Several local student-athletes will take part in the Class 1A and 2A cross country championship races Saturday at Kennedy Park in Fort Dodge.
In the Class 1A boys race, North Butler sophomore Ezra Almelien will compete. With a season-best time of 16:47, he holds the 22nd-fastest time in the field, with a chance to vastly improve last year’s 84th place finish. That race will start at 11:15 a.m.
Aplington-Parkersburg senior Quinlynn Schultz enters with the 31st-fastest time in the 2A girls field at 20:37. It’ll be her first appearance in the event.
“It’s one of my favorite events to watch,” Schultz says. “It’s such a unique sport and it’s so different and people who get it, get it. It’s just funny to see all the parents running and all the fan bases. So I’m just super excited to go down there and represent AP.”
Grundy Center junior Grace Storjohann has a chance to surge into the top 10, entering with the 13th-fastest time of 19:38. She placed 34th in last year’s Class 1A race. The Class 2A girls race will be at 2:00 p.m.
In the Class 2A boys race, Grundy Center junior Emerson Vokes has the fastest time in the field at 15:12. After placing second in Class 1A last year, he says his goal of a state championship is well within reach.
“Just fight the fight, you know? All the work’s done, the table’s set,” Vokes says. “I just gotta trust the process, and trust God. And I think that’s what it’s gonna come down to, and’m just gonna do that.”
Dike-New Hartford senior Bryan Munguia-Chavez will compete at the state meet for the first time. His season-best time of 17:20 is the 47th-best in Class 2A. That race will start at 2:45 p.m.
