Ending the 2025 cross country season on a high note, the Monticello boys squad, along with Panther girls qualifiers Mary Grace Lyons and Peyton Ries, took to the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge on Oct. 31 for the state meet.
GIRLS STATE CROSS COUNTRY
After an outstanding freshman regular season, Mary Grace Lyons ran to a runner-up finish in her first time running at the state meet. Lyons finished in 18:55, behind Albia’s McKenna Montgomery (18:20).
Following the 2025 volleyball season, a pair of Panthers earned River Valley Conference North Division honors. Hannah Butterworth was named to the second team and Addison Norton was honorable mention. The full list of teams follows.
Player of the year – Sophie Sander, Anamosa.
Coach of the year – Todd Troutman, Beckman, and Tierra Knapper, Anamosa.
Kicking off the season at the Cedar Rapids Washington Warrior Dance Battle Competition on Oct. 19, the Panther dance team brought home some hardware.
As a team, the Panthers took first in Small School Jazz, Small School Hip Hop and Small School Pom. Monti was also awarded the costume award in the hip hop category.
Individually, freshman Whitney Long took first in the ninth-grade solo division.
In the first competition of the year, Almost Famous Dance, Gymnastics and Cheer started with a solo competition at the Iowa Dance Team’s Annual Spirit Spectacular on Oct. 12.
“These ladies have been working hard to prepare early this year, and we loved seeing them gain confidence in the iconic Carver Hawkeye Arena,” Almost Famous owners Melissa Ehrisman and Amanda Hackney commented.
After wrapping up the regular season at Central DeWitt and the River Valley Conference Meet in Iowa City, the Monticello cross country teams ran Oelwein’s course for the first time ever, Oct. 23, in a Class 2A State Qualifying Meet.
GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY
For the girls, Mary Grace Lyons finished runner-up and Peyton Ries eighth to lead the Panthers and punch their tickets to the state meet. Grace Lyons finished in 18:54, and Ries set a season best time of 20:20.
In Class 3A, Region 2 quarterfinal action on Oct. 21, the Monticello volleyball team fell to Wahlert, 3-1, to close the season at 8-24.
“We played some of our best volleyball of the season to close out the year against a very talented Wahlert team,” Panther assistant coach Allison Manternach commented. “They had a lot of firepower in the front row, which ultimately proved to be too much to overcome.”
After a standout eighth-grade cross country season, it didn’t take long for Monticello high school freshman Mary Grace Lyons to adjust to the varsity 5K races.
After finishing fourth at the Cedar Rapids Prairie Invitational, the first meet of the season, Lyons rattled off five straight individual titles. She took first at the Bob Brown Invitational in Iowa City, the Panthers’ home meet, the Cascade Invitational, the Anamosa Meet and the 2025 Bobcat Invite in Epworth.
