The Wartburg College men did exactly what they wanted on their home course Saturday, Oct. 15.
The Knights captured the NCAA Division III Midwest Region team title at the Max Championship course in Waverly to earn the automatic berth to nationals. Second-ranked (by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) Wartburg scored just 30 points and put all five scoring runners in the top 10 to repeat as Midwest champions.
The Knights captured their sixth regional team title and lead off this edition of the WEEKEND UPDATE of the best performances by Iowa-based collegiate and postcollegiate distance runners and triathletes.
Leading Wartburg with a runner-up individual finish in the 8-kilometer race was junior star Isaiah Hammerand. The Western Dubuque product battled with Cornell College senior Isaac vanWestrienen, Loras College’s Isaac Bourne and North Central (IL) runner BJ Sorg over the opening 5K. By the 7.3K mark, Sorg had dropped off the race was down to three. It was vanWestrienen who had the strongest finish over the final kilometer to win in 24 minutes, 0.9 seconds. Hammerand settled for a comfortable second in 24:08.4, a 4:51.3 average.
Wartburg’s depth proved to be too great. Knights senior Lance Sobaski, who prepped at Washington High, was the No. 2 Wartburg runner in fifth place. Sobaski crossed the finish line in 24:26.0. Fellow Knights senior Jack Kinzer, a former Iowa City Liberty High runner, was the next finisher in sixth in 24:31.0. Hammerand, Sobaski and Kinzer each picked up their third all-region honors.
Central College junior Jack Brown briefly broke up the orange and black parade with a seventh-place effort that guaranteed his spot at nationals in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on Nov. 22. The former Norwalk athlete ran 24:31.4. Wartburg seniors Eli Larson and Tyler Schermerhorn finished off the Knights’ dominant day by placing eighth and ninth. Larson, who attended Center Point-Urbana, was eighth in 24:31.8 to gain his second all-regional honor. Schermerhorn, an Ankeny Centennial grad, was ninth in 24:36.4, an effort that gained him his first all-region award.
Central sophomore Williams Wadsley will join Brown at nationals after gaining an at-large individual berth. The former Gilbert prep ran 24:48.3 for 17th. Wartburg’s sixth runner was senior and former New London athlete Ander Julian in 23rd. He was also all-region after clocking 25:04.2. Simpson College senior Cole Leggett, an Urbandale product, picked up an all-region selection with 26th place in 25:12.4. Wartburg senior Solomon Zaugg, who competed for Mediapolis, was the final Knights all-region runner and competitor in 27th place. He ran 25:14.1.
North Central made the NCAA field as an at-large team and helping the cause was senior Aidan Armstrong. The Muscatine grad ran 25:19.2 for 28th. He was the team’s No. 4 scorer as the Cardinals scored 93 points to end up third. Next to finish was Simpson College sophomore James Johnson, a Marshalltown product. Johnson was another all-region honoree after running 25:21.0, an improvement of 1:30 from a year ago. Central College junior Donovan Card, who hails from Norwalk, took 43rd in 25:49.4 as the Dutch grabbed sixth place with 189 points. He was just ahead of Simpson senior Drew Engler, who ran 25:51.9 for 44th. Engler competed for Atlantic. The Storm were seventh in the team competition with 225 points.
Loras College also made the NCAA field as an at-large team and assisting in a big way were two former Iowa preps. Former Indianola runner Logan Hoger, a Duhawks senior, came in 53rd in 26:18.9. He was not far ahead of Central sophomore Ben Every, who ran 26:28.1 for 58th. Every competed for Dallas Center-Grimes. Picking up 63rd for Simpson was Ezra De Cleene, who is a former Carlisle prep. De Cleene ran 26:31.8. Loras junior Colby Cryer, who competed for Cedar Falls, finished 88th in 26:56.6. There were 238 finishers at the Max course.
The Wartburg College women also made the NCAA field as an at-large team after finishing third in the team race with 91 points. Washington U. edged University of Chicago, 42-48, for the team crown.
One Loras College runner and three from Central College also will make it to South Carolina. Reigning American Rivers Conference champion Keelee Leitzen of Loras battled for the lead with three other athletes for 5K before settling for fourth place in 21:46.1. Leitzen, a Dubuque Hempstead grad, averaged 5:50.3 over the 6K race.
Central College senior Peyton Steffen was the first of three Dutch athletes to qualify for nationals. The former Marion competitor placed sixth in 21:51.2 as Central took fourth with 136 points. Wartburg senior Haley Meyer, a Kee (Lansing) product, was the top finisher for the Knights in 10th in 22:06.3. Meyer became a fourth-time regional honoree. Central true freshman Maddy Stevens, who competed for Dallas Center-Grimes, was the No. 2 finisher for the Dutch in 14th place. Stevens ran 22:18.9. Junior teammate Teah Miller, who ran for Iowa Falls-Alden, was the final Central nationals qualifier in 19th place. Miller crossed the finish line in 22:30.0.
