NORTH ENGLISH – It was a clean sweep for the girls – conference championships at both the high school and junior high levels – at the South Iowa Cedar League meet on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
“The girls team won their first varsity team title in more than three decades,” said Coach Kevin Gartman.
The varsity Bravettes won the championship by 10 points over Lynnville-Sully.
“Not only did the Bravettes run well as a team, but they performed incredibly well as individuals as well,” Gartman said.
Junior Elise Boulton earned the designation as a first team all-conference runner by placing fourth.
Freshmen Madison Johannes and Mia Boulton placed sixth and seventh, respectively, earning second team all-conference honors.
Sophomore Rebeka Teumer was a conference honorable mention runner with her 12th-place finish.
Sophomore Haley Van Der Hart finished one spot back in 13th.
Junior Carmen Klos and senior Carissa Van Zee rounded out the team scoring for the Bravettes.
Junior Alyssa Cline finished as the third JV runner in the meet with teammates Sadie De Jong in fifth place, Katie Probasco in sixth, and Madelyn De Jong in seventh.
“The varsity boys race showed a lot of individual growth as well,” Gartman said.
Junior Brydon Henning placed fifth, earning first team all-conference recognition, and fellow junior Brayden Stockman finished sixth with second team all-conference recognition.
Freshman Colton Benson improved his time on the same course by four minutes and 36 seconds over a four-week span and junior Dillon Nash ran his best race of the year, Gartman said.
Running first on the day, the junior high girls found a lot of success in the meet as they came away with a the championship and a perfect team score, Gartman said.
The Bravettes placed six runners in the top 10 finishers as Ellen Cook placed second, Alivia Cline third, Makenna Johannes fourth, Lydia Singleton sixth, Camryn Brennan seventh, Aja Kapayou eighth, and Ashlee Eilander 10th.
“Outside the top 10, Hayley Burnett and Catelynn Coffin both proved their growth as they each took around two minutes off of their time on the same course four weeks prior,” Gartman said.
The junior high girls team will compete at the junior high state meet at Ankeny Centennial on Saturday, October 19th.
“Also battling in an exciting race, the junior high boys placed third as a team with high school scoring, or second as a team in junior high scoring (scored to four places) as they battled back and forth with a good Colfax-Mingo team,” Gartman said.
Carter McKee placed second overall, Jack Erselius was seventh, and Bryson Stockman took a minute off of his time on this course earlier in the year, finishing 18th.
“Rounding out the Braves’ effort and making some incredible jumps in their pacing were Jusiah Wetering, Jayden Ross, and Spencer Ross,” Gartman said. “The future for the Braves looks bright!”
UP AND COMING – The varsity teams will run at the state qualifying meet (districts) on Thursday, October 24th in Marshalltown. The girls run at 3 p.m., with the boys race to follow.
