(KMAland) -- The Martin Blog Fall Sports Preview series continues with a look at Hawkeye Ten Conference Cross Country.
PREVIOUS FALL SPORTS PREVIEWS
7/24: Class 2A District 8 Football
7/25: Rolling Valley Conference Volleyball
7/26: Class 4A District 1 Football
7/27: Class 2A District 7 Football
7/28: Corner Conference Cross Country
2023 HAWKEYE TEN CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW
The Glenwood girls and boys claimed team championships a year ago. The Rams girls were tight winners over Harlan and Atlantic while the boys were dominant winners with Lewis Central the closest competition.
Here were the standings from last year:
GIRLS
1. Glenwood (57)
2. Harlan (60)
3. Atlantic (61)
4. Denison-Schleswig (123)
5. Clarinda (132)
6. Lewis Central (155)
7. Kuemper Catholic (180)
8. Creston (200)
9. Shenandoah (260)
10. Red Oak (296)
St. Albert (NTS)
BOYS
1. Glenwood (38)
2. Lewis Central (75)
3. St. Albert (88)
4. Kuemper Catholic (118)
5. Atlantic (131)
6. Clarinda (136)
7. Harlan (163)
8. Denison-Schleswig (174)
9. Shenandoah (256)
10. Creston (266)
Red Oak (NTS)
COACHES
Atlantic: Dan Vargason
Clarinda: Jane Mayer
Creston: Maggie Arnold
Denison-Schleswig: Nick Bradley
Glenwood: Marissa Klindt (Girls) & Todd Peverill (Boys)
Harlan: Zach Klaassen
Kuemper Catholic: Tom Nelson
Lewis Central: Taylor May
Red Oak: Sueann French (Girls) & Curt Adams (Boys)
Shenandoah: Emma Roberts (Girls) & Andy Campbell (Boys)
St. Albert: Russ Sindelar
**Note: Several schools do not list a cross country coach (or any coaches) on Bound for 2023, so I just kept them the same as last year with fingers crossed it is the same.
GIRLS: WHO’S GONE?
From last year’s top 10, Clarinda’s Mayson Hartley and Atlantic’s Ava Rush are the only two graduated seniors. Hartley and Rush finished second and third, respectively, at the conference meet. Among the next 10, Jenna Gessert of Harlan (12th), Reese Duncan from St. Albert (13th) and Emerson Griffin (15th) and Ryley Nebel (18th) are all gone.
Others in the top 50:
22. Carly McKeever, St. Albert
33. Autumn Stafford, Creston
36. Claire Miller, Denison-Schleswig
38. Olivia Arkfeld, Lewis Central
39. Emma Pantini, Creston
41. Madison Tingley, Lewis Central
42. Kate Hughes, Glenwood
43. Sydney Strunk, Creston
50. Lauren Bowker, Denison-Schleswig
BOYS: WHO’S GONE?
The big graduation from the conference is St. Albert’s Colin Lillie heading off to Northern Iowa. Lillie was fourth at last year’s conference meet. The next highest finisher that graduated was Preston Slayman of Glenwood, who finished 14th directly ahead of a couple other classmates in Jackson Griffin and Dillon Anderson. St. Albert’s Adam Denny ran 18th and is also gone.
Others in the top 50:
25. Ethan Perrien, Denison-Schleswig
37. Drew White, Lewis Central
41. Riley Wipperman, Creston
45. Seth Anderson, Harlan
49. Rylan Henke, Clarinda
GIRLS: RETURNING TOP 20
The first number is their ranking among returnees while the number in parentheses is where they finished at last year’s Hawkeye Ten meet. If the conference meet time was not stated in the blurb it will be put in parentheses at the end.
1. (1) Lindsey Sonderman, JR, Harlan — The two-time defending conference champion is back for her junior year (18:46.41).
2. (4) Claire Pellett, SR, Atlantic — What do you do when Ava Rush graduates? Just fill in with Pellett, who ran a 19:36.11 at the conference meet last fall.
3. (5) Marie Dea, SR, Kuemper Catholic — Dea is a third returning among last year’s top five after posting a 19:42.08 at the conference meet.
