Van Buren County and Pekin both competed at the Southeast Iowa Super Conference Cross Country Championships on Tuesday, October 13th at Hillcrest Academy, with the Van Buren County girls earning a third-place team finish led by Kayley Snowgren’s 14th-place performance, and the boys finishing fifth led by Landry Loeffler’s seventh-place finish. Pekin’s girls finished seventh, paced by Jude Freese-McCabe’s 11th-place individual finish, while the Panthers’ boys took fourth place with Mason Dahlstrom leading the way with a sixth-place finish.
Girls Results
No. 17-ranked Central Lee took the girls team title with 73 points, followed by Notre Dame-West Burlington in second with 81, No. 8-ranked Van Buren County third with 86, Mediapolis fourth with 113, Danville fifth with 123, Louisa-Muscatine sixth with 150, Pekin seventh with 152, WACO eighth with 156, and Columbus ninth with 166. No. 3-ranked Josie Dykstra of WACO won the individual title in 20:09.7, followed by Notre Dame-West Burlington’s Hannah Ritter in second at 21:06.9 and No. 27-ranked Macie Carter of WACO in third at 21:19.8.
Kayley Snowgren led Van Buren County with a 14th-place finish in 22:39.9 to earn All-Conference honors, followed by Adalyn Snowgren in 16th at 22:58.1, Rory Philips in 19th at 23:18.3, Gabby Titus in 22nd at 23:40.4, and Cami Daugherty in 23rd at 23:44.8. Brystol Wiley finished 38th at 25:11.6 and Paisley Baker 41st at 25:43.4.
Pekin was led by eighth-grader Jude Freese-McCabe, who had a standout race with an 11th-place and All-Conference finish in 22:19.8. Scout Lock followed in 26th at 24:16.2, Bree Earnest in 39th at 25:12.7, Harper Guise in 46th at 26:02.4, Emerson Porter in 47th at 26:08.0, and Maddy Petrehn in 49th at 26:12.3.
Boys Results
No. 9-ranked Notre Dame-West Burlington won the boys team title with 50 points, edging No. 6-ranked Columbus in second with 54. Central Lee was third with 101, followed by Pekin fourth with 132, Van Buren County fifth with 143, Mediapolis sixth with 158, Hillcrest Academy seventh with 160, Louisa-Muscatine eighth with 172, Danville ninth with 262, New London tenth with 277, Wapello 11th with 314, and Holy Trinity Catholic 12th with 320. No. 20-ranked Drake Newton of Central Lee won the individual title in 17:28.3, followed by No. 30-ranked Oscar Cline of Louisa-Muscatine in second at 17:40.0 and No. 30-ranked Leondre Ceant of Columbus in third at 17:41.5.
Pekin’s Mason Dahlstrom had a strong individual showing, finishing sixth overall in 17:56.2 to receive All-Conference honors. Lane Fariss followed in 23rd at 19:19.4, Brody Sobaski in 34th at 20:20.4, Garrett Greiner in 36th at 20:33.7, Wyatt Brown in 42nd at 20:47.9, Landon Fariss in 44th at 20:53.7, and Clayton Harvey in 62nd at 22:32.5.
For Van Buren County, Landry Loeffler had an All-Conference performance, placing seventh overall in 18:11.2. Kayden Farris followed in 16th at 18:54.3, Bo Brecount in 32nd at 20:13.0, Leo Jirak in 47th at 21:15.2, Sawyer Spiker in 51st at 21:27.8, and Thomas Roberts 56th at 22:13.7.
Coach DeHart’s Thoughts
Van Buren County head coach Lucinda DeHart said both teams faced a tough test on a challenging course Tuesday night, and credited her athletes for their effort and determination as the season moves into its final stages.
“The coaches are proud of the effort and determination the runners continue to show as the season moves into its final stages,” DeHart said. “Conference is always a competitive meet, and the athletes were challenged by both the course and the competition. Each race provides another opportunity to learn, compete, and prepare for what lies ahead.”
DeHart also noted strong showings from the middle school teams, with the girls finishing second with 30 points — led by Kamryn Tharp’s third-place finish, Lainey Bainbridge in eighth, and Emmy Kite in tenth — and the boys finishing fourth with 67 points, led by Keegan Goehring in fourth and Braxton Steepleton in 14th.
With the state qualifying meet approaching next week, DeHart said the focus now turns to peaking at the right time.
“With the state qualifying meet coming up next week, the Warriors are focused on continuing to improve, trusting their training, and getting ready to compete at their best when it matters most,” DeHart said. “The team has worked hard throughout the season, and the coaches are excited to see what this group can accomplish as this season continues.”
What’s Next
Van Buren County will host a state qualifying meet on Thursday, October 22nd at the Riverview Country Club in Keosauqua. Teams set to compete include Columbus, Danville, English Valleys, Highland, Hillcrest Academy, Holy Trinity Catholic, Keota, Lone Tree, Lynnville-Sully, Moravia, Moulton-Udell, New London, Pekin, Sigourney, Van Buren County, WACO, Wapello, Wayne, and Winfield-Mt. Union.
