Donnellson

It was the wind, not the heat that accompanied this conference meet.

Traveling south, past Mt Pleasant, Lone Tree arrived at Central Lee High School to take part in the Southeast Iowa Super Conference Cross-Country Championship meet on Oct. 5. 

Lone Tree had three boys and three girls compete in the varsity races. Having never competed on this course before, this meet for Lone Tree was a new obstacle to tackle. 

“Unfortunately, we had never been on [Central Lee’s] course which did have some effect on the kid’s race strategy,” Lone Tree coach Ashley Zaruba said. “The course was flat, windy, and it had a lot of sharp turns which is different from how they have raced most of the season.”

The top performance for Lone Tree came on the girls side. Junior Vivian Zaruba led the Lady Lions, conquering the course with a final time of 23:38 to place 17. The girls varsity race had 69 runners finish the course and the top 15 earned all-conference honors.

“Vivian has been battling some injuries and sickness but came out with a great first half of the race,” coach Zaruba said. “She performed well on the course, but it just didn’t go as she wanted. She is a competitor that will learn from the experience and take that into districts.” 

The next Lady Lion to cross the finish line was Jazmine Nino. Nino, a Lone Tree sophomore, continues to show positive progress this season, placing 36th in 25:26. 

Jazmine Nino ran an aggressive race at one of her fastest times,” coach Zaruba said. “She has a lot of potential in future races to move far up the pack, I am excited to see what she can continue to accomplish.’ 

The last Lady Lion who competed at this meet was freshman Abby Zaruba. She set a new personal best, finishing the course with a final time of 27:53 to place 57th. 

“Abigail Zaruba set out to beat her previous PR and did just that by almost a minute, an outstanding achievement,” coach Zaruba said.”

The boys race had a field of 116 competitors and Brock Nebergall once again gave Lone Tree its top performance on the boys side. 

Nebergall is in the process of putting together a promising freshman season, ending this conference meet with a new PR time of 19:36 to place 30th. 

“Brock is a true competitor with a lot of grit. This was the type of course that Brock tends to excel at, and it showed,” coach Zaruba said. “He set a goal for the conference meet, and he accomplished it by surpassing his previous personal record.” 

Junior Taylor Alberhasky and senior Joey Birtcher round out the trio of Lions who completed the race. Alberhasky placed 72nd in 21:55 and Birtcher crossed the finish line with a final time of 24:07 to place 99th. 

"Taylor Alberhasky has been coming on strong throughout the second half of the season and did not disappoint,” coach Zaruba said. “He ended the conference meet with another personal best. Joey Birtcher ran a great race with an even better finishing kick.”

Girls Results 

1. Chloe Glosser, Pekin, 19:54

17. Vivian Zaruba, Lone Tree, 23:38

36. Jazmine Nino, Lone Tree, 25:26

57. Abby Zaruba, Lone Tree, 27:53

Boys Results 

1. Solomon Zaugg, Mediapolis, 16:38

30. Brock Nebergall, Lone Tree, 19:36

72. Taylor Alberhasky, Lone Tree, 21:55

99. Joey Birtcher, Lone Tree, 24:07