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i Blodgett, ta Hovland, Mad ris K , nd la ov H Sevley, Brooke left: Samantha om fr , r. am te g in ify oach Jon Potte Bison state qual land and Head C el H n ia R The 2013 Lady s, tje xis Julsrud-Wer Christa Miller, Le

November 6, 2013 Sumplement to Buffalo Center Tribune North Iowa’s individual qualifiers for the state cross country meet, from left: Brooke Hovland, Madi Blodgett and Connor Smith.

Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 2

Runners nab four medals on opening day

The North Iowa cross country teams ran their first races of the season at Mason City on Tuesday, Sept. 3. Two boys and two girls took medalist honors, as the Lady Bison placed 4th out of 13 teams, and the Bison finished 10th out of 15 complete teams. “This was a very good first meet for us,� said Head Coach Jonathan Potter. “From the junior high to the varsity level, people competed. That is an exceptionally important ingredient for the first race of the season.

The girls’ squad was led by medalists Madi Blodgett, 4th place, and Brooke Hovland, 7th place. “Both young ladies logged a lot of miles over the summer, and that dedication was evident on the course,� said Potter, noting that both girls have improved their times by a minute and a half. “The next four runners ran very solid times for the first outing. Our overall team depth will be critical for the success we envision this season.�

The boys were led by medalists Connor Smith, 5th place, and Daniel Miller, 9th place. “To place in the top 10 in a meet of this size and caliber is quite impressive,� said Potter. “Our lack of numbers hurt us on the boys’ side, but now

we have performance numbers that we can work to improve upon. “The meet was a promising start to the season,� added Potter. “Our overall team placing for the girls was encouraging – defeating the #12 ranked team in class 1A and Mason City public; a 4A school. The boys have some room to go with the most growth coming from the number 3-5 runners. We definitely can take away some positives from the meet, but just as important, we can take away areas where we need to get better in order to improve.�

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [16:35 /4th (medalist)], Brooke Hovland [16:56/7th (medalist)], Krista Hovland [18:23/29th], Kayla Limberg [18:39/34th], Christa Miller [19:08/44th], Samantha Sevley [19:18/47th] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [17:07/5th (medalist)], Daniel Miller [17:39/9th (medalist)], Chance Mayland [20:13/64th], Taylor Ostermann [21:30/79th], Josh Clarke [23:25/96th] Junior Varsity Girls Lexis Julsrud-Wertjes [20:22/16th], Rian Helland [20:53/25th] Junior High Boys Jackson Berte [11:07/31st]

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Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 3

Bison claim third at B-K Invitational

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The North Iowa cross country teams competed in the Class B division of the Belmond Invitational on September 10th.

Eight schools fielded runners in Class B. “It was great to have a commendable outing for the second week in a row,� Coach Jon Potter said. “Our runners showed their willingness to compete which is important. Class B which we ran in this year might not have been as deep as class A but it still had some quality runners to compete against.�

The Bison girls finished third with 57 points. They were paced by runner-up Madison Blodgett with a time of 18:04. Brooke Hovland finished fifth with a time of 18:49 while Krista Hovland was 10th in 20:01. Also running well were Christa Miller, with 17th place finish, crossing in 20:37 while Samantha Sevley was 23rd in 21:33. “On the girls’ side, having three medalists was important because the teams that were competing in our division will likely be district competition later in the fall,� Coach Jon Potter said. “The course itself was a quarter mile long, so the times are a bit misleading. Madi ran an intelligent race and looked strong the last half mile. Brooke ran a steady race while Krista moved up and surged well during the middle part of the run.� “Christa Miller ran a very gutsy race,� the coach said. “Where we need to see the most improvement for our team to drop some places is with the fourth through sixth runners; maintaining health and our solid practice habits will be key for team success later in the season.�

For the boys, Connor Smith claimed second with a time of 17:34 while Daniel Miller was a solid fifth in 18:06.