Wartburg then reeled off four finishers in the next eight positions to close out its scoring effort. Senior Karle Kramer, a Monticello grad, was the Knights’ No. 3 runner and 20th in 22:33.9. Sophomore teammate Lydia Maas, who ran for Hampton-Dumont, ended up 22nd in 22:39.7. Fellow sophomore Ava Vance, a Ballard (Huxley) product, took 26th in 22:51.3. Freshman Marissa Pewe, the final Wartburg runner, was 33rd as the women, like the men, finished with all seven runners as all-region. The former Johnston prep ran 23:14.9. It was the second all-region honor for Maas and Kramer.
Cornell College freshman Ava Claussen-Tubbs was the No. 2 finisher for the Rams in 34th to also capture an all-region selection. The former Anamosa athlete ran 23:16.0 as Cornell ended up eighth with 248 points. Senior Kiana Vogel also was the No. 2 scorer for her team, the University of Dubuque. The Norwalk product ran 23:29.5 for 41st. Central College freshman Kyra Cordes, who competed for Marion, was next to finish in 23:32.4. Cordes was the No. 4 finisher for the Dutch. Loras sophomore Ivy Glendening, a former Southeast Polk athlete, took 53rd in 23:46.8. Glendening was the Duhawks’ No. 3 scorer.
Central freshman Addie Doughan was the team’s fifth and final scorer in 55th in 23:48.1. Doughan attended Clear Lake. Cornell senior Alyza Koppes, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad, was next to finish in 23:51.2. Koppes was the team’s No. 3 scorer. Sophomore teammate Carley Seeley, a Fairfield High product, was three spots back of Koppes in 23:53.5. Two other Iowans broke 24 minutes: Central freshman Brecklyn Petersen (62nd, 23:54.2) and Loras senior Bailey Vaughan (66th, 23:58.9). Petersen is a former Glenwood prep while Vaughan competed for Johnston and was the Duhawks’ No. 4 finisher. Washington U. sophomore Lucinda Laughlin was the individual champion in 21:29.7.
Johns Hopkins freshman Ani Wedemeyer also will competing at Division III nationals after her fourth-ranked team won the Mid-Atlantic Region on Nov. 15 in Newville, PA. The former Pleasant Valley runner placed 13th overall and fifth on her team as the Blue Jays won the team crown with 42 points, 22 ahead of Carnegie Mellon. Wedemeyer raced the 6K in 22:17.5. The winner, Carnegie Mellon senior Chloe Bonson, ran 21:24.5.
An Iowan competed for a Carleton women’s team that made the NCAA Division III field as an at-large team. Iowa City High product Nicole Peterson was the No. 6 runner for a team that took second with 71 points at the North Region championships in Colfax, WI, on Nov. 15. Peterson ran the 6K in 23:33.0 to place 48th. Her teammate, senior Hannah Preisser, was the individual winner in 21:40.2. Wisconsin-La Crosse took the team crown with 45 points.
Moving to the NCAA Division I ranks, where region championships were held across the nation on Nov. 14. The Iowa State teams both qualified for nationals, with the Cyclone men earning an automatic berth and the women taking an at-large spot. The Cyclone women put three runners, including freshman Betty Kipkore (thir, 19:53.2), in the top 10 to score 108 points and grab third at the Midwest Region event at Stillwater, OK.
North Dakota junior Shewaye Johnson won’t be appearing at nationals at Columbia, MO, on Nov. 22, but the former Ballard (Huxley) prep was a star for her team. Johnson served as the Fighting Hawks’ No. 2 scorer in 27th place in the 6K competition in 21:07.8. Johnson ended her high school career in Texas and started her college career at Texas A&M. North Dakota was eighth in the team competition with 289 points. Bradley true freshman Noelle Steines, a standout first at Calamus-Wheatland before finishing at Tipton, captured 45th place in 21:37.9. Steines was the No. 3 runner for the Braves, who were sixth in the team race with 216 points.
ADM (Adel) grad Geneva Timmerman was easily the No. 1 runner for South Dakota, 25th in the team race. The Coyotes sophomore placed 51st in 21:42.6. Timmerman narrowly held off Northern Iowa redshirt senior Millie Hill, who was .2 of a second back. Hill, the Panthers’ top finisher, competed for Ankeny Centennial. Sophomore Hillary Trainor was the No. 2 scorer for Iowa in 64th place in 21:52.8. Trainor is a Sumner-Fredericksburg product. Northern Iowa freshman Lindsey Sonderman had a strong region debut in 73rd place. The Harlan Community grad ran 21:59.8 and crossed second on the Panthers team. Sonderman had two teammates in the top 100. Sophomore Leah Klapatauskas, a former Dubuque Senior prep, ran 86th in 22:13.9. Fellow sophomore Meghan Wheatley, who ran for North Linn, was 95th in 22:20.1. Iowa senior Jalyssa Blazek was the Hawkeyes’ No. 3 in 97th place. The Turkey Valley (Jackson Junction) product ran 22:21.3.