4. (6) Lauren Hughes, SR, Glenwood — Hughes started a run of Glenwood girls to cross the finish line with four finishing between 6 and 15. (20:15.74)
5. (7) Breckyn Petersen, JR, Glenwood — Pack-running has been a strong mentality and execution for the Rams over the years, and it’s why they keep on winning conference titles. (20:16.93)
6. (8) Belle Berg, SR, Atlantic — Atlantic also returns two of the top six runners in the conference with Berg posting a 20:23.33 and finishing in eighth at last year’s conference meet.
7. (9) Lola Mendlik, JR, Deinson-Schleswig — Mendlik rounded out a strong sophomore campaign in posting a 20:25.35 in 9th.
8. (10) Maya Hunter, SO, Clarinda — The top freshman in the conference last season, Hunter ran 10th with a time of 20:36.88.
9. (11) Brylee Schechinger, JR, Harlan — Harlan’s Schechinger comes from the same class as Sonderman, and the Cyclones have a dynamite duo among the top 9 returning in the conference. (20:39.23)
10. (14) Haylee Hughes, SO, Glenwood — That’s three returnees among the top 10 for Glenwood. Hughes ended up running 14th in the conference with a 20:56.34.
The rest of the returning top 20:
11. (16) Julia Kanne, SR, Kuemper Catholic (21:09.16)
12. (17) Emily Schechinger, SR, Harlan (21:16.41)
13. (19) Hailey Egbert, JR, Shenandoah (21:21.76)
14. (20) Charlotte Schrum, SO, Denison-Schleswig (21:22.95)
15. (21) Kayla Anderson, JR, Harlan (21:29.20)
16. (23) Brooklyn Schultz, JR, Glenwood (21:31.96)
17. (24) Mariah Huffman, JR, Atlantic (21:32.22)
18. (25) Alexa Tremblay, JR, Denison-Schleswig (21:41.67)
19. (26) Karina Williams, SO, Atlantic (21:42.00)
20. (27) Ava Bussey, JR, Lewis Central (21:45.97)
BOYS: RETURNING TOP 20
The first number is their ranking among returnees while the number in parentheses is where they finished at least year’s Hawkeye Ten meet. If the conference meet time was not stated in the blurb it will be put in parentheses at the end.
1. (1) Ethan Eichhorn, SR, Lewis Central — Also a two-time returning champion, Eichhorn goes for the trifecta in his senior season. (15:40.65)
2. (2) Bryant Keller, SR, Glenwood — Keller has done his best to keep up with last year’s 3A state champion, and he took a strong second place finish last year. (16:07.82)
3. (3) Andrew Smith, SR, Glenwood — The seniority is strong in the boy’s division of the Hawkeye Ten. Smith ran a 16:15.50 to place third last season.
4. (5) Treyton Schaapherder, SR, Clarinda — Another returning senior that placed in the top five last season, Schaapherder ran a 16:26.28 at the conference meet.
5. (6) Kade Diercks, SR, Lewis Central — Wouldn’t you know? Another senior. Diercks went 16:38.59 to place in sixth place last season.
6. (7) Kyle Wagoner, JR, Clarinda — The top-returning non-senior in the conference, Wagoner ended up running seventh with a time of 16:45.06.
7. (8) Liam Hays, SR, Glenwood — Back to the seniors. Hays was a key part of the dominant Rams performance in placing eighth while running 16:50.25.
8. (9) Richard Gonzalez, JR, Denison-Schleswig — Gonzalez posted a 16:59.47 for the Monarchs and joins Wagoner among top 10 returnees that aren’t seniors.
9. (10) Ryan North, SR, Kuemper Catholic — The top Kuemper Catholic runner at last year’s conference meet, North ran a 17:00.91.
10. (11) Kevin Coots, SO, Lewis Central — Coots started the school year as a member of the conference champion from Glenwood and then finished it out at Lewis Central. He ran 17:08.33 at the conference meet.
