The Pekin Panthers cross country teams traveled to Luther College on Saturday, September 13th, to compete in the prestigious All-American Invitational, facing off against top-ranked competition from across the Midwest.
The Pekin girls finished 24th overall in what proved to be an extremely competitive field. The Panthers were led by standout senior Chloe Glosser, who captured individual victory in the race by 11 seconds – a remarkable achievement against such elite runners from several teams.
With her commanding win at Luther College, Chloe Glosser has strengthened her case as a top contender for the individual state championship. The senior has proven she can handle elite competition from across the region, and her steady progression this season suggests she’s hitting peak form at just the right moment. As the postseason approaches, Glosser has firmly established herself as one of the athletes to watch.
Behind Glosser, the Panthers’ scoring was rounded out by Abby Guise (152nd), Maddy Petrehn (170th), Harper Guise (186th), and Callie Deutschle (194th). Also competing for Pekin were Cambree Earnest (206th), Zoe Heisdorffer (213th), Haven Hensley (220th), and Reagan Wise (229th).
The Pekin boys squad posted a solid 16th place finish. Cole Millikin paced the Panthers with a 36th place finish, followed by Lane Fariss in 52nd place. Mason Dahlstrom contributed a 96th place effort to round out the top 3 for Pekin.
The Panthers’ scoring 5 was completed by Brody Sobaski (192nd) and Jaxon Mefford (196th). Additional competitors included Landon Fariss (203rd), Hayden Miller (213th), Conor Cloyd (219th), Clayton Harvey (222nd), Liam Guise (227nd), Wyatt Brown (230th), and Colton Harvey (232nd).
The meet featured some of the top-ranked teams from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. On the girls side, Iowa Class 4A powers Pleasant Valley (ranked 1st), Iowa City High (5th), Dubuque Senior (6th), and Cedar Rapids Prairie (8th) were in attendance, along with 3A’s 8th-ranked Decorah and 1A’s 4th-ranked South Winneshiek.
The boys competition was equally stacked, featuring Iowa Class 4A’s 2nd-ranked Iowa City High and 6th-ranked Cedar Rapids Prairie, along with 3A’s 4th-ranked Decorah and 2A’s 9th-ranked Waukon.
Minnesota was represented by ranked programs including Lanesboro/Fillmore Central, Minnetonka, LA/RP/H, Mounds Park Academy, Bloomington Jefferson, and Minneapolis Washburn. Wisconsin brought Aquinas and Westby to round out the competitive field of top schools. There were also other schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin that were not ranked.
Pekin’s next meet is scheduled for Saturday, September 20th in Ottumwa for “Lighted Links” as they continue at about the halfway point of their season.
