The Fairfield girls and boys cross country teams opened their 2026 season Saturday, September 5th at the Dutch Invitational at Central College’s cross country course in Pella, competing against one of the deepest fields they will see all season after their original season opener was postponed due to heat.
Fairfield was originally scheduled to open their season Thursday, September 3rd at Wildwood Park in Ottumwa at a meet hosted by Pekin, but that meet was postponed due to excessive heat — the same heat that pushed back Fairfield’s tennis match that evening.
Girls
Fairfield’s girls finished eighth out of 14 complete teams with 249 points, competing against a field that included No. 1-ranked Pella in Class 3A, No. 12-ranked Valley in Class 4A, and No. 14-ranked ADM in Class 3A, among others. The race was dominated by Pella, which placed six runners in the top seven, seven in the top ten, and nine in the top 18. Elsie Brenneman of Pella, ranked fifth in Class 3A, won the individual title at 18:40.7 out of 149 total runners.
Girls team scores: Pella (No. 1 3A) 18, Valley (No. 12 4A) 48, ADM (No. 14 3A) 122, Gilbert 157, Collins-Maxwell (No. 14 1A) 168, Lynnville-Sully 180, Pella Christian 195, Fairfield 249, Baxter 261, Chariton 267, English Valleys 292, Oskaloosa 294, North Mahaska 320, Central Decatur 333. Incomplete teams that were present included Hillcrest Academy, Pleasantville, and Wayne.
Freshman Ava Jones led Fairfield with a strong debut, placing 28th overall at 22:50.4. Alex Jo Steward followed in 34th at 23:36.3, Kensley Fligg placed 44th at 24:32.6, Naomi Stiemsma finished 66th at 26:14.2, Fatima Baez placed 77th at 28:02.2, and Fernanda Baez rounded out the team in 83rd at 31:36.0. Fairfield’s average time was 25:03.2 with a time spread of 5:11.8.
Boys
Fairfield’s boys finished ninth out of 14 complete teams with 242 points in a field that featured several ranked programs, including No. 5-ranked Pella Christian in Class 2A, No. 2-ranked Chariton in Class 2A, No. 11-ranked Pella in Class 3A, No. 13-ranked ADM in Class 3A, and No. 5-ranked Baxter in Class 1A. Cy Stuart of Chariton, ranked first in Class 2A, won the individual title at 16:18.2 out of 222 total runners.
Boys team scores: Pella Christian (No. 5 2A) 56, Valley 58, Chariton (No. 2 2A) 120, Pella (No. 11 3A) 126, ADM (No. 13 3A) 151, Baxter (No. 5 1A) 154, Lynnville-Sully 202, Oskaloosa 216, Fairfield 242, Mount Pleasant 268, Hillcrest Academy 291, English Valleys 303, Central Decatur 332, North Mahaska 382. Incomplete teams that were present included Collins-Maxwell and Pleasantville.
Elijah Hamilton led Fairfield in 34th place at 18:59.9. River Fulton placed 46th at 19:23.7, Elisha Vander Linden placed 47th at 19:23.8, Kalen Patterson placed 52nd at 19:30.0, John Miller finished 63rd at 20:23.5, Brice Boatright placed 74th at 20:57.1, and Liam Robbins rounded out the team in 79th at 21:45.4. Fairfield’s average time was 19:32.2 with a spread of just 1:23.7 — and notably, that performance came without two of the team’s top runners.
Coach Belzer’s Thoughts
Head Coach Jerrod Belzer was encouraged by both teams’ performances against the elite competition. “We were extremely happy with our results on Saturday. We competed really well against the deepest field that we’ll see all season,” Belzer said. “Our kids did a great job all week of hydrating and taking care of themselves to prepare for the heat. We thought they all stayed really composed and ran the race we asked them to, which can be tough to do against that level of competition.”
Belzer singled out the boys’ pack running as a particular highlight. “The boys stayed in a nice pack, coming through the first mile all together. Finishing in a spread of 1:24 was impressive for the first meet, and that was without two of our top guys.” He also praised the girls’ effort. “The girls looked strong too, staying in their packs for the first couple miles. We’re excited to get the entire team out there on Thursday and take another step forward.”
Next Up
Fairfield’s girls and boys will next compete at their one and only home cross country meet of the season on Thursday, September 10th — the Ron Hunderdosse Invitational. The meet will feature 21 teams on both the girls and boys sides, including several ranked programs. On the girls side, No. 7-ranked Van Buren County, No. 13-ranked PCM, and No. 3-ranked Williamsburg will all be in attendance. The field will also include Burlington, Burlington Notre Dame, Cardinal, EBF, Fort Madison, Highland, Hillcrest Academy, Keokuk, Lone Tree, Mount Pleasant, New London, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Wapello, Washington, Winfield-Mount Union, and WACO.
Attendees at Thursday’s home meet are asked to wear gold. For more information on why, click here.