Chance Mayland ran well, finishing in 19:48, good enough for 14th overall while Taylor Ostermann crossed the line in 21:52, finishing 35th overall.

Overall, the team finished third overall with 95 points. “The boys came out and

ran fairly well against the competition,� Potter said. “Our top three runners competed well – to place three in the top fourteen was encouraging.� “Connor and Daniel were a bit conservative on the start but ran nice races down the stretch; Chance had one of the best races of his career and looked strong doing it,� the coach added. “Now we need to cut the gap down between our number four and five runners to help us to be even more competitive as a team.�

Potter said the efforts should be a good springboard for the rest of the year. “Hopefully this meet will reassure our runners that the hard work, practice habits, and racing strategies we employ translate into success on the course,� he added. “I like seeing how all the runners, regardless of where they sit on the team, show up and put forth effort. If we continue to apply ourselves as we have been, we should continue to have more positive performances down the stretch both individually and as a team.�

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [18:04/2nd (medalist)], Brooke Hovland [18:49/5th (medalist)], Krista Hovland [20:01/10th (medalist)], Christa Miller [20:37/17th], Samantha Sevley [21:33/23rd], Kayla Limberg [21:52/27th], Lexis Julsrud-Wertjes [24:00/38th], Megan Davis [27:37/54th] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [17:34/2nd (medalist)], Daniel Miller [18:06/5th (medalist)], Chance Mayland [19:48/14th], Taylor Ostermann [21:52/35th], Josh Clarke [24:20/53rd]

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Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 4

Boys take one and two spots, girls place second at Emmetsburg The North Iowa cross country teams each took three medalist spots at the Emmetsburg Invitational held Monday, Sept.

16.

The North Iowa boys fielded an incomplete team but took the top two spots in the race. Connor Smith was the meet champion with a time of 16:57, followed by Daniel Miller in second place with a time of 17:22. Taylor Ostermann also medaled in 15th place.

The Lady Bison squad also produced three medalists, as Madison Blodgett took third, Brooke Hovland was fourth, and Krista Hovland placed 13th. The girls took second place overall, with a team score of 53 points. “Both [Madi and Brooke] were nearly ninety seconds faster this year than last, which is a testament to their summer training,� said Head Coach Jonathan Potter. “Krista ran a solid race to earn medalist honors.

We need to cut the gap between our #3 and #5 runners to about 30 seconds in order for us to be more competitive as a team. The kids have been working hard, so hopefully we’re able to make the adjustments necessary as the year progresses. “On the boys’ side, both Connor and Dan ran phenomenal races,� said Potter. “Connor took the lead early and dictated the pace and never relinquished the lead, earning his first high school meet championship. Dan ran a great back half of the race and closed the gap with the second place runner and out-gutted him the last 400m. To go 1-2 in a meet with the times we posted is quite an accomplishment. Taylor ran a lifetime best and earned his first medalist honors in the process; while Josh ran a personal record by roughly a minute. Overall, despite not fielding a team for the boys due to injury, they came out and competed well.�

While this was a small meet, with only six schools, Potter says there was quality competition. “The key training points for our squads now are to stay healthy and continue to apply ourselves as we have in practice,� said Potter.

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [16:28/3rd (medalist)], Brooke Hovland [16:52/4th (medalist)], Krista Hovland [18:00/13th (medalist)], Christa Miller [18:52/16th], Samantha Sevley [19:10/17th], Kayla Limberg [20:22/22nd], Lexis Julsrud-Wertjes [20:37/23rd] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [16:57/1st (meet champion)], Daniel Miller [17:22/2nd (medalist)], Taylor Ostermann [20:48/15th (medalist)], Josh Clarke [22:35/19th] Junior Varsity Girls Megan Davis [21:20/8th (medalist)] Junior High Boys Jackson Berte [16:08/31st]

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Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 5

All-Conference medalists at the North Iowa Conference cross country meet held in Osage on Oct. 17 include, from left: Daniel Miller, First Team; Connor Smith, First Team, Madi Blodgett, First Team; and Brooke Hovland, Second Team; along with North Iowa Head Coach Jon Potter.

