The Fairfield cross country program held its annual banquet Sunday, November 8th, capping a historic season that saw both the boys and girls programs claim their first team meet titles in years, a freshman make history with a state qualifying berth, and a strong showing at the Southeast Conference Championships.
Team Awards
The program handed out several individual honors at the banquet. Freshman Ava Jones and Elijah Hamilton were named co-MVPs on the girls and boys sides respectively, with Jones sharing the girls MVP with Alex Jo Steward, and Hamilton sharing the boys MVP with Brice Boatright.
The Jack Polonsky Perfect Teammate Award went to Naomi Stiemsma on the girls side and John Miller on the boys side. Kensley Fligg and Arron Wellnitz were named Most Improved, with Fligg improving her personal record by two minutes and one second over the course of the season and Wellnitz cutting one minute and nine seconds off his PR. Ava Jones also took home Rookie of the Year on the girls side, while Parker Reid earned the honor for the boys.
A Season to Remember
It was a breakthrough year for both programs. The girls claimed their first meet title in eight years at the Mount Pleasant Invitational on September 22nd, and the boys followed one week later with their first team victory in five seasons at the Indian Lake Warrior Invite on September 29th.
At the Southeast Conference Championships in October, the boys finished runner-up and the girls placed fourth. Five Fairfield runners earned All-Conference honors: Ava Jones and Kensley Fligg on the girls side, and Elijah Hamilton, Brice Boatright, and Parker Reid on the boys side.
The crowning individual achievement of the season came from Jones, who qualified for the Iowa Class 3A state meet with a 16th-place finish at the district qualifying meet in Washington — becoming the first freshman state qualifier in the Fairfield cross country program in more than two decades. Jones competed at the state meet in Fort Dodge, placing 102nd with a time of 21:12.3.
