Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Senior Michael Wagner placed 31st for Fort Dodge on Wednesday in Ames.
AMES — The Fort Dodge cross country squads put a cap on their respective seasons here Wednesday by competing in a Class 4A state-qualifying meet.
The Dodger boys finished seventh overall led by Michael Wagner, who was 31st. The FDSH girls were ninth.
Ankeny claimed team gold on the boys side. Iowa City Liberty and Dallas Center-Grimes also secured spots at the state meet, which will be held in Fort Dodge at Lakeside Golf Course on Friday, Oct. 27.
Natnael Kifle from Sioux City North just clipped Ankeny’s Ethan Zuber for the individual crown, as Kifle finished in 15:20.50 and Zuber in 15:20.80.
Dallas Center-Grimes downed Ankeny for team gold in the girls standings, as Ames was third. Claire Helmers from Ames picked up the individual title with a time of 17:44.98.
Wagner had a time of 17:16.7, with teammate Shawn Roberts II finishing 38th in 18:05. Omarion Myers-Zimmerman was 43rd (18:22), Cael Hansen placed 46th (18:36), Aidan Recker was 47th (18:41), Brady Major placed 50th (19:07) and Owen Gruver was 58th (20:02).
“Our guys showed true grit,” FDSH head coach Joe Jackson said. “We told them to forget times and just race as we were trying to finish ahead of Sioux City East, who were ranked just ahead of us. We came up a few points short, but it was not for a lack of effort.
“Our Top-5 all finished under 19 minutes, with Michael coming up with his personal best.”
Paige Lewis led the Dodger girls, as she was 47th in 23:58.57. Madeline Stephan was 49th in 24:00 with Madison Carmody finishing 55th in 26:00.
Darylinn Cook placed 56th (26:01), Reina Lacina 58th (26:46), Katie Rodamaker 59th (26:50) and Brooklyn Kaloupek 60th (26:56).
“Our runners had a super night,” Jackson said. “Our girls left everything on the course, and all seven ended the season with personal best times.”
Wagner, Myers-Zimmerman, Cook and Rodamaker are all seniors for Fort Dodge.
“We’ll miss our group of seniors,” Jackson said. “Their enthusiasm and work ethic has rubbed off on our underclassmen, who want to work to get faster and stronger in the offseason.
“It was a great finish to a fun season.”