Ladies triumph at West Fork Invitational The North Iowa Lady Bison claimed first place for the first time this season at the West Fork cross country invitational on Monday, Sept. 23. Ten schools fielded runners, and four North Iowa girls medaled to tally a 25 point total.

Madi Blodgett led North Iowa with a number two finish, followed by Brooke Hovland in fourth, Krista Hovland in fifth, and Samantha Sevley in 14th place.

Meanwhile, the boys’ team took fourth place with 63 points, as Connor Smith and Dan Miller medaled with fourth and ninth place finishes, respectively.

“On an ideal night to run cross country, both teams came out and competed well in a solid field,� said North Iowa Head Coach Jon Potter. “The girls’ team came out and ran exceptionally well.

Madi and Brooke show up every meet and just turn in very strong performances – week in and week out. This exceptional consistency has been a great boon for our team. “Krista Hovland ran one of the finest races of her career to earn an excellent fifth place finish in a quality field – this is the type of performance we will need from her to achieve our season’s goals,� said Potter. “Samantha, with half a

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mile to go, was in 18th place and worked very hard to move up; her passing one girl with 100 meters to go was the difference for our teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first place finish and us losing on the tie-breaker. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; squad overall turned in a quality performance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just that the overall field was improved from previous years,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Connor led the way, as he has all season, with a fourth place finish. Daniel struggled but ran well enough to earn a ninth place finish in a tough field. Kam ran the best race of his career by over a minute, which was encouraging for his first time out this fall.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both teams have really come along this year,â&#x20AC;? added Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The kids have been putting it on the line in practice, and the results are showing up on the course. If we can keep everyone healthy and keep training at the high level we have been, the conference and district meets should be very interesting.â&#x20AC;?

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [15:09 /2nd (medalist)], Brooke Hovland [15:33/4th (medalist)], Krista Hovland [16:20/5th (medalist)], Samantha Sevley [17:08/14th (medalist)], Christa Miller [17:56/22nd], Kayla Limberg [18:24/28th], Lexis Julsrud-

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Wertjes [19:15/42nd], Megan Davis [20:30/49th] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [16:52/4th (medalist)], Daniel Miller [18:09/9th (medalist)], Kameron Rohwedder [19:19/23rd], Chance Mayland [19:43/27th], Taylor Ostermann [21:05/51st], Josh Clarke [21:40/63rd]

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2013 Lady Bison State Qualifers!

The 2013 North Iowa Lady Bison cross country team, front from left: Samantha Sevley, Madison Blodgett, Krista Hovland, Emily Ullmann, Kayla Limberg and Megan Davis. Back row: Head Coach Jon Potter, Lexis Julsrud-Wertjes, Brooke Hovland, Rian Helland, Tiarra Jensvold, Christa Miller and Assistant Coach Doug DeBoer. (Photo by Patty Jo Sanderson)

Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 8

Blodgett takes first championship at Garner North Iowa junior Madi Blodgett raced to her first ever meet championship as she led a squad of medalists at the Garner cross country invitational on Monday, Sept. 30.

The Lady Bison placed third at the meet with 64 points five medalists, while the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; squad took fourth place with 114 points and three medalists.

Medalists for the girls also included Brooke Hovland, Emily Ullmann, Krista Hovland and Christa Miller. Medalists for the boys were Connor Smith, Daniel Miller and Chance Mayland.

Tiarra Jensvold medaled in the JV girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; race. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On a blustery day to run distance, the kids came out and had a flurry of encouraging performances,â&#x20AC;? remarked North Iowa Head Coach Jon Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team was led by Madiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first place finish â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is the first cross country race she has ever won, and she earned it the last 300 meters, out-kicking a quality competitor in the process,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brooke had another positive outing with her strong fifth place finish. Emily Ullmannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first race of the season was likely the best of her high school career, which is exciting to see. Krista and Christa both had solid outings for themselves, earning medalist honors in the process. As a team, this was an excellent outing for the girls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; side of things, Connor went out fast early and held on for a solid sixth place finish,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daniel worked his way up early in the race and competed well down the stretch. Chance powered through the chute and earned the last medalist honor in the process.

