Crestwood harriers run well at W-SR, Luther Meets

WAVERLY - Going toe-to-toe with many solid teams at the Dick Pollitt Go-Hawk Classic at Wartburg College on Sept. 10, the Crestwood girls’ and boys’ cross country teams both performed well.

Competing against more than two dozen schools at the Luther All-American Meet in Decorah on Sept. 14, the Crestwood girls’ and boys’ teams both turned in stout performances as the varsity boys’ team took 15th out of 28 teams while the varsity girls’ squad was 16th out of 30.

 

WSR Meet

In the Boys’ Cumulative Team Standings, the Cadets placed ninth overall with 87 points while Western Dubuque took first with 16 points. In the Girls’ Cumulative Team Standings, Crestwood took 11th place with 87 points. Denver was first with 28 points.

Ninth grade boys

The Cadets place 13th overall with 114 points. Luke Stortz had the highest finish as he was 24th in 21 minutes, 53 seconds. Others included: 33. Nate Dietzenbach 22:38; 57. Domanick Henry 25:15; 62. Colton Knight 27:03.

Ninth grade girls

Crestwood placed sixth with 55 points. Olivia Ollendick was sixth in 23:45 to snag a medal. Other Cadets included: 20. Tara Koshatka 26:48; 29. Cameron Moellers 29:46; 30. Bree Rogne 29:46; 31. Hannah Crouch 30:16.

Sophomore boys

The Cadets took fifth place with 63 points. Ethan Govern led the way as he was fourth in 18:47 to earn a medal. Others featured: 29. Ethan Mast 20:56; 30. Caleb Kammerer 20:57; 37. Jeremy Andera 22:08; 58. Nick Dietzenbach 23:59.

Sophomore girls

Crestwood did not have enough runners to post a team score. Kendal Slavin was 15th in 24:31, and Kyleigh Foster was 16th in 24:42.

Junior boys

The Cadets placed ninth with 90 points. Individuals included: 14. Justin Nibaur 18:45; 23. Nathaniel Bigalk 19:29; 53. Clay Schemmel 23:38.

Junior girls

Crestwood didn’t have a team score. Jayden Ruroden was 74th in 31:46. Ashley Ferrie placed 75th in 32:11.

Senior boys

The Cadets took eighth place with 78 points. Runners included: 18. Bryden Juelsgaard 18:47; 29. Matthew Slifka 20:38; 31. Caleb Shea 20:54; 32. David Meinecke 21:04; 47. Daniel Lares 22:50.

Senior girls

Crestwood placed ninth with 79 points. Harriers included: 21. Libby Labosky 24:21; 24. Mattie Slavin 24:38; 34. Madison Brace 26:15; 39. Kelsey Stortz 27:06; 47. Krista Riley 28:52.

Crestwood Head Coach Jim Obermann noted that although not many runners improved their overall times, this meet was a good test and strong harriers.

“This was a good early season meet for us,” Obermann said. “We’re trying to get a few meets under our belts to see where we are (as a team). A meet like this gives the kids an idea of what type of competition is out there.

“The first two meets we’ve competed in have included a lot of good teams and good talent. The W-SR meet is a good step for us in the process of helping us become as good as we can be,” Obermann said.

The coach said there were a lot of positives to take from the meet.

“In some cases, we were cautious because of the humidity. Overall, we gave a good effort as we always do.

“Indivdually, we had two medalists (Govern and Ollendick). Our best class race was the sophomore boys, who placed fifth. Ethan Govern ran a great race. He has competed well during his first two meets. He is a tough competitor. You know if he is in a battle with someone, he will come out on top. It’s good to see good things happen for him.

“Olivia Ollendick earned a medal by placing seventh in the freshmen girls’ race. Even though she didn’t have a great race, she still competed well against good competition,” the coach said.

Obermann noted that even though the girls’ squad is inexperienced as a group, he is confident they will improve.

“I think we’ll see a lot of improvement from all the girls,” Obermann said. “Libby Labosky, Mattie Slavin, Kendal Slavin and Kyleigh Foster all ran very well. All four will continue to improve and make us stronger. Mattie improved her time. Kendal and Kyleigh have gotten better since last year. Libby is very reliable.

“On the boys’ team, we have some guys who are continuing to get better. Luke Stortz ran well and did a great job. Justin Nibaur had a nice race. Nathaniel Bigalk had one of his best races in high school. Matthew Slifka also ran well,” Obermann said.

 

Luther All-American

Obermann was thrilled with the way all the Cadet runners competed against several outstanding teams Saturday.

“This was the biggest meet with the most talented teams that we will face all season, with the exception of the State Meet,” Obermann said. “Going into the meet, we told the kids to focus on their own race and they did. I think this was our best meet of the year overall, and most of the kids had their best race of the year. This meet was a positive step for us.

“In the varsity girls’ race, Olivia Ollendick had her best time (21:20, 55th place). It was good to have Rachel Steffen back (after an injury). Kendal Slavin, Kyleigh Foster, Libby Labosky and Mattie Slavin all ran solid races.

“Bryden Juelsgaard (49th) was our top finisher in the varsity boys’ meet. Overall, our boys’ team ran well. We had 12 guys who competed in this meet last year who improved on their times for this year.

“Our junior high kids also ran very well overall. Laney Peter placed fourth overall, which was very impressive. Dominic Bigalk ran solid and placed 13th,” the coach said.