The Van Buren County girls and boys cross country teams traveled to the Burlington Regional Rec Plex on Thursday, September 24th for the Burlington Invitational, with both teams running against a competitive field that included several larger schools and multiple ranked programs.
Girls Results
No. 8-ranked Clear Creek Amana won the girls team title with 34 points. No. 8-ranked Van Buren County finished second with 83 points, followed by Notre Dame West Burlington with 89, Burlington with 98, Regina Catholic with 113, Mediapolis with 144, Columbus with 152, and Belle Plaine with 177. Hillcrest Academy, Wapello, and Keokuk were also present but did not score as complete teams.
No. 10-ranked Ali Seidl of Clear Creek Amana won the individual title at 19:09. Van Buren County was led by Rory Philips in eighth at 21:06 — a strong return after missing the previous two meets due to illness — followed by Adalyn Snowgren in 13th at 21:37, Kayley Snowgren in 14th at 21:38, Gabby Titus in 22nd at 21:57, Cami Daugherty in 33rd at 23:27, Brystol Wiley in 42nd at 25:12, and Paisley Baker in 43rd at 25:14.
Boys Results
No. 9-ranked Clear Creek Amana won the boys team title with 40 points, placing three runners in the top five. No. 7-ranked Columbus finished second with 70 points, No. 13-ranked Notre Dame West Burlington third with 75, No. 18-ranked Regina Catholic fourth with 100, Mediapolis fifth with 154, Hillcrest Academy sixth with 161, Van Buren County seventh with 175, Keokuk eighth with 198, Burlington ninth with 203, Belle Plaine 10th with 278, and Wapello 11th with 316. West Hancock of Illinois was also present.
No. 3-ranked Carson Meskimen of Clear Creek Amana won the individual title at 16:01. Landry Loeffler led Van Buren County in 10th place at 17:36, followed by Kayden Farris in 24th at 18:19, Bo Brecount in 43rd at 19:22, Leo Jirak in 46th at 19:39, Sawyer Spiker in 56th at 20:16, Camden Wells in 59th at 21:03, and Jackson Meek in 60th at 21:06.
Middle School Results
The Van Buren County middle school girls finished second as a team, led by Kamryn Tharp in second place and Lainey Bainbridge in third. The middle school boys reached a milestone on the night, fielding a full team for the first time this season and finishing fifth, led by Keegan Goehring in third place.
Coach DeHart’s Thoughts
Head Coach Lucinda DeHart praised the effort from both programs against a strong field. “The VBC Cross Country teams had a strong night at Burlington, competing against a tough field that included several larger schools,” DeHart said. She highlighted the return of Philips on the girls side. “Junior Rory Philips led the Warriors with an eighth-place finish after being sick and missing the previous two meets. Adalyn Snowgren also had a strong race and helped lead the girls to their runner-up finish.”
On the boys side, DeHart credited the leadership of the seniors. “Senior Landry Loeffler finished 10th, leading the boys, with senior Kayden Farris also helping lead the team. Landry’s senior leadership has been a big part of this year’s team.” DeHart also noted a number of personal records across the team. “There were many personal records throughout the team, which was especially exciting considering the level of competition and the number of larger schools at the meet. The runners have been working hard, and it was great to see that effort show up in their races.”
DeHart summed up the night with pride in how the program competed. “Overall, it was a really good night for VBC. We were proud of how everyone competed against such strong competition, especially with many of the schools having much larger numbers. The runners continue to work hard, improve, and compete for each other.”