Overall, the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team had many encouraging performances. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the conference meet roughly two weeks and the district meet three weeks away, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting into that critical point in the season where we need to have some solid outings so that our teams can â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and acquire the confidence necessary to compete with and beat the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;big boys and girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;,â&#x20AC;? added Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While this meet contained many positives,

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Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [15:57 /1st (meet champion)], Brooke Hovland [16:38/5th (medalist)], Emily Ullmann [17:42/14th (medalist)], Krista Hovland [17:54/18th (medalist)], Christa Miller [18:26/26th (medalist)], Samantha Sevley [19:00/32nd] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [17:33/6th

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Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 9

North Iowa places six medalists at Eagle Grove

The North Iowa girls placed fourth and the boys took fifth at the Dick Bell Invitational in Eagle Grove on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The Lady Bison tallied 96 points, while the boys had 125 points in the field of nine schools running in Class B. Madi Blodgett once again led the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; squad with a fourth place finish, followed by fellow medalists Brooke Hovland in seventh and Krista Hovland in 21st. Connor Smith led the boys with a third place finish, followed

by Dan Miller in sixth and Kam Rohwedder in 24th. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team got an excellent preview of what district competition will be like,â&#x20AC;? said North Iowa Head Coach Jon Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They faced three ranked 1A schools and some other quality programs. While finishing fourth was further back than we had hoped, being within four points of third is a real positive. Essentially, what it boils down to is a couple of competitors having a good run on the right day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madi and Brooke came out ran well to finish in the top 10 in such a talented field of runners â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both significantly faster and better placed than last season,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Krista has really improved from last season, and now she expects to be a medalist every time she races, which is great. Christa and Sam narrowly missed out on medalist honors, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll need them to continue to perform well down the stretch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; side, we lost our number four runner at the twomile mark due to injury, which hurt our overall team score, but the top three runners had very good outings for themselves,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To have both Connor and Dan within one second of each other down the stretch was encouraging; hopefully it helps fuel each runner with the belief that advancing to the state meet is a realistic expectation. Kam broke 20 again, which is great â&#x20AC;&#x201C; earning medalist honors in the process. He has improved greatly from last year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the conference and district meets fast approaching,

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the cross country team would like to encourage as many people as possible to come out and support us in our most important meets of the year,â&#x20AC;? added Potter. The North Iowa Conference meet will be held in Osage this Thursday, Oct. 17 at 4:30 p.m. The state qualifier meet will be held back at Eagle Grove on October 24, with a start time of 4:30 p.m.

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [16:53/4th (medalist)], Brooke Hovland [17:09/7th (medalist)], Krista Hovland [18:30/21st (medalist)],

Christa Miller [19:12/31st], Samantha Sevley [19:17/33rd] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [17:35/3rd (medalist)], Daniel Miller [17:36/6th (medalist)], Kameron Rohwedder [19:37/24th (medalist)], Taylor Ostermann [22:06/44th], Josh Clarke [22:29/48th] Junior Varsity Girls Megan Davis [21:01/28th], Lexis Julsrud-Wertjes [22:22/47th], Rian Helland [22:57/55th]

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Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 10

Runners place four and five at Forest City

The North Iowa cross country teams faced one final test before their biggest meets of the season, as they ran in the Forest City Invitational on Monday, Oct. 14.

Thirteen schools fielded runners at the meet, with the North Iowa girls placing fourth out of eight teams with 86 points and the boys taking fifth out of 10 teams with 147 points. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was a good tune up for our conference meet,â&#x20AC;? said North Iowa Head Coach Jon Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were many solid performances on a perfect afternoon for distance running.â&#x20AC;?

The girls were led by medalist Madi Blodgett with a strong third place finish. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She closed well down the stretch and battled for the top four position well,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Brooke turned in another excellent effort, placing sixth in a talented field and beating many quality runners in the process.

