The Van Buren County girls cross country team won the Class 1A district championship Thursday, October 22nd, at their home course at the Riverview Country Club in Keosauqua, earning a trip to the state meet in Fort Dodge next week. Landry Loeffler and Kayley Snowgren also punched individual tickets to state, each qualifying for the second time in their careers. Pekin’s Mason Dahlstrom added to the area’s state contingent, earning his fourth individual state berth with a 10th-place finish.
The top two teams and the top 10 individual finishers from each Class 1A state qualifying meet advance to the state meet. The teams competing at Van Buren County included Columbus, Danville, English Valleys, Highland, Hillcrest Academy, Holy Trinity Catholic, Keota, Lone Tree, Lynnville-Sully, Moravia, New London, Pekin, Sigourney, Van Buren County, WACO, Wapello, Wayne, and Winfield-Mt. Union.
Girls
No. 8-ranked Van Buren County and No. 9-ranked Lynnville-Sully both finished with 51 points, with Van Buren County winning the tiebreaker to claim the district title and secure one of the two team state berths. Lynnville-Sully also advanced as a team. English Valleys finished third with 77, Danville fourth with 96, Pekin fifth with 96 and Columbus sixth with 117.
WACO’s No. 3-ranked Josie Dykstra won the individual title in 18:46.5. Wayne’s Kinsey Prunty was second in 20:05.4, followed by Danville’s KoraRae Stott third in 20:10.8, WACO’s No. 27-ranked Macie Carter fourth in 20:13.0 and Hillcrest Academy’s Marie Yoder fifth in 20:27.4. Van Buren County’s Kayley Snowgren placed sixth in 20:30.3, qualifying individually for the second time. Lynnville-Sully’s Kate Arkema was seventh in 20:30.3, Emma Parkinson eighth in 20:34.9 and Mandeesa Vos ninth in 20:35.5. English Valleys’ Anna Luers rounded out the top 10 in 20:39.9. All 10 earned individual state berths.
Kayley Snowgren paced Van Buren County in sixth at 20:30.3, with Adalyn Snowgren 12th in 21:08.1, Rory Philips 14th in 21:23.7, Gabby Titus 20th in 21:56.2, Cami Daugherty 21st in 22:01.3, Brystol Wiley 30th in 23:15.4 and Paisley Baker 35th in 23:33.8. Wiley’s 30th-place finish proved crucial, as she served as the Warriors’ sixth scorer in a tiebreaker that ultimately decided the district championship.
Jude Freese-McCabe, Pekin’s standout eighth grader, just missed the individual state qualifying cutoff, finishing 11th at 21:00.5 — one spot outside the top 10 that earned state berths. Stella Dickey followed in 22nd at 22:05.0, Scout Lock 24th in 22:22.1, Maddy Petrehn 32nd in 23:20.2, Bree Earnest 38th in 23:43.0, Emerson Porter 45th in 25:18.8 and Harper Guise 46th in 25:25.3.
Jayde Snakenberg topped Sigourney’s finishers in 23rd at 22:17.6, ahead of Cloee Wilson 36th in 23:35.7, Julia Striegel 44th in 25:08.2 and Harpyr Hinnah 52nd in 26:32.5.
Keota’s Josie Greiner finished 60th in 29:10.4. There were 64 total girls runners.
Boys
No. 10-ranked Lynnville-Sully won the boys team title with 49 points, followed by No. 6-ranked Columbus with 58 — both advancing to the state meet as a team. Hillcrest Academy finished third with 115, Pekin fourth with 120, English Valleys fifth with 123, Van Buren County sixth with 148, Sigourney seventh with 211, Danville eighth with 221, Wayne ninth with 241, Highland tenth with 248, New London 11th with 250 and Wapello 12th with 310.
Lynnville-Sully’s No. 7-ranked Colton Alberts won the individual title in 16:21.3. No. 30-ranked Columbus’s Leondre Ceant was second in 16:31.6, followed by Lynnville-Sully’s Blake Wilmesmeier third in 16:45.6, Highland’s Brock Nebergall fourth in 16:47.0 and Hillcrest Academy’s Troy Yoder fifth in 16:47.7. Van Buren County’s Landry Loeffler placed sixth in 16:50.6, earning his second individual state berth. Columbus’s Kevin Villa was seventh in 16:54.2, followed by Lynnville-Sully’s Madden Gunsaulus eighth in 17:15.9 and Hillcrest Academy’s Calvin Meller ninth in 17:17.5. Pekin’s Mason Dahlstrom edged out English Valleys’ Evan Koehn — 17:26.8 to 17:30.7 — to claim the 10th and final individual state qualifying spot, earning his fourth career state berth in the process.
