marshall; No. 16 Delany Homan, Jr., Camanche
Team title chase: Top-ranked West Marshall is the favorite to emerge from a strong field that features four teams ranked in the top 16.
Perennial power Mid-Prairie, Grundy Center and Tipton are all teams capable of pushing West Marshall for the top spot.
Individual race: The individual race should be a good one as Mid-Prairie junior Brooklyn Stutzman, Grundy Center senior Grace Storjohann and West Marshall senior Addie Thompson all enter ranked in the top 10.
Stutzman finished eighth at the Class 2A state meet last season while Thompson was 18th at the state meet.
Athlete to watch: Regina senior Grace Erwin has been the front of the pack leader for the Regals all season and will look for a strong finish to her career on Thursday.
Erwin is coming of a 25th place finish at a loaded River Valley Conference meet on the same course last week and will look to improve that finish by at least 10 spots at the state qualifier.
Breakdown: Regina makes the move up to Class 2A this season and lands in a challenging state qualifier that features four teams ranked in the 16.
The Regals finished ninth at the River Valley Conference meet at Kickers Soccer Complex last week while state qualifying meet foes Mid-Prairie and Tipton finished first and second at that meet.
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