Krista ran a good race for herself and broke 18 minutes, which will be needed for the upcoming races.

We arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 100% healthy right now, and that is worrisome, but the kids have been racing hard, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to continue to press forward with only 10 days left of the season guaranteed.â&#x20AC;?

The boys were led by medalist Connor Smith, who placed fourth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He had quite a kick down the stretch to beat a runner that has taken him the past few times out, so thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s encouraging,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dan ran one of his better races at Forest City and finished with medalist honors with his ninth place. We need to drop another 30-45 seconds on our number three to five runners to be a viable contender for a top five finish in the upcoming meets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This meet was good to see where we sit in the conference,â&#x20AC;? added Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With only â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;big meetsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; left, it was important for the kids to come out and compete at a high level. If we can stay healthy and compete as we have all season, both the conference and state qualifying meets will not be disappointing.â&#x20AC;?

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [16:24 /3rd (medalist)], Brooke Hovland

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Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 11

North Iowa squads place fourth in NIC Four North Iowa runners took All-Conference medalist honors at the North Iowa Conference cross country meet held Thursday, Oct. 17 in Osage.

Connor Smith placed sixth and Daniel Miller placed seventh to take First Team All-Conference honors for the boys. Madi Blodgett placed fourth for First Team honors, while Brooke Hovland finished eighth to take Second Team All-Conference honors.

Both North Iowa squads finished fourth in the conference, as the Osage boys and girls both took the Conference Titles. Scores for the girls were: Osage 44, GHV/WH 46, Newman 65, North Iowa 79 and Belmond-Klemme 150, with Forest City and Lake Mills running incomplete squads.

Team totals for the boys were: Osage 43, GHV/WH 46, Forest City 90, North Iowa 101, Newman 131, Lake Mills 133 and Belmond-Klemme 183. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The girls came out and ran solid,â&#x20AC;? said North Iowa Head Coach Jon Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madi and Brooke went out strong and competed exceptionally well throughout the entire run. Madi earned First Team honors for the third year in a row, while Brooke fought off a side-ache 1.5 miles in to hold on to the eighth spot for a Second Team-All NIC finish. Sam and Christa Miller competed well for themselves and were right at what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hoped theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d finish; while Krista Hovland battled a breathing issue this race, and it cost her some places the back mile to round out our scorers. Lexis ran a positive race for herself, nearly breaking 20 minutes; while Kayla has battled injuries the back half of this season, and it impacted her performance today. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The boys placed two runners on the NIC All-Conference First Team. Connor led the way with his sixth place finish â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he went out with the leaders early, and it cost him the second mile, but rallied to hold on to the solid placing,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daniel got out and competed well, earning First Team honors for the first time in his career. Chance came out and ran a seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best time, which was nice, while Kam, who was battling a nagging injury, persevered and

finished well for us. Both Taylor and Josh ran seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best times, which is encouraging. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Special mention has to go to the three JV girls who came out and ran good races for themselves, with Rian Helland finishing seventh to earn JV medalist honors,â&#x20AC;? added Potter.

The Conference meet also marked the last night of junior high competition, with Jackson Berte serving as North Iowaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sole runner at the middle school level this season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want to complement the young man on his solid work ethic, attitude, and competitiveness that he displayed all year long,â&#x20AC;? said Coach Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is difficult to be the only one out for a sport at your level.

Hopefully the personal successes that he experienced will ignite and fuel his love of running and competition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Overall, this was an excellent â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;big meetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; test for our kids,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Experience with pressure situations is something that will be valuable with only one meet guaranteed to go. With only the state qualifier meet at Eagle Grove, and a realistic shot at sending competitors to the state meet, as many North Iowa fans that could make the trip to our meet would be greatly appreciated.â&#x20AC;?

