GLENWOOD — Perry girls cross country coach Nathan Krohn said before the season that he believed sophomore Grace Stewart had the ability to earn a spot in the state meet “If we can get her under 21 minutes.”
This is the first year that Iowa has joined the rest of the nation in requiring high school girls to run a 5k course, the same distance at which the boys compete. The addition of an extra half-mile to each race created a learning curve for Iowa’s girls, one that some have adjusted to more quickly than others.
“At the start of the year Grace was over 24 minutes, but I knew we could get her time down,” Krohn said. “It was really just a matter of learning how to pace yourself and of being mentally strong.
“So much of cross country really is mental,” the coach continued. “You have to have the physical skill, but you also have to be able to push yourself, to decide that, yes, you are going to do this and to fight through things.”
The top 15 runners at each district site earned the right to advance, with Stewart kicking past the 15th place runner, Jessica Beatty of Creston, to claim 14th overall in 20 minutes, 50.59 seconds, a drop of roughly 48 seconds from her previous best clocking.
Those 48 seconds represent an enormous improvement, as harriers rarely take more than 10-20 seconds off a previous best all at once.
“It comes out to about 200 meters,” Krohn said. “This was a very hilly course, and being able to run hills at the Perry Golf and Country Club really helped our preparation. Grace was very strong going uphill and passed people on the uphill sides. She was very strong today, and this is the first time I have seen her have some kick at the end, which is when she passed a girl (Beatty) to finish 14th.”
Stewart will be the first Jayette to run at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge, site of the Oct. 31 state meet, since Daphne Baumgartner in 2009.
She said her goal was not a definitive time, but rather to ensure a top-15 spot. With coaches yelling out her position, Stewart said she knew her goal was within reach.
“About the two-mile mark I realized I could make it,” Stewart said. “It feels good. I knew I had to be under 21 (minutes) to have a chance and I did it.”
DC-G’s Lexi Smith was the individual winner in 19:08.93, with Tiffany Williams of Atlantic second in 19:39.21. Ellie Mendlik (Denison-Schleswig) was third in 19:52.14 and Reagan Andersen (D-S) fourth in 19:56.52, with Sami Sterbenz of DC-G rounding out the top five in 20:00.4.
DC-G won the team title with 57 points, with Harlan (72) second and D-S (96) third. Perry (297) was 11th of the 12 teams in competition, with 80 individuals in action.
Julissa Calderon (67th, 25:50.15), Darian McCord (68th, 25:55.72), McKinley Thompson (72nd, 26:22.93) and Alejandra Rivera (76th, 28:50.31) also competed for the Jayettes.
The Perry boys placed 10th in their 12-team field with 264 points. DC-G won with a score of 41, with Winterset second at 70 and Harlan third at 106. A total of 81 boys made the circuit.
Dawit Adum led Perry by crossing 27th in 18:02.03, with Morgan Holmstrom 32nd in 18:10.76. Mario Cruz (61st, 19:52.72), Emilio Gonzalez (71st, 20:35.41) and Jacob Prombo (73rd, 21:10.94) also scored for the Bluejays, while the 22:47.32 of Bradley Godwin and the 22:47.6 of Fernando Catalan were not counted toward the team score.
While both Perry squads showed steady improvement in time drops over the course of the year, Stewart was the story Thursday.
“I am so very proud of her,” Krohn said. “I am really out of words to describe just how proud I am.”
