Kurt, Althoff earn spots in state meet


Carter Kurt runs his way to a 15th place finish and a state meet spot in the state qualifying meet Oct. 21 in Monticello.

Emma Althoff strides to a fifth place finish at the state qualifying meet, earning her a trip to State. (Photos by Pete Temple)
CROSS COUNTRY
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

     Monticello junior Carter Kurt and sophomore Emma Althoff have extended the season for Panther cross country.

     Althoff finished fifth in the girls’ race, and Kurt was 15th in the boys’ race, earning individual spots in the State Class 3A Cross Country Meet, during the State Qualifying Meet Wednesday, Oct. 21 at Monticello High School.

     Althoff finished in 19:27.7, missing her personal record by about five seconds.

     “Emma had an excellent race,” Monticello coach Dan Sauser said. “She will be running at State at a high level.”

     Kurt’s time was 17:10.0, fast enough to take the 15th and final qualifying spot.

     “I’m very happy with Carter. I thought he ran a remarkable race. He came out aggressive, and finished with a nice kick,” the coach said.

     The news wasn’t as good for the Panther teams, neither of which will advance to State this year. The Monticello girls finished fourth – the top three move on – and missed by 38 points. The boys took fifth, but were closer to a state spot, missing by just 12 points.

     “I told the kids afterward, they ran really well,” Sauser said. “They have nothing to hang their heads about. Sometimes you just have to acknowledge the fact there were teams there that were better than us.

     “We were deserving as well, but sometimes it doesn’t fall your way.”

     The Panther boys ran fast enough to have a faster team time (cumulative for the top five runners) than they did in their conference championship race six days earlier, by six seconds.

     Solon won the team title with 48 points, followed by West Delaware with 77 and Dubuque Wahlert with 85. Clear Creek-Amana was fourth with 90, and Monticello had 97.                  

     After Kurt were Zach Chapman in 16th place, Jasper Nietert in 17th, Harrison Ahlrichs 19th, and Jacob Miller 30th. Keegan Freese, who ran most of the race without one shoe, finished 38th, and Grant Hospodarsky was 53rd. Ahlrichs and Freese had personal record times.

     The result ended the Panther boys’ streak of 23 state meet appearances.

     “We’re disappointed that the streak came to an end, but the kids gave it everything they had,” Sauser said.

     For the girls, Lydia Recker ran 24th, Karle Kramer was 26th, Triniti Etzel finished 27th, and Rylee Kraus was 33rd. Rounding out the lineup were Katie Roher in 44th and Mya Postel in 52nd. Althoff, Recker and Kraus ran season-best times.

     The girls had a tough draw, with three of the top six-ranked teams in 3A competing in the race. Dubuque Wahlert dominated, totaling just 26 points. Davenport Assumption was second with 57, and Solon finished third with 73. Monticello totaled 111.

     “To finish fourth in that competitive field – the girls ran really well,” Sauser said.

State is Friday

     The State Cross Country Meet has been split into two days this year, and the 3A races are on Friday, Oct. 30 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.

     The girls’ 3A race starts at 3:30 p.m.; the boys will follow at 4 p.m.

 

Oct. 21

Class 2A State

Qualifying Meet

(at Monticello)

BOYS TEAM RESULTS

(Teams in bold qualify for State)

     1, Solon 48; 2, West Delaware 77; 3, Dubuque Wahlert 85; 4, Clear Creek-Amana 90; 5, Monticello 97; 6, Davenport Assumption 130; 7, Cedar Rapids Xavier 207*; 8, Washington 207; 9, Mount Pleasant 234; 10, DeWitt Central 273; 11, Maquoketa 333.

* – won tie-breaker with sixth runner rule

MONTICELLO RESULTS

(Individuals in bold qualify for State)

     15, Carter Kurt, 17:10.0; 16, Zach Chapman, 17:10.9; 17, Jasper Nietert, 17:18.6; 19, Harrison Ahlrichs, 17:22.6; 30, Jacob Miller, 17:44.4; 38, Keegan Freese, 18:11.0; 53, Grant Hospodarsky, 18:46.9.

GIRLS TEAM RESULTS

(Teams in bold qualify for State)

     1, Dubuque Wahlert 26; 2, Davenport Assumption 57; 3, Solon 73; 4, Monticello 111; 5, Clear Creek-Amana 145; 6, Washington 198; 7, Mount Pleasant 204; 8, West Delaware 214; 9, Cedar Rapids Xavier 245; 10. Maquoketa 259; 11, DeWitt Central 286.

MONTICELLO RESULTS

(Individuals in bold qualify for State)

     5, Emma Althoff, 19:27.7; 24, Lydia Recker, 21:01.0; 26, Karle Kramer, 21:04.3; 27, Triniti Etzel, 21:05.8; 33, Rylee Kraus, 21:42.8; 44, Katie Roher, 22:42.4; 52, Mya Postel, 22:58.8.

 

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