South Dakota State true freshman Nora Peterson, who competed for Alta-Aurelia, was 102nd in 22:26.3 as the Jackrabbits ended up 10th in the team race. Oklahoma graduate student Megan Johnson, a senior with the Sooners, picked up 115th in 22:34.1. Johnson is an Aplington-Parkersburg grad who started her career at Central College. Iowa senior Rowan Boulter, the final scorer for the Hawkeyes, ended up 123rd in 22:41.6. Boulter prepped at Iowa City High. South Dakota true freshman Drew Beason, an Ankeny High product, was 162nd in 23:09.2. Oklahoma State freshman Isca Chelangat was the individual champion in 19:48.4 as the Cowgirls won the team title with 55 points, 31 ahead of Northwestern.
The No. 2-ranked Cyclone men finished behind No. 1 Oklahoma State just like the Big 12 championships at Lawrence, KS, but the margin was closer. The Cyclones went 2-3-4 with Joash Ruto (29:46.0), Robin Kwemoi Bera (29:48.0) and Sanele Masondo (30:01.5) in the 10K race and had four in the top 10, but the Cowboys scored 1-5-6-9-17 to score 38 points, three ahead of Iowa State. Running sixth for the Cyclones was sophomore Allen Bonnessen, a former Danville-New London runner. Bonnessen took 32nd in 31:19.3, a 5:02.4 average. Iowa sophomore Luke Knepp was the top runner for the Hawkeyes in 65th place. The Pleasant Valley grad ran 32:25.4. South Dakota State junior Will Lohr, who prepped at Sioux City North, came in 71st for the Jackrabbits, 10th in the team race with 252 points. Lohr ran 32:28.2 and was the team’s No. 4 runner. Iowa senior Brayden Burnett, who competed for Cedar Falls before coming to Iowa City, ran 32:32.1 for 76th. He was the Hawkeyes’ No. 2 scorer. Freshman teammate Elias Arbuckle, a Dallas Center-Grimes product, was 84th in 32:42.7. He was the No. 3 finisher for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa State redshirt senior Quinton Orr was the final Cyclones finisher in 99th place in 32:59.1. Orr came to Ames from Humboldt. Orr was just .7 ahead of 100th-place Hayden Kuhn of Iowa. Kuhn, a junior, competed for Linn-Mar (Marion). His senior teammate, Carson Houg, was five spots back in 33:04.9. Houg is a Des Moines Christian grad. South Dakota sophomore Natnael Kifle was the top runner for 27th-place South Dakota. The former Sioux City North runner finished 120th in 33:25.9. Junior teammate Levi Hill, who attended Ankeny High before starting his college career at Northern Iowa, was 132nd in 33:39.0. Saint Louis University redshirt senior Tyler Schweizer came in 142nd for the 25th-place Billikens in 33:53.4. Schweizer is a Dowling Catholic product. Micah Rees was the top finisher for Northern Iowa in 147th place in 34:00.5. The sophomore hails from Washington. Drake University true freshman John Moeller was the No. 4 finisher for the 18th-place Bulldogs in 151st place. The former Marshalltown prep ran 34:06.4. North Dakota State sophomore Carl Rekow, the No. 5 scorer for the 19th-place Bison, was 161st in 34:19.5. Rekow graduated from Pleasant Valley. The individual champion was Oklahoma State sophomore Denis Kipngetich in 29:42.8.
The eighth-ranked Northern Arizona men claimed an at-large berth for nationals after placing third in a tough Mountain Region event at the University of Utah. Placing 45th for the Lumberjacks was redshirt sophomore Ford Washburn. The former Iowa City High runner clocked 31:29.5 for the 10K race while finishing as the No. 7 scorer for his team. Northern Arizona scored 82 points, trailing New Mexico (37) and BYU (67). Former Dallas Center-Grimes and Drake University athlete Aidan Ramsey ended up 113th in 35:13.6. The redshirt junior was the No. 7 finisher for the Cowboys, 10th in the team competition with 291 points. New Mexico junior star Habtom Samuel was the individual champion in 29:45.3.