The rest of the top 20:
11. (12) Owen Wise, SR, St. Albert (17:09.28)
12. (13) Jacob Greving, SR, Kuemper Catholic (17:11.13)
13. (17) Ian Shelton, SR, Harlan (17:38.29)
14. (19) Marshall Arkfeld, JR, Lewis Central (17:41.01)
15. (20) Devon Fields, JR, Atlantic (17:43.85)
16. (21) Alex Sonntag, SR, Atlantic (17:43.88)
17. (22) Christian Thompson, JR, Atlantic (17:48.68)
18. (23) Richard Selken, JR, Lewis Central (18:05.87)
19. (24) Parker Heisterkamp, JR, St. Albert (18:07.60)
20. (26) Asher Rodenburg, SO, Lewis Central (18:11.96)
GIRLS: POSTSEASON NOTES
Atlantic: The Trojans lose one state medalist and return another in Claire Pellett, who placed 15th at last year’s state meet. Belle Berg — another state qualifier — is also returning for her senior season.
Clarinda: This Clarinda team was so good that we even posted stories, recaps and results just hours after they happened! It’s true, we do that for all teams, but it’s worth noting that group will be happy to return Raenna Henke, Maya Hunter, Richlyn Muff, Taylor Rasmussen and Addison Moore. Of course, they will miss Mayson Hartley greatly, but it’s still a healthy and talented group that helped the Cardinals finish 11th in 2A last year.
Creston: Creston’s top two finishers at the SQM were seniors, but Payton Davis could be back for her junior year after placing 53rd.
Denison-Schleswig: Lola Mendlik finished just outside of qualifying for a state medal, placing 16th at the state meet in Class 3A last year.
Glenwood: The Hawkeye Ten champions were also good enough to send a team to the state meet, finishing in eighth place in Class 3A. Junior Madelyn Berglund was the high finisher for the Rams at state in 18th place while Lauren Hughes, Breckyn Petersen, Haylee Hughes and Brooklyn Schultz should also return.
Harlan: Lindsey Sonderman led Harlan with a sixth-place finish at state, but that’s not it for the Cyclones, which placed 14th in Class 3A. Brylee Schechinger, Emily Schechinger, Kayla Anderson, Lily Schechinger and Taylor Bieker are other returnees from that group that performed at state. That’s a lot of Schechingers.
Kuemper Catholic: Kuemper Catholic will bring back a state qualifier in Marie Dea, who enters her senior season after taking 45th in Class 3A.
Lewis Central: The Titans bring back each of their top four finishers from the SQM last year. That’s led by senior Isabel McNeal, who placed in 22nd. Ava Bussey, Olivia Wait and Mahri Manz could also be back after finishing in 33rd, 41st and 42nd, respectively.
Red Oak: Five of Red Oak’s runners from the SQM — Hope Schmadeke, Abby Pedersen, Ella Johnson, Ashley Schmid and Kaysie Kells — could all be back for the Tigers.
Shenandoah: Shenandoah also has a returning state qualifier in Hailey Egbert, who ended up placing 45th in Class 2A. The moment she qualified for state was a real heart-thumper for us. We decided to not wait a week to post our interview and story about her!
St. Albert: The Saintes did have one state qualifier last year in Class 1A, but Reese Duncan has since graduated.
BOYS: POSTSEASON NOTES
Atlantic: Atlantic’s Devon Fields had a terrific finish to his sophomore season, and the junior will come back with the knowledge and experience of running at the 3A state meet.
Clarinda: An incredible team that deserves your instant coverage, Clarinda’s boys also went to state and finished in 12th place of Class 2A. Treyton Schaapherder (9th) and Kyle Wagoner (17th) are the key returnees after top 17 finishes at state individually. Alex Lihs, Grant Barr and Jonah Norton also ran at state and will be back this year.
Creston: The top runner for Creston last year at the SQM is gone, although the next runner — sophomore Owen Weis — could be back after a 53rd place finish at the meet.
Denison-Schleswig: Junior Richard Gonzalez picked up some state experience last season and came home from Fort Dodge with a top 35 finish in Class 3A.
Glenwood: Loa-ded. This team was so stacked with talent that the Rams should be excited to bring back many members of their sixth-place team from Class 3A. Bryant Keller, Andrew Smith and Liam Hays are a strong trio of returnees for the Rams.