Landry Loeffler headlined Van Buren County’s boys results in sixth at 16:50.6, with Kayden Farris 12th in 17:36.3, Bo Brecount 30th in 18:47.7, Sawyer Spiker 53rd in 20:20.3, Thomas Roberts 56th in 20:33.3, Jackson Meek 67th in 21:48.8 and Malik Huntington 77th in 23:03.7.
Mason Dahlstrom topped Pekin’s finishers in 10th at 17:26.8, with Lane Fariss 15th in 17:43.6, Brody Sobaski 32nd in 18:56.6, Wyatt Brown 33rd in 18:57.2, Clayton Harvey 36th in 19:17.2, Garrett Greiner 45th in 19:59.8 and Landon Fariss 46th in 20:00.7.
Cole Klett paced Sigourney in 27th at 18:36.5, followed by Jordan Anderson 37th in 19:28.5, Levi Myers 50th in 20:09.1, Brody Seeley 51st in 20:09.7 and Isaac Jones 61st in 20:55.1.
Keota was represented by Dacin Redlinger in 71st at 22:02.3, Rowen Horning 72nd in 22:02.5 and Will Greiner 92nd in 27:59.5. There were 94 total boys runners.
Coach DeHart’s Thoughts
Van Buren County head coach Lucinda DeHart said the night was one to remember for the entire program. “What a night for Van Buren County cross country! I am extremely proud of all our runners. Every athlete stepped up and ran their best race when it mattered most. Our girls are district champions and are heading to state, and Landry Loeffler earned his spot at state with a sixth-place finish.”
She said Kayley Snowgren’s performance and the senior class’s leadership stood out throughout the season. “Kayley Snowgren, a senior, also had an outstanding race, finishing sixth and helping lead our girls to the district championship. This will be Kayley’s second time qualifying for state as an individual, which makes the accomplishment even more special. I am proud of the leadership our seniors have shown throughout the season and the example they have set for their teammates.”
When it came to Loeffler, she said she could not be more proud of what he has meant to the program as a senior. “I am especially proud of Landry, a senior who has earned his way back to state for the second time. He works incredibly hard. I have tremendous respect for the dedication he puts into his running and the way he continues to push himself to be the best he can be. Seeing him earn another trip to state during his senior year makes it even more special. I am proud of the work he has put in, the person he is, and the way he represents his family and Van Buren County.”
The tiebreaker outcome, DeHart said, was a testament to what every runner on the roster contributed. “The girls’ team race came down to a tiebreaker, with our sixth runner, Brystol, making all the difference. It was a great reminder that every runner matters and every place counts. Our team’s success was truly a team effort, and I could not be prouder of how everyone competed and supported one another. Every runner played a role in getting us to this point, and nights like this show just how important the entire team is.”
Hosting the meet, she added, was a community effort that she was grateful for. “Hosting a state qualifying meet is a stressful undertaking, but our VBC community stepped up and made it happen. From our superintendent and principal to our secretaries and parents, so many people helped make the meet a success. I am grateful for everyone who put in the time and effort behind the scenes so our athletes and visiting teams could have a great experience. It takes a lot of people working together to host an event like this, and our school and community came through for our kids.”
Looking ahead, DeHart said the program is ready to take the next step. “It was a special night for our program, and I am proud of our athletes, our school, and our community. Our girls have earned the opportunity to compete at state as a team, and Kayley and Landry will also compete as individual qualifiers for the second time. We are excited to see them represent Van Buren County!”
What’s Next
The Van Buren County girls team, along with individual qualifiers Kayley Snowgren and Landry Loeffler, will compete at the Class 1A state championship meet at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge on Friday, October 30th. Pekin’s Mason Dahlstrom will also compete after earning his fourth trip in a row to state. The girls race begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by the boys at 11:15 a.m. The awards ceremony is scheduled for noon.
