Razor-thin finish at CCA meet

“This isn’t real cross country.”

That’s what the starter said before firing the gun as girls lined up to race at the Clear Creek Amana cross country meet on Monday.

He wasn’t entirely wrong. The race took place on the paved paths of F.W. Kent Park near Oxford due to fields being too damp at the Iowa City Kickers’ Club. There was no grass or dirt run on, no spikes worn, and no procession of flags guiding runners around the course. In many ways, it felt more like a road race or community fun run than a high school athletic event.

Still, the message clearly didn’t get through to the runners of 2A No. 1 Mid-Prairie and 3A No. 9 CCA, as the girls’ teams battled within a point of one another, the Clippers coming out on top by a matter of tenths of a second.

The race was difficult from the start, with an already small starting line quickly pinching in on unforgiving downhill asphalt, leading to concerns of dangerous falls at the start of the race. That fast, tight start may have been what fueled the competition between the Golden Hawks and Clippers on Monday according to Mid-Prairie’s runners.

“The start was hectic,” Mid-Prairie senior Kendal Landstrum said. “I probably elbowed people, and I apologize to all of them, but it was a crazy start, and I think it helped me get into that competitive mindset.”

The Golden Hawks weren’t planning to race the meet hard, particularly with the change of scenery. Mid-Prairie head coach Jeremy Meyers described their initial plan as a “tempo run.”

“For [Landstrum and senior Brooklyn Stutzman] to come out and hit lifetime PRs, it was a bit of a shocker,” Meyers said.

By the time runners reached the finish line, thoughts of pacing themselves had left the park.

CCA’s Ali Seidl cruised in first, nearly 30 seconds ahead of the pack.  Landstrum had a similarly comfortable finish in second, with over 10 seconds of space behind her.

The battle for third, though, was fierce. Climbing the final hill, Stutzman was in third place. Clipper freshman Keira Cooney was hot on her tail, passing her near the crest of the hill. Stutzman hit the jets, pulling back even with Cooney as the two fought for the bronze medal into and through the shoot. When official timers handed out medals, both believed they were going to receive third place. The nod went to Cooney by a tenth of a second, a difference that proved critical in the team standings.

“I will argue that I got third,” Stutzman said, laughing as Landstrum egged her on, telling her to have the debate. “It was definitely really close.”

CCA’s final three runners finished 9th, 15th and 16th while Mid-Prairie’s came in 10th, 11th and 17th. Once three non-scorers from West Burlington/Notre Dame were filtered out, Clear Creek Amana totaled 36 points and Mid-Prairie had 37. By a tenth of a second, the Clippers had slipped past the Hawks.

The meet was unique for an extremely experienced Mid-Prairie team that is used to knowing every course they run at inside and out. The Kickers’ Club course the meet was originally planned to be run at is one they face multiple times each season. According to the Golden Hawks, the new venue was welcome.

“I personally loved the change of scenery,” Landstrum said. “Mid-Prairie runs Kickers’ all the time, so we weren’t mad, and we got here and it was just beautiful.”

With four of the team’s six regular season meets in the books, the team’s eyes are now firmly fixed on the postseason, where the team’s goals are nothing less than a state title after being held back by injuries a year ago.

“Our girls are ranked number one in the state right now, it’d be real nice to finish there,” Meyers said.

Lone Tree also competed at the CCA meet. The only Lady Lion in the race was freshman Ruby Hall, who finished 35th with a time of 23:42.

Lothamer emerges

On the boys’ side, Mid-Prairie’s Jacob Lothamer set a new PR while being the first Golden Hawk to finish on Monday. Lothamer came in 18th with a time of 17:47, one second ahead of senior and returning state qualifier Max Swartzentruber, who came in 20th.

“It was pretty sweet,” Lothamer said. “It felt really good at the end of the race.”

After pacing the Golden Hawks by a wide margin last fall, Lothamer has pushed Swartzentruber to new heights, providing him a training partner who can match him stride for stride.

“When you’re out there doing 8, 9, 10 mile runs, alone that can get a little monotonous,” Meyers said. “We’ve got some decent scenery [where Mid-Prairie trains], but for those two to have somebody to talk to and make the miles go by a bit easier, I’m sure it’s really nice for them.”

Mid-Prairie came in fifth with 156 points.

Dallas Grimm was the top finisher for Lone Tree, coming in 107th with a personal-best time of 22:47.

The Golden Hawks are next scheduled to run on Saturday in the Steve Johnson Invite at Waverly’s Max Championship Cross Country Course. The meet is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. Lone Tree’s next meet is scheduled for October 8 at Mediapolis.