The Grundy Center cross country team is shaping up to feature some star individuals that’ll help their team to strong meet placings.
Coming off a Class 1A state meet runner-up performance, junior Emerson Vokes holds the fastest time among Class 2A boys runners at 15:39.
“Emerson is, working hard,” coach Kerri Lynch says. “He’s doing everything he’s supposed to do. His goals, he knows what they are and he’s achieving them left and right. So he’s doing his job.”
The time is 12 seconds faster than last year’s fastest time. He placed second at Tuesday’s Dick Pollitt Classic at Waverly-Shell Rock and won last week’s Pine Lake Run at South Hardin. He’s currently ranked fourth in the IATC Class 2A rankings.
The Spartan girls team is being paced by junior Grace Storjohann, whose season-best time of 20:25 is the third-best in the North Iowa Cedar League. Lynch says Storjohann is the leader of a close girls team, whose best times are all within three minutes.
“Grace leading the charge, she’s doing her thing. She’s always working for herself. She’s working for the team, doing everything she’s gotta do to improve where she needs to and push herself a little bit harder. Evelyn Geerdes as a sophomore and Kenna Steinmeyer are returners as sophomores. They’re stepping in and doing their job. Karlee Lynch as a junior is coming back. Newcomer Maddy Hendershot is a sophomore and newcomer Avery Miller and Briley Jordan as freshmen, they’ve stepped right up there. The freshmen are learning and Maddy’s learning what she needs to do for the first time out for cross country as well. And they’re all performing well.”
Storjohann placed sixth at Waverly-Shell Rock, where she recorded her fastest time, and fourth at South Hardin.
The Spartans will return to action Monday at South Tama.
