Third was the word for three Iowa college cross country teams.
The Wartburg College men, Iowa State University men and Dordt University women each picked up third-place trophies during their national cross country championships over the weekend. They lead off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.
The second-ranked (by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) Wartburg men couldn’t topple No. 1 Wisconsin-La Crosse, which repeated as national champion in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Eagles scored 82 points to outdistance No. 4 SUNY Geneseo (132 points) and the Knights (133). La Crosse scored 3-4-5-13 among its top runners en route to the fifth national title in its history.
The Knights, as they have all season, were paced by junior standout Isaiah Hammerand. The Western Dubuque product repeated as All-American in 10th place in the 8-kilometer race. Hammerand covered the 4.97-mile Roger Milliken Cross Country Course in 24 minutes, 9.9 seconds, a 4:51.7 average per mile. Hammerand was one of four Knights to earn All-American honors. Senior Lance Sobaski, a Washington High graduate, also repeated as All-American in 13th place. Sobaski ran 24:12.9 in his final nationals appearance. Senior Eli Larson became an All-American for the first time after taking 18th. The former Center Point-Urbana athlete ran 24:17.0. The last Wartburg All-American was senior Jack Kinzer, who prepped at Iowa City Liberty High. Kinzer ran 24:40.8 for 37th. The four All-Americans is the most in a season by the Wartburg men’s team and ties the 2022 Wartburg women for the most honorees in a season.
Central College junior Jack Brown was the next Iowan to finish. The former Norwalk prep picked up 87th place in 25:13.8. Wartburg sophomore Solomon Zaugg was the final Knights scorer in 93rd place overall, 73rd in the team race. The Mediapolis grad ran 25:14.8 as the last of seven runners to finish within a second of each other.
No. 11 North Central (Ill.) placed 10th in the team race with 315 points and an Iowan finished as the Cardinals’ No. 5 runner. The Muscatine product and North Central senior claimed 132nd place in 25:33.9. Former New London prep Ander Julian ended up 196th place for Wartburg in 25:59.4. Julian is a senior.
Central College sophomore William Wadsley was the second of two finishers for the Dutch in 208th place. The former Gilbert athlete ran 25:05.2. No. 28 Loras College placed 24th as a team and junior Colby Cryer, who prepped at Cedar Falls, was 232nd in 26:16.7. Wartburg senior Tyler Schermerhorn was the final Knights finisher in 249th place. The Ankeny Centennial product ran 26:29.5.
Loras senior Logan Hoger, who attended Indianola, was the final Duhawks finisher in 276th. Hoger ran 27:08.9. The top Loras finisher was senior Isaac Bourne in 14th place in 24:14.3. The top Iowa college runner was Cornell College senior Isaac vanWestrienen in third place in 23:39.8. Cornell didn’t qualify as a team. Emmanuel Leblond, a Johns Hopkins senior, was the national champion in 23:35.0.
Will return to the Division III women’s meet in a bit, but switching to the NAIA championships in Tallahassee, FL, on Friday, Nov. 21. The No. 7 Dordt women produced the best NAIA nationals finish in program history with third place after scoring 136 points. The Defenders’ previous best was a fifth place in 2014. Dordt was comfortably in the top three teams the entire race and finished nearly 100 points better than fourth-place The Master’s (232). Taylor took the national title with 90 points, 19 better than Milligan.
Leading Dordt was standout freshman Addy Liston, who earned All-American honors in her first nationals race. The Unity Christian (Orange City) grad covered the 6K (3.7 mile) distance at Apalachee Regional Park in 21:39.2, a 5:48.4 pace per mile. Liston was the top finisher for Dordt for the first time. Liston ran in the top 20 the entire race and moved up five spots over the final 1K. The time is just three seconds off her personal best. Liston was 10.4 seconds ahead of sophomore teammate Adeline Crow, who also captured All-American honors in 24th.
Grabbing All-American honors in her last nationals appearance was Morningside College senior Courtney Sporrer. The Logan-Magnolia product ran 21:56.2 for 37th place to boost the Mustangs to 25th place out of 36 teams. Sporrer improved 40 seconds from her time at nationals a year ago. Morningside was competing as a full team at nationals for the first time in five years. Dordt junior Isabella Webb secured her best finish in her third nationals appearance. The former Waukee High runner clocked 22:03.3 for 43rd place to narrowly miss All-American honors. St. Ambrose junior Kaitlyn Knoche secured the program’s second-best finish ever at nationals. The former North Scott prep took 44th in a new 6K best of 22:04.2 for 44th place. Knoche, a three-time nationals qualifier, broke her own school record of 22:06.
