Hoffman Helps Regina To Runner-up Finish at River Valley Conference Cross Country Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
IOWA CITY – Connor Hoffman is by his own admission a soccer player at heart.
It was actually a friendly pact centered around soccer with his brother Landon that turned Hoffman into a runner.
“I made a deal with my brother if he went out for soccer I would go out for cross country,” Connor Hoffman said. “Sure enough, last year he went out for soccer and we were state champs so I went out this year because he went out for soccer.”
The agreement between the Hoffman brothers has turned into a valuable addition for the Regals this fall.
Connor Hoffman posted a top-10 finish at the River Valley Conference meet on Tuesday at Kicker Soccer Complex to help the Regals to a runner-up team finish at the 14-team meet.
“He’s been around (cross country) with his brother on the team but this is his first year and he’s been great,” Regina coach Chad Swope said of Hoffman. “The guys finally talked him into going out and he’s just blended right in with them and he’s just upped the level of everything.”
Class 2A seventh-ranked Anamosa won the team title with 46 points followed by Regina with 90 and Monticello with 119.
The runner-up finish for Regina matched the best RVC finish for the Regals since 2023 and came after eighth and seventh-place conference finishes the past two seasons.
Hoffman led the way for Regina finishing 10th in a time of 18:18.1.
“Obviously my soccer background helps a lot because soccer is a lot of running and soccer is my favorite sport but cross country is a lot of fun to get out and compete,” Hoffman said. “This family I have in this sport is something special for sure. I’d definitely say that cross country is difficult but it’s about who you do it with.”
Hoffman was the third leading goal scorer on Regina’s Class 1A state title squad last spring.
The junior plays soccer year round but once he made the decision to join the cross country team he jumped all the way in.
“It took some convincing to get him to go out for sure but I just promised him he was going to love it,” Regina senior Corbin Daniel said. “He’s the type of guy that just buys into it and he works as hard as he can and him being here just pushes everyone else. He just cares so much.”
Daniel joined Hoffman in the top-15 on Tuesday finishing 13th in a time of 18:36.9.
Regina had five runners finish in the top 25 as Huck Zahasky finished 19th in 18:45.3, Hugh Loening was 23rd in 19:00.6 and Cristiano Pratt was 25th in 19:04.1.
“I had second-team (all-conference) in mind, I had honorable mention last year so I knew I wanted to be there,” Daniel said. “With Connor just pushing me and pushing me, he’s a huge addition. He’s so good.”
Regina will return to Kickers Soccer Complex for a Class 2A state qualifying meet next Thursday.
Mid-Prairie which was fifth on Tuesday and Tipton which finished fourth are among the 15 teams in the state-qualifying meet field.
Class 2A seventh-ranked Anamosa won the team title
“This is one that we’ve been looking forward to the entire season,” Daniel said. “Having the confidence to run a good race and then being at the same course next week against some of the same teams is absolutely massive.”
The Regina girls finished fifth at the RVC Meet on Tuesday behind a trio of top-10 ranked teams.
Class 2A top-ranked Mid-Prairie won the team title with 49 points followed by 2A eighth-ranked Monticello with 68 and 2A sixth-ranked Tipton with 77.
Maquoketa was fourth with 79 points and Regina was fifth with 131.
The fifth-place finish matched the best for the Regina since the Regals finished fifth for the third year in a row in 2023.
“I am absolutely thrilled,” Swope said. “The girls are so young but I know they have so much talent, they have an incredible amount of talent. This is the first year for so many of those girls so it’s so neat to see those five work together and the ceiling is so high for them.”
Eighth-grader Tess Kaeding finished 21st in a time of 22:17.5 to lead Regina and sophomore Grace Nicpon was 25th in 22:37.4.
Following Kaeding and Nicpon were four freshman.
Hannah McGrane was 28th in 22:44.5, Julia Foley was 30th in 22:48.4, Willow Fravel was 32nd in 23:14 and Avery Kullbom was 43rd in 24:09.
River Valley Cross Country Meet
At Kickers Soccer Complex
Boys Results
Team scores – 1. Anamosa 46; 2. Regina 90; 3. Monticello 119; 4. Tipton 123; 5. Mid-Prairie 173; 6. West Liberty 184; 7. Dyersville Beckman 189; 8. Alburnett 226; 9. Durant 236; 10. Bellevue 252; 11. Maquoketa 273; 12. Wilton 284; 13. Northeast 299; 14. Cascade 324
Individual leaders – 1. Jackson Burrell (ANA) 16:57.9; 2. Nolan Weers (ANA) 17:05.4; 3. Max Swartzendruber (M-P) 17:22.5; 4. Maddex Maurer (WL) 17:44.3; 5. Alan Arriaga-Rengel (MON) 17:45.2; 6. Noble Fields (WIL) 17:51.8; 7. Garrett Appelhans (ANA) 17:54.9; 8. Steffen Goerdt (DB) 18:03.3; 9. Parker Lasack (ANA) 18:05.9; 10. Connor Hoffman (ICR) 18:18.1; 11. Jacob Lothamer (M-P) 18:30.9; 12. Brayden Mosier (DUR) 18:33.1; 13. Corbin Daniel (ICR) 18:36.9; 14. Sylis McGee (TIP) 18:37.2; 15. Carlos Meraz (WL) 18:39.3
Regina – 10. Connor Hoffman 18:18.1; 13. Corbin Daniel 18:36.9; 19. Huck Zahasky 18:45.3; 23. Hugh Loening 19:00.6; 25. Cristiano Pratt 19:04.1; 28. Nik Polyak 19:05.5; 48. Colin Laubscher 20:03.9
Girls Results
Team scores – 1. Mid-Prairie 49; 2. Monticello 68; 3. Tipton 77; 4. Maquoketa 79; 5. Regina 131; 6. Cascade 167; 7. Dyersville Beckman 213; 8. Anamosa 224; 9. Camanche 234; 10. Alburnett 247; 11. Wilton 318; 12. Bellevue 330
Individual leaders – 1. Mary Grace Lyons (MON) 18:54.4; 2. Abigail Miller (MAQ) 19:19.8; 3. Avery Mente (TIP) 19:57.9; 4. Kendal Landstrum (M-P) 20:05.8; 5. Brooklyn Stutzman (M-P) 20:19.3; 6. Delany Homan (CAM) 20:38.7; 7. Peyton Ries (MON) 20:39.9; 8. Tessa Brokaw (M-P) 20:51.5; 9. Rielle Henderson (MON) 20:52.9; 10. Addison Guerra (WL) 21:10.4; 11. Rachel Hostetler (M-P) 21:19.1; 12. Natalie Hackman (MAQ) 21:27.2; 13. Add Kedley (CAS) 21:30.7; 14. Iris Wagner (MAQ) 21:44.5; 15. Hallie Fitzgerald (TIP) 21:46.7
Regina – 21. Tess Kaeding 22:17.5; 25. Grace Nicpon 22:37.4; 28. Hannah McGrane 22:44.5; 30. Julia Foley 22:48.4; 32. Willow Fravel 23:14; 43. Avery Kullbom 24:09; 49. Caroline O’Rourke 24:34.9
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