Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The regular season didn’t always go exactly the way the City High girls cross country team imagined.

Injuries, illness and weather cancelations created a chaotic end to the regular season that included a fourth-place finish at the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet earlier this month.

City High got the postseason reset it was seeking on Wednesday.

The Little Hawks put five runners in the top 10 on its way to winning the team title and qualifying for next week’s state meet at the Class 4A state qualifying meet at Kickers Soccer Complex in Iowa City.

“We had a rough super meet and got booted all the way to 12^th in the rankings but we knew that was not indicative of the type of team we have,” City High coach Ryan Ahlers said. “These girls have a ton of resolve, they love each other and they are worried about each other and we are coming together when it matters and that’s important.”

No. 12 City High finished with 35 points to outdistance sixth-ranked West Des Moines Dowling by 20 points for the team title.

No. 14 Davenport Central claimed the third state qualifying spot placing third with 59 points.

For City High the state qualifying meet was a shot at a clean slate after a regular season that came with ups and downs.

“We’ve had such weird things going on that are out of our control but it comes down to the last two weeks at this meet and state,” City High senior Grace Hamann said. “I’d rather have a good state race than a random meet so we’ve got everything in front of us.”

Hamann led a pack of Little Hawks that finished in the top 10 on Wednesday placing fourth in a time of 19:36.3.

Hamann finished behind only the Davenport Central trio of Joley Sullivan, Presley Moeller and Rhemidy Brack.

Sullivan won the individual title in a time of 18:21.3.

“I wanted a higher result and I definitely wanted a faster time but some days it’s not your day and some days it goes better than you thought,” Hamann said. “I’d rather trade in a good state race for a regular meet. We qualified our team and that was our goal so this isn’t the end of our road.”

Junior Calissa Fruin finished sixth in a time of 19:57.7 and was followed by eighth-grader Laine Barnes who was seventh in 20:03.3 and freshman Anna Fisher who placed eighth in 20:10.5.

“We had a lot of adversity during the beginning of the season and that helped us just focus on each other and I feel very uplifted by all my teammates and I think that’s really carrying us now,” Fruin said. “We just race for each other and try to stick together and that helps a lot.”

Freshman Mari Bechtel finished 10^th in a time of 20:18 as City High put five runners in the top 10.

All seven Little Hawks finished in the top 25 as senior Madeline Fischer placed 18^th in 20:43.9 and junior Eliza Doster was 25^th in 21:32.5.

“Racing together is a team is really important,” Fruin said. “We don’t need someone to win state or win districts to carry our team as long as we stick together and put our best out there.”

Class 4A State Qualifying Meet

At Kickers Soccer Complex   

Team scores – 1. City High 35; 2. West Des Moines Dowling 55; 3. Davenport Central 59; 4. Ankeny 117; 5. Bettendorf 168; 6. North Scott 175; 7. Burlington 194; 8. Muscatine 207; 9. Davenport North 220

Individual leaders – 1. Joley Sullivan (DC) 18:21.3; 2. Presley Moeller (DC) 18:33.5; 3. Rhemidy Brack (DC) 19:32.1; 4. Grace Hamann (ICH) 19:36.3; 5. Elizabeth Tiffany (WDD) 19:37.7; 6. Calissa Fruin (ICH) 19:57.7; 7. Laine Barner (ICH) 20:03.3; 8. Anna Fischer (ICH) 20:10.5; 9. Payton Wolfe (WDD) 20:11; 10. Mari Bechtel (ICH) 20:18; 11. Abby Muehling (WDD) 20:18.4; 12. Mia Heim (ANK) 20:19.4; 13. Hiliana Ruiz (DN) 20:21.8; 14. Birdie Bratney (WDD) 20:26.1; 15. Zoey Kantzavelos (BUR) 20:27

City High – 4. Grace Hamann 19:36.3; 6. Calissa Fruin 19:57.7; 7. Laine Barner 20:03.3; 8. Anna Fischer 20:10.5; 10. Mari Bechtel 20:18; 18. Madeline Fischer 20:43.9; 25. Eliza Doster 21:32.5

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