Junior Abby Knepper paced Mount Mercy’s 29th-place finish with a 69th-place finish. The Beckman (Dyersville) product covered the 6K course in 22:30.3. Junior Emily De Groot represented Northwestern College and ended up 119th out of 331 runners finishers. The MOC-FV (Orange City) grad ran 23:02.9. Freshman Estefana Beisswenger, who prepped at Cherokee Washington, was the No. 2 runner for Morningside in 133rd. Beisswenger ran 23:11.7. St. Ambrose senior Allison Hein, who competed for Iowa City Regina, secured 140th place in 23:15.9. Morningside junior Gabby Ryan, a former Sergeant Bluff-Luton runner, was 157th in 23:25.1. Two spots behind her was Mount Mercy junior Kalin Rotzoll. The former Clear Creek-Amana prep who started her career at Grand View University ran 23:25.8.
Freshman Claire Rye was an individual qualifier for William Penn and the former Central Springs (Manly) athlete took 195th place in 23:49.8. Northwestern College junior Kayden Spencer, an Ogden product who hails from Boone, was 202nd in 23:53.4. Morningside junior London Rogge, another Cherokee Washington grad, was 207th in 23:56.4. Rogge was the Mustangs’ No. 4 finisher. Sophomore Annabelle Neal was Mount Mercy’s No. 3 scorer in 210th place. The Cedar Rapids Xavier grad from Marion ended up running 23:58.1.
St. Ambrose sophomore Lexi Minard was the third of three Bees athletes to compete at nationals. The fromer Pleasant Valley prep ran 23:58.7 to claim 213th place. Mount Mercy junior Emma Althoff, who competed for Monticello, was the Mustangs’ No. 4 finisher in 230th place in 24:14.4. Sophomore teammate Maria Dudzik, another Beckman grad, was 14 spots behind her in 24:23.3. Morningside freshman Madison Sporrer, the younger sister of Courtney, ended up 246th in 24:27.8 and was the Mustangs’ No. 5 scorer. She also is a former Logan-Magnolia runner.
Senior teammate Nicole Zuehl, who competed for Sioux City North, closed out her career with a 252nd-place effort in 24:35.3. Mount Mercy senior Kayla Overton, finishing her cross country career after starting at Grand View, was 12 spots behind Zuehl in 24:47.1. Overton is a Davenport North grad. Freshman Breyer Anderson was the final competitor for Morningside. The former Alta-Aurelia athlete ran 25:02.1 for 275th place. Olivia Norrish completed Mount Mercy’s lineup. The freshman who is a former Lynnville-Sully prep ended up 289th in 25:28.0.
Jeremy Sudbury’s Iowa State men picked up a top-three finish and trophy for the third time in five years at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, MO, on Nov. 22. The Cyclones, like Wartburg second ranked by the USTFCCA coming in, settled for third after having one of their top runners fall over a hay bale between 3K and 4K. Senior Sanele Masondo dropped 146 spots to 175th place after the fall. He rallied to take 86th place as Iowa State’s No. 5 scorer. Iowa State’s leader was sophomore Robin Kwemoi Bera, who became a two-time All-American after placing 15th in 28:51.5. Three other Cyclones, freshman Meshack Kimutai (22nd, 28:54.4), junior Rodgers Kiplimo (23rd, 28:56.5) and sophomore Joash Ruto (36th, 29:02.9) became All-Americans, with Kiplimo and Ruto claiming the honor for a second time. Rounding out the Iowa State roster was sophomore Allen Bonnessen. The former Danville-New London runner claimed 187th in 30:22.2 over the 10K (6.2 mile) course in his nationals debut.
“I am incredibly proud of the program and everyone who is a part of it,” Sudbury said on Iowa State’s athletics website. “Our athletes, support staff and coaches work so hard year-round and I am incredibly grateful to them and our administration. Again, it may sound redundant, but I’ve never been more proud of our men’s group as they have weathered so many challenges today and this fall and yet still kept fighting and scrapping.”
Top-ranked Oklahoma State won the fifth NCAA title for head coach Dave Smith with a dominant effort. The Cowboys finished 4-5-6-12-30 in the team race to score 57 points and outdistance No. 3 New Mexico (82) and Iowa State (158). The national champ was Lobos junior Habtom Samuel in 28:33.9.
No. 9 Northern Arizona improved one spot to eighth in the team competition with 303 points. Former Iowa City High runner Ford Washburn turned in a 113th-place performance in 29:43.6 for the Lumberjacks. Washburn was Northern Arizona’s No. 6 scorer.
The 12th-ranked Iowa State women ended up 20th in the team race with 491 points, as North Carolina State claimed its fourth title in five years with 114 points. Freshmen Betty Kipkore (15th, 19:01.4) and Mercy Kibet (20th, 19:05.7) were All-Americans in their first year competing at nationals for the Cyclones. Hilda Olemomoi, who won national titles at Iowa Western Community College before transferring to Alabama, was third overall in 18:46.4. Alabama junior Doris Lemngole repeated as individual champion in the 6K race in 18:25.4.
