Strunk gains state experience

FORT DODGE — Creston’s first state cross country participant in three years chalked up Friday’s race as a valuable experience for return trips.

Panther sophomore Reese Strunk stayed consistent with her late-season times in a strong Class 3A field that included a record-breaking performance by junior Marissa Ferebee from a deep Pella team that also posted a record-setting team score.

Strunk was the first Creston state participant since Riley DeGonia placed 92nd in 21:15.20 in the 2021 meet at Lakeside Golf Course. Strunk ran 21:19.5 to place 102nd in the 139-runner field.

Coming into the state meet, Strunk’s personal best was her 15th-place finish in 19:54 at the state qualifying meet in Ames, considered a fast course on flat terrain. Strunk’s state meet time was similar to her 21:15 at the Hawkeye Ten meet in Carroll, her career best going into the state qualifier.

“This is a very similar course to our Hawkeye Ten meet this year and Reese ran a Reese time today,” Creston coach Maggie Arnold said. “She’s been consistent all year. Reese really didn’t have a bad race for us all year long.”

Normally among the top 15 runners in a regular-season meet, Strunk had to adjust to competing in a field of similar or faster runners. She looked for familiar faces who had experience there.

Arnold was pleased with how Strunk handled the challenge.

“She’s an inexperienced runner in championship events, and that’s kind of a big deal,” Arnold said. “I really wanted to use this meet to give Reese experience, because I know that her junior and senior years she’s going to be a lot more controlled with her race when she’s up here. She went out in a 6:21 for the first mile, and I like to have her at 6:30, so she was a smidge fast. But in a championship race like this you kind of just have to go with what’s around you.”

With Creston harboring hopes of bringing a team back to Fort Dodge in the coming years, Arnold was also pleased with the support shown Friday for their lone entry, since there was no school on Friday.

“We had all of the girls team here and about half of the boys team, and half of the middle school team here today,” Arnold said. “So, Reese had a really good support system spread out around the course.”

Quick start

Strunk followed her 6:21 opening mile with a 7:00.3 second-mile spilt and finished at 7:40.4 for the final 3.1 miles.

“I knew there were some Denison girls that I wanted to try to keep up with for the first mile,” said Strunk, who was lined up next to Denison-Schleswig’s entries at the starting line. “When they kind of left me I came back and found some Harlan girls and they helped me finish the race. I really tried to push it in the second mile and see whatever I had left to finish it. Today I felt I got out just a tad bit too quick. I had a better finish in the state qualifying race.”

In the end, it’s experience. One that’s made her anxious to come back.

“You feel slower, because of how so many people are ahead of me,” Strunk said. “But definitely it’s a good experience to be here. Everyone is really nice to each other. I definitely want to come back and improve my time for next year. Everything is special here. I was super nervous before my race, but I’m so glad I made it here.”

Hawkeye Ten standouts

Harlan was part of some Hawkeye Ten strong performances Friday and Saturday. As a team Harlan girls placed sixth with 205 points, just behind Winterset’s 193. Hawkeye Ten individual runner-up Lindsey Sonderman of Harlan placed fourth in 3A 18:29.3, and Hawkeye Ten champion Lili Denton of St. Albert won the 1A race Saturday in 17:59.3. Glenwood girls placed seventh in 3A with 211 points, led by sixth-place finisher Grace Berglund (18:42.4).

Class 3A girls scoring — 1. Pella 23 (state record); 2. Sioux Center 142; 3. Mount Vernon-Lisbon 145; 4. Solon 190; 5. Winterset 193; 6. Harlan 205; 7. Glenwood 211; 8. Marion 216; 9. MOC-Floyd Valley 228; 10. Gilbert 228; 11. North Polk 246; 12. Washington 265; 13. Clear Lake 272; 14. Decorah 277; 15. Des Moines Christian 282.

Individual leaders (139 total runners) — 1. Marissa Ferebee, Pella, 16:30.9 (state record);2. Elsie Brenneman, Pella, 17:58.0; 3. Ruth Dunham, Pella, 18:23.4; 4. Lindsey Sonderman, Harlan, 18:29.3; 5. Izzy Hardin, Maquoketa, 18:35.4; 6. Grace Berglund, Glenwood, 18:42.4; 7. Addison Bertrand, Bishop Heelan, 18:47.8; 8. Kyliee Zylstra, Grinnell, 18:53.4; 9. Natalie Anderson, MOC-Floyd Valley, 18:58.6; 10. Evelyn Moeller, Mount Vernon-Lisbon, 18:59.1; 11. Mara Schiebout, Pella, 19:01.3; 12. Carleigh Altwine, Pella, 19:02.3; 13. Alexis Hergenreter, North Polk, 19:02.3; 14. Lizzy Vandevoort, Pella, 19:05.8; 15. Ava Hope, Winterset, 19:09.4; 16. Maven Smith, Winterset, 19:13.1; 17. Lucy Murphy, Wahlert Dubuque, 19:16.2; 18. Mia Deegan, C.R. Xavier, 19:16.5; 19. Ashlyn Rau, Harlan, 19:20.1; 20. Sydney Dee, Solon, 19:24.9.

Creston — 102. Reese Strunk, 21:19.5.