First ever
By KYLE WILSON
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kwilson@crestonnews.com
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FORT DODGE – Nodaway Valley Athletic Director Dave Huff, donning a blacking winter stocking hat and a full zip Wolverines pull over jacket, stood below the deck of the Lakeside Memorial Golf Course.
In a group of three, he conversed.
He, along with all other Nodaway Valley supporters, anxiously awaited on the back patio of the clubhouse or elevated side hill for the presentation of the Nodaway Valley girls cross country team team.
It was the afteraffects of coach Darrell Burmeister’s Wolverines just shocking Class 1A in the team results Saturday at the Iowa State Cross Country meet. The Wolverines, who managed just a second-place finish at the regional meet, far exceeded expectations, edging No. 1-ranked Dike-New Hartford by one team point and winning the school’s first ever girls state championship in any sport.
Total, it’s just the school’s third state championship, the other two coming boys cross country in 2002 and boys basketball in 2006 — both coached by coach Burmeister. Coming into the meet, Nodaway Valley was ranked No. 5 by the Iowa Association of Track Coaches.
“We might have been as shocked as anyone (when the results were posted),” Huff said. “We knew that we were up against good competition. The kids, you can’t fault their work effort. Having been there before, these kids really stepped it up when they need to. It was a wonderful set of emotions Saturday. We were the last ones off the course. We engulfed the moment. You don’t get these moments very often.”
Sunday the school hosted a ceremony at 4 p.m. to congratulate the team. The team presented the trophy to the community. Just less than 100 people attended the ceremony.
In large part, the success of the Wolverines rested on the solo performance of junior Susan Herr Saturday. The junior stepped up on the state’s biggest stage, placing sixth overall with a time of 15:38, edging Corning freshman standout Tiffany Shepherd for the first time all fall and setting a personal best time in the process.
“Everyone stepped up and did a great job,” Burmeister said. “The preperation after regionals and the focus was excellent. Out of the ratings Oct. 1, state champions on Oct. 31. Susan became the seventh runner in Nodaway Valley history to be all state.”
The team placing consisted of Herr, Kristin Kincaide who placed 20th (16:23), Lauren Bricker in 31st (16:34), Bethni Johnson in 32nd (16:35), Brittni Johnson in 40th (16:51), Paige Jones in 45th (16:57) and Robyn Kincaide in 63rd (17:54).
The Nodaway Valley girls program was runner-up in Class 1A for years including 2005 and 2008 and placed third in Class 2A in 2004 and 2006. The boys program won the state title in 2002 but this is the first state championship for the girls.
Shepherd
Shepherd and Herr stood side-by-side during the awards presentation for Class 1A. On the final straight away, Shepherd had a small lead as they turned the corner. Herr outlasted Sheperd the final 800 meters for sixth place. But the freshmen, who registered five meet wins for the Red Raiders, placed seventh overall with a time of 15:40, putting closure on one of the best freshmen campaigns in the history of Corning cross country.
“I had a great start,” said a smiley Shepherd after the race. “But the ending, my legs were numb. (Susan) and I have been back and forth all year. She had a great race today. She had a little more left than me.”
Wignall
Creston’s Emily Wignall, another freshman, competed admirably in the Class 3A race. Wignall was just two away from breaking the top 25, placing 27th overall out of 121 runners with a time of 16:13. That time is Wignall second best of the fall, her best coming at Winterset with a time of 15:59. The freshmen was consistent all year, never placing above seventh in any meet except the Cyclone Invitational and the Iowa State Cross Country meet.
“She showed what hard work will do,” Creston coach Pat Schlapia said. “We didn’t shoot a certain place for her to shoot for, but we talked about just running her race and the place would take care of itself. Emily represented Creston in a great way.”
Hawkeye 10 member Ali Krogman of Atlantic won the Class 3A girls race by a whopping nine seconds, breaking the line at 15:07. Evan Selsor, ranked No. 1 in Class 3A boys and two-time state champion, placed seventh overall with a time of 16:16.
Kaufman
Wearing No. 989, Michael Kaufman placed 17th overall in the Class 1A Iowa State Cross Country meet. This on the heels of a fourth-place finish in the Class 1A regional in Greenfield.
Kaufman, in his first state meet, ran a time of 17:16. Of the four athletes who qualified, none will graduate this spring. Kaufman, just a junior, and company expect to get back to Fort Dodge next fall.
“He had a really, really nice start,” Dornack said. “At the finish line, he was in a pack of three. It was an honor to be up here once. He will be hungry, he wants a top 10 finish next year.”