Returning to the NCAA Division III meet, where the 19th-ranked Wartburg women took 23rd in the team competition with 562 points. NYU, No. 2 coming in, won the title with 79 points, 27 ahead of top-ranked Williams.
The top Iowa collegian was Dubuque Hempstead grad and Iowa State transfer Keelee Leitzen. The Loras College redshirt junior secured 59th place in the 6K race in 22:20.2. Leitzen won the American Rivers Conference title last month. Central College senior Peyton Steffen, a former Marion prep, was the top finisher for Central College in 71st place. Steffen ran 22:31.6. Freshman teammate Maddy Stevens, a Dallas Center-Grimes product, grabbed 115th in 22:54.2.
Wartburg’s No. 2 finisher was senior Haley Meyer. The former Kee (Lansing) runner crossed the finish line 136th in 23:05.4. Sophomore teammate Lydia Maas, who competed for Hampton-Dumont, was the No. 3 scorer for the Knights in 169th in 23:17.7. Wartburg senior Karle Kramer, a Monticello grad, took 174th in 23:18.9. Knights sophomore Ava Vance, who attended Ballard (Huxley), was the team’s final scorer in 204th. Vance ran 23:33.1. Wartburg’s leader was senior Maddie Merna in 104th in 22:49.4.
Central College had a third qualifier in junior Teah Miller, with the Iowa Falls-Alden grad clocking 24:24.4 for 261st place. Carleton College secured a 13th-place finish, with freshman Nicole Peterson running seventh for her team. The former Iowa City High prep ended up 272nd in 24:44.2. Junior Audrey Maclean of Middlebury was the NCAA champion in 20:16.8.
Shifting back to NAIA nationals, where the Mount Mercy men competed as a team and finished 32nd. The top runner for the Mustangs was true freshman and former Iowa City Liberty prep Noah Gregoire in 102nd place. Gregoire ran 25:58.5 for the 8K distance. William Penn junior Andrew Miller, who prepped at Pleasant Valley, was 146th in 26:14.7 as a solo qualifier for the Statesmen. Senior Brady Cortez was the No. 3 finisher for the Mustangs. The Cedar Rapids Prairie grad ran 26:34.5 for 193rd. Freshman Matthew Schaul was the fifth and final scorer for Mount Mercy in 263rd. The former Maquoketa Valley (Delhi) runner was timed in 27:35.3. The Mustangs were rounded out by sophomore Jonathon Williams (266th, 27:36.2) and junior Trey Schulte (273rd, 27:47.4). Williams competed for Ames High and Schulte for Benton Community.
The top Iowa collegian was Northwestern College freshman Caleb Tofteland in 52nd place in 25:27.4. Top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan won the team title with 117 points, 11 ahead of second-ranked The Master’s. Senior Jack Anderson of The Master’s was the national champion in 24:15.4.
The NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships were held Nov. 22 at the Wayne E. Dannehl National XC Course in Kenosha, WI. Competing as an individual in the 6K race for Minnesota-Duluth was senior graduate student Shaelyn Hostager. The former Wartburg All-American who graduated from Dubuque Hempstead wrapped up her college career in 86th place in 21:41.9. The champion was junior Tristian Spencer of Adams State in 20:11.0.
Missouri Western senior Wimachmorr Gilo, a former Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson and Iowa Western Community College runner who qualified as an individual, finished his cross country career in 93rd place. Gilo covered the 10K course in 31:31.9. Augustana University (S.D.) qualified as a team and redshirt freshman Bryant Keller, a Glenwood grad, crossed the finish line in 169th in 32:24.5. Keller was the Vikings’ No. 7 runner. Wingate won the team title with 62 points and Adams State also had the men’s champion in senior Kidus Begashaw in 29:38.8.
Finishing with the roads, where former Drake University Missouri Valley Conference champion Adam Fogg finished seventh at the Philadelphia Half Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 23. The Mission Run Baltimore Distance athlete, making his debut in the half marathon, was timed in 1:03:50. The winner was Mohammed El Youssfi in 1:01:46.
“Really gave myself the chance to win (or be on the podium) by going with the silly pace early on, … but fell off around halfway and struggled in no man’s land to hang in there,” Fogg wrote on Instagram. “I remain confident in the fact I have full faith I will run a (much better) fast half one day, and eventually, the full – (one day).”
MISSING A TOP DISTANCE RUNNER OR TRIATHLETE?: Let me know at bergeson@registermedia.com.
Want to hear more about distance running in Iowa. Listen to my podcast here: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/lance-berg
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Isaiah Hammerand, Lance Sobaski, Eli Larson, Addy Liston, Courtney Sporrer, Keelee Leitzen
Reporting by Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