North Texas sophomore Aidan Shannon competed for North Texas at the South Central Region championships on the Agri Park course in Fayetteville, AR. The Wapsie Valley (Fairbank) product ran the 10K in 33:29.2 to place 121st as the Mean Green finished 11th in the team competition with 324 points. Tulane won the team event with 44 points, two ahead of host Arkansas, and Razorbacks junior Timothy Chesondin took the win in 28:44.4.
Cohen Kooker was the No. 5 scorer for North Florida at the South Region championships at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, AL. The former Valley High runner covered the 6K course in 21:44.8 for 122nd. The Ospreys came in 18th in the team race, with Florida taking the team race with 52 points. Alabama junior Doris Lemngole, the reigning NCAA champion, took the win in 18:43.8.
Iowa Central Community College hosted the NJCAA National Half Marathon Championships in Fort Dodge on Tuesday, Nov. 11 and rival Iowa Western won its second title with nine points. The Reivers went 1-2 with sophomores Barnabas Ndiwa (1:04:55.3) and Geofrey Ronoh (1:04:55.3) while placing five in the top 10. The half marathon event scores three runners. The host Tritons were second with 30 points. Des Moines Area Community College sophomore Elijah Blix, who attended Vinton-Shellsburg, placed 48th in 1:13:06.0. Freshman teammate Christian Choate, a Martensdale-St. Mary’s product, was 63rd in 1:14:38.8. Iowa Western sophomore Kade Diercks, a former Council Bluffs Lewis Central prep, was 71st in 1:15:20.9.
The Iowa Western women picked up runner-up honors in the team competition with 20 points, nine behind champion Odessa, and had the individual champion in freshman Juliana Sakat in 1:15:47.3. Sakat won the title by nearly two minutes. Sophomore teammate Alyssa Kulesa, who competed for Treynor, was 39th in 1:31:27.4.
Wartburg hosted a dual with the University of Chicago three days before the Midwest Region meet to give some athletes one last chance to race. The Knights captured the top 10 positions. Taking the victory in the men’s 5K was junior and former Iowa City Liberty High prep Nathan Kinzer in 14:44.1. Senior teammate Seth Bailey, who competed for New London, was runner-up in 14:49.6. True freshman Gavin Grunhovd, who prepped at North Iowa (Buffalo Center), was next in 14:52.3. Sophomore Andrew Smith, who ran for Glenwood, crossed the finish line in 14:56.2 for fourth. Redshirt freshman AJ Schermerhorn, who went to Ankeny Centennial and transferred from Iowa State, ran 14:57.7 for fifth. Sophomore teammate Drew Moser, who ran at Clinton, claimed the sixth spot in 14:57.9. Fellow sophomore Cooper Cook, a Marion grad, was eighth in 15:01.0. Knights freshman Ethan Boston, who prepped at Linn-Mar (Marion), rounded out the top 10 in 15:04.4.
Wartburg wasn’t as dominant in the women’s race. The Knights put five runners in the top 10, with freshman and former Dubuque Senior runner Claire Hoyer in fourth in 18:08.5 in the 5K race. Hoyer was the second Knights athlete to finish. Former Wartburg ARC champion Lexi Brown, now representing the Fitness Sports Distance Elite squad, was sixth in 18:14.1. Brown competed for New London in high school. Wartburg freshman Peyton Morey, a Spencer grad, finished ninth in 18:49.0. Fellow Knights freshman Bethany Warren completed the top 10 in 18:49.2. Warren ran for Forest City. Chicago freshman Olivia Resnick won the race in 17:45.7.
Turning to the roads, where former Spirit Lake prep Alec Baldwin picked up a win in the Wash Park Circuit in Denver on Nov. 16. The Denver resident won the 2.2-mile event in 10:09.28 to win by just over a second over Ryder Searle. Baldwin averaged 4:34 pace per mile while winning the circuit season title.
At the Every Woman’s Marathon in Scottsdale, AZ, on Nov. 16, Runablaze Iowa team member Angela Chaney finished third overall out of 4,027 runners. The Norwalk and Central College grad who won the 2024 IMT Des Moines Marathon covered the 26.2-mile distance in 2:57:10. Chaney was coming off a 2:43 marathon at Indianapolis just eight days before the race.
“I found a pace that was feeling good so I held that as long as I could,” Chaney wrote on Facebook. “I was so pumped to go sub 3 because that definitely wasn’t a goal after running 26.2 last week.”
At the Muscatine Turkey Trot Prediction Run, Running Wild Elite’s Nathan Hopp picked up the victory. The Cedar Rapids man, 42, ran 16:45 for 5K.
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This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Mile posts: Items on Isaiah Hammerand, Lance Sobaski, Jack Kinzer, Keelee Leitzen, Peyton Steffen, Ani Wedemeyer, Allen Bonnessen
Reporting by Lance Bergeson, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