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [16:08/4th (1st team All-NIC)], Brooke Hovland [16:38/8th (2nd team All-NIC)], Samantha Sevley [17:59/22nd], Christa Miller [18:03/23rd], Krista Hovland [18:06/25th], Lexis JulsrudWertjes [20:06/33rd], Kayla Limberg [20:55/37th] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [17:03/6th (1st team All-NIC)], Daniel Miller [17:16/7th (1st team All-NIC)], Chance Mayland [19:42/26th], Kameron Rohwedder [19:55/28th], Taylor Ostermann [20:40/34th], Josh Clarke [21:06/37th] Junior Varsity Girls Rian Helland [19:22/7th (JV medalist)], Tiarra Jensvold [20:00/16th], Megan Davis [20:41/23rd] Junior High Boys Jackson Berte [15:58/27th]

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Bison Cross Country, November 6, 2013 - Page 12

Lady Bison race to State Smith makes third trip for boys

The Lady Bison runners will fulfill their biggest goal of the season on Saturday, Nov. 2, when they compete in the State cross country meet in Fort Dodge.

The girls took second place at the state qualifier meet in Eagle Grove on Thursday, Oct. 24, to secure their first State berth as a team since 2007.

Joining them at State from the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; squad will be Connor Smith, who qualified for meet for his third year in a row with a third place medalist finish last Thursday. Medalists for the girls were Madi Blodgett in fourth and Brooke Hovland in eighth.

Twenty-seven schools fielded runners at the qualifier meet, including 120 runners in the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; race and 152 runners in the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; race. The Lady Bison had displacement score of 99 points for their second place finish, while the boys placed 11th with 257 points. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both teams, from top to bottom, came and competed at a high level versus excellent competition,â&#x20AC;? said Head Coach Jon Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The girls ran an amazing average of 62 seconds and the boys 25 seconds faster from two weeks ago on the same course. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madi and Brooke came out and ran excellent races for themselves â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to finish in the

top 10 in this meet is quite an accomplishment. Both placed themselves in the running early and never relented,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christa Miller ran the race of her high school career â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she was a minute and sixteen seconds faster today than two weeks ago on the same course. She simply came out and laid it on the line and succeeded. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Krista Hovland went out strong and battled hard the last 1200m to hold her spot, while Sam moved up 15 places in the last 1200m to secure our second place finish â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she had a simply amazing surge down the home stretch. Rian has finally recovered from an early season injury and ran over three minutes faster than her first race back at Eagle Grove, while Lexis also improved by roughly a minute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; side, Connor tried a new race strategy to go out more conservatively and work his way up in the middle of the race, and his patience and running discipline paid off,â&#x20AC;? said Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was able to move up consistently throughout the race and finish third in an extremely strong boys meet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; earning a trip to the State meet in the process.

Dan ran hard but unfortunately was unable to summon a large personal record in order to finish in the top 10 to advance. Chance,

Taylor and Josh all ran season best times, which is a great way to end the season, while Kam had been battling the injury bug, and it cost him some time the back half of the race. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The cross country team would like to thank the fans that supported us at the state qualifying meet,â&#x20AC;? added Potter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your presence helped to spur us on to a fantastic showing.â&#x20AC;?

The State cross country meet will be held this Saturday, Nov. 2 at Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge. The Lady Bison will run in the 1A girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; meet, scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m., and Smith will run in the 1A boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; meet, slated to begin at 2:30.

Varsity Girls Madison Blodgett [16:37/4th (medalist/State Qualifier)], Brooke Hovland [16:53/8th (medalist/State Qualifier)], Christa Miller [17:56/23rd], Krista Hovland [18:21/39th], Samantha Sevley [18:22/40th], Rian Helland [19:21/67th], Lexis Julsrud-Wertjes [21:32/108th] Varsity Boys Connor Smith [16:54/3rd (medalist/State Qualifier)], Daniel Miller [17:59/21st], Chance Mayland [19:34/64th], Kameron Rohwedder [20:09/81st], Taylor Ostermann [21:01/103rd], Josh Clarke [21:13/106th]

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Connor Smith