Harlan: Harlan narrowly missed a state qualifier in senior Ian Shelton, who figures to be back to avenge that. He’ll be joined by the next two runners at last year’s SQM in senior Keaton Heileson and sophomore Grant Petersen.
Kuemper Catholic: Kuemper will bring back two state qualifiers from last season in seniors Ryan North and Jacob Greving, which went 39th and 47th, respectively, at state.
Lewis Central: Lewis Central placed 13th in Class 3A last year, led by the state dang champion Ethan Eicchorn. Kade Diercks is also back after narrowly missing a state medal, and Kevin Coots joins the fold after running 56th for Glenwood. Marshall Arkfeld, Richard Selken, Asher Rodenburg and Jaxon Brewer also had experience last season at the state meet.
Red Oak: All four of Red Oak’s SQM runners have remaining eligibility in Bennett Stickland, Joshua LeRette, Ty Jenkins and Bryce Williams.
Shenandoah: All of Shenandoah’s runners at the SQM have remaining eligibility in Brandon McDowell, Hunter Kellogg, Damien Little Thunder, Dalton Kellogg, Davin Holste and Rafe Rodewald.
St. Albert: The Falcons qualified for the 1A meet last year and will lose their top runner in Colin Lillie. That said, he wasn’t really that good anyway. (I’m only kidding. Lillie is a stud, but at least for a fleeting moment I know he was reading that and fell out of his chair.) Owen Wise, Parker Heisterkamp, Gabriel Barajas, Joe Hughes and Brady Smith all picked up state experience last year for St. Albert. Which is better than no state experience.
GIRLS: WHO’S COMING IN?
There was a really, really good freshman class two years ago, and I’m thinking there might be a chance at something special this upcoming year, too.
Harlan’s Allie Anderson won last year’s junior high conference championship, but she had plenty of a push from Lewis Central’s Delayna Reese, as they finished within four seconds of one another. Glenwood will be strong in the frosh class with Megan Hughes and Katelyn Harms placing third and fourth, and LC’s Madelyn Hoss is another top-five finisher to watch from last year’s junior high meet.
Others that were top 15 finishers last year:
6. Grace Berglund, Glenwood
9. Brinley Van Baale, Harlan
11. Alisyn Ullrich, Denison-Schleswig
12. Elaina Hesse, Clarinda
13. Maura Ryan, St. Albert
14. Reese Strunk, Creston
15. Katelyn Strohmeier, Lewis Central
BOYS: WHO’S COMING IN?
We’ve got to wait another year before Evan Lillie breaks in, but Red Oak’s Emmanuel Grass was the top finishing 8th grader at the junior high meet last season. He was one of just two (along with Lillie) to break 12 minutes. Shenandoah’s Luke Daoust is my neighbor and also a dog because we only breed dogs on Sheila Circle. He placed third last season in just over 12 minutes. Reese Montgomery of Red Oak was fourth, and Leighton Applegate of St. Albert is another freshman that took fifth.
Others in the top 15 coming in:
7. Ben Krohn, St. Albert
8. Nolyn Kinney, Atlantic
10. Cooper Simms, St. Albert
11. Broxton Hill, Lewis Central
12. Pace Chaillie, Red Oak
14. Jeffrey Gross, Harlan
15. Jackson Walter, St. Albert
GIRLS: ONE FINAL TAKE
It’s going to be hard to unseat Glenwood. The Rams could score 4-5-10-16 with the returning runners from last year’s varsity meet, and they didn’t use Madelyn Berglund in that meet. They will be heavy favorites to repeat while Atlantic and Harlan should also be seen as contenders to return their teams to Fort Dodge this fall.
BOYS: ONE FINAL TAKE
Hmm…how to break this one down? Glenwood will have three of the top seven returnees to go with a group that dominated the junior varsity race. Meanwhile, Lewis Central has three of the top 10, four of the top 14 and five of the top 18 coming back. Those two are the serious contenders for the team championship while Clarinda could fight with Kuemper, St. Albert and Atlantic for a top-three finish. When it comes down to it, Glenwood vs. LC is going to be an awesome battle all season.
Send any questions, comments and/or concerns to dmartin@kmamail.com.
