The Fairfield cross country teams wrapped up their 2025 season Wednesday, October 22nd, at the Iowa State 3A Qualifier held on the Central College course, facing some of the state’s top-ranked programs.
The Trojan girls finished ninth in the team standings with 241 points, while the boys placed 11th with 314 points. Host Pella swept both races, with the top-ranked girls scoring just 15 points and the second-ranked boys totaling 28.
Girls Race
Alex Jo Steward led the Fairfield girls with a 40th-place finish. Caroline Van Pelt followed in 47th, with Naomi Stiemsma close behind in 50th. Anna McAvan placed 64th, while Kensley Fligg and Bailey Belzer rounded out the team in 70th and 73rd, respectively.
ADM took second place with 92 points, while Cedar Rapids Xavier finished third with 93. Boone, ranked 11th in the state, placed fourth with 111 points.
Boys Race
Brice Boatright paced the Trojan boys with a 47th-place finish. Clae Cass placed 59th, followed closely by Elijah Hamilton in 61st. Arron Wellnitzz, John Miller, and Jordan Miller finished in succession, taking 73rd, 74th, and 75th places. Andrew Myers completed Fairfield’s lineup in 77th.
The boys race featured several ranked teams, with seventh-ranked ADM placing second (91 points) and sixth-ranked Clear Creek Amana taking third (103 points). Carlisle and Cedar Rapids Xavier rounded out the top five.
Season Reflections
Despite competing on a more difficult course than last year’s qualifier, Head Coach Jerrod Belzer expressed satisfaction with his team’s performances and the season as a whole.
“I’m really happy with our performances,” Belzer said. “We ran at a different, much more challenging course than last year and we still had 6/10 runners (that ran at the state qualifier both years) improve their times. I was impressed with how well we competed and everyone’s effort.”
Belzer noted significant improvement throughout the season from both returning runners and newcomers.
“I’m pleased with our season. We saw a ton of growth from last season with our returning runners, and both upperclassmen and our freshmen improved a lot from the beginning of the season,” he said.
Looking ahead, Belzer acknowledged the departure of key seniors but expressed optimism about the program’s future.
“We lose some really good leaders with this senior class, but I’m really excited about the incoming class next year. I look for several of them to contribute on varsity right away,” Belzer said. “We’re still a fairly young team and I think in a lot of ways it will still feel like a young team next year, but I expect both squads to take a big step forward.”
The Trojans’ season concludes with both teams showing promise for continued development in the coming years as younger runners gain experience and a strong incoming class prepares to join the program.
