WINTERSET — Perry cross country standout Jaylene Karolus finished 12th Wednesday at a Class 3A State Qualifier, finishing in 20 minutes, 9 seconds, sending the junior to her third consecutive state meet. Karolus finished one second ahead of missing an invitation to Fort Dodge.
Perry nearly had a Bluejay qualify as well. Sophomore Fithawi Andemichael recently moved into the district from Sioux City North, and his impact was immediately felt.
Running for the first time as a Jay, Andemichael finished 16th overall in 17:13, missing qualifying for Fort Dodge by one spot, as DC-G senior Blake Croushore grabbed the final invitation at 17:05.
DC-G (43) and Glenwood (66) claimed the team qualifying spots with the top-two finishes, with Perry eighth of 12 in the girls race with 268 points.
Geneva Timmerman (ADM, soph.) was first in 18:15, with Kami Smith (DC-G, soph.) second in 19:24, with Megan Sterbens (DC-G, sr.) third at 19:34.
Kennedy Tunink was 49th, in 23:13, for Perry, with Cris Gomez 58th in 24:54. Also running were Misty Gomez (74th, 32:54), and Michelle Tobar (75th, 34:08). Tunink, Tobar, and Cris Gomez are seniors, with Misty Gomez a junior.
DC-G (26) and ADM (68) were the first two in the boys team race, with Perry 10th of 12 at 278.
Nate Mueller of ADM was the winner, in 15:15, with Aidan Ramsey and Jacob Ewers of DC-G finishing 1-2 in 15:41, and 16:13, respectively. Mueller is a senior, Ramsey and Ewers are both juniors.
Senior Jayson Chavez was 56th for the Bluejays in 19:12, with sophomore Gannon Meis 61st in 19:35, sophomore Johnathan Chavez 70th in 20:36, and senior Jeb Stewart 75th, in 21:07. Also running the course were freshman Johnathan Munoz (78th, 21:19), with sophomore Bryce Anliker (83rd, 22:01) also running the course.
The Class 3A State Cross Country Meet will be held Oct. 30 at